Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis is intended to provide a narrative of our financial results and an evaluation of our results of operations and financial condition. The discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto. A description of our business is discussed in Item 1 of this report which contains an overview of our business as well as the status of our ongoing project operations.
Results of Operations
The dollar values discussed in the following tables, except as otherwise indicated, are approximations to the nearest $1,000,000 and therefore do not necessarily sum in columns or rows. For more detail refer to the Financial Statements and Supplementary Data in Item 8. The tables identify years 2021, 2020 and 2019, all of which included a twelve-month period ended December 31.
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2021 Compared to 2020
Increase/(Decrease)
2021 vs. 2020
(Dollars in millions)
2021
2020
$
%
Total revenue
$
0.9
$
2.0
$
(1.1
)
54.8
%
Operations and research
9.6
10.9
(1.4
)
12.6
%
Marketing, general and administrative
6.3
3.7
2.6
68.6
%
Total operating expenses
$
15.9
$
14.7
$
1.2
8.2
%
Total other income (expense)
$
(1.2
)
$
(8.5
)
$
(7.3
)
86.1
%
Income tax benefit (provision)
$
0.0
$
0.0
$
0.0
0.0
%
Non-controlling
interest
$
6.2
$
6.3
$
(0.1
)
1.7
%
Net income (loss)
$
(10.0
)
$
(14.8
)
$
(4.9
)
32.8
%
Revenue
The revenue generated in each period was a result of performing oceanic research, project administration and search and recovery operations for our customers and related parties. Total revenue in the current year was $0.9 million, a $1.1 million decrease compared to the same period a year ago. One company to which we provided these services in both years was a deep-sea
mineral exploration company, CIC, which we consider to be a related party since it is owned and controlled by our past Chairman of the Board (see NOTE J). The primary reason for the $1.1 million reduction was that we were no longer engaged on another project since the latter half of 2020. This project accounts for $0.6 million of the reduction. In 2020 we had other marine search engagements for which we earned $0.5 million in revenue. These other marine engagements did not recur in this current year.
Cost and Expenses
Marketing, general and administrative expenses primarily include all costs within the following departments: Executive, Finance & Accounting, Legal, Information Technology, Human Resources, Marketing & Communications, Sales and Business Development. Costs increased $2.6 million to $6.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $3.7 million from the same period in the prior year. The items contributing to this $2.6 million increase were an increase of $0.2 million in employee benefits and compensation related, and an increase of non-cash
long term incentive share-based compensation of $0.8 million. Legal fees increased by $0.2 million which is primarily related to supporting the expansion of our seafloor minerals portfolio. The remaining $1.4 million was due to a reduction in the discretionary incentive reserve during the prior year resulting from management’s decision to not pay certain discretionary incentives.
Operations and research expenses are primarily focused around deep-sea mineral
exploration which includes minerals research, scientific services, marine operations and project management. Operations and research expenses decreased by $1.4 million from 2020 to 2021 primarily as a result of the following items: (i) a $0.3 million decrease in litigation financed costs directly associated with our NAFTA litigation and (ii) a $0.8 million decrease in marine services technical contracted labor in direct correlation with the reduction in revenue contracts that are nonrecurring in 2021 and (iii) the current year ended December 31, 2021 includes a gain on sale of equipment of $0.3 million.
Other Income or Expense
Other income and expense was $1.2 million in net expenses and $8.5 million in net expenses for 2021 and 2020, respectively, resulting in a net expense decrease of $7.3 million. This variance was attributable to a $1.2 million decrease from a $0.8 million prior year loss on debt extinguishment to a current year gain of $0.4 million on debt extinguishment. The prior year $0.8 million loss was due to fair value accounting on a refinancing of a loan with a creditor and the current year gain was due to the Small Business Administration forgiving our $0.4 million Payroll Protection Program loan. The other items were a
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decrease of $0.7 million in derivative fair value expense of our hybrid debt instrument that only existed in 2020, a $3.9 million increase in interest expense mainly attributable to our NAFTA litigation funding, a $4.1 million increase in other income due to removing the balance of our deferred income items from our balance sheet (see NOTE K) and a gain of $5.2 million related to a debt settlement agreement with a creditor that occurred in October 2021, see NOTE H – LOANS PAYABLE (Note 13 – Monaco) for further detail.
Income Taxes and Non-Controlling
Interest
We did not incur any taxes in 2021, 2020 or 2019.
Starting in 2013, we became the controlling shareholder of Oceanica. Our financial statements thus include the financial results of Oceanica and its subsidiary, ExO. Except for intercompany transactions that are fully eliminated upon consolidation, Oceanica’s revenues and expenses, in their entirety, are shown in our consolidated financial statements. The share of Oceanica’s net losses corresponding to the equity of Oceanica not owned by us is subsequently shown as the “Non-Controlling
Interest” in the consolidated statements of operations. The non-controlling
interest adjustment in the year ended December 31, 2021 was $6.2 million as compared to $6.3 million for the same period in 2021. The substance of these amounts is primarily due to the compounding of interest on intercompany debt and other standard operating costs.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
(Dollars in thousands)
2021
2020
Summary of Cash Flows:
Net cash (used) by operating activities
$
(5,303
)
$
(9,287
)
Net cash provided by investing activities
323
—
Net cash provided by financing activities
1,092
15,237
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
$
(3,888
)
$
5,950
Beginning cash and cash equivalents
6,163
213
Ending cash and cash equivalents
$
2,275
$
6,163
Discussion of Cash Flows
Net cash used by operating activities for the calendar year of 2021 was $5.3 million. This represents an approximate $3.5 million decrease in use of funds when compared to the use of $9.3 million in the same period of 2020. The current year net cash used by operating activities reflected a net loss before non-controlling
interest of $16.1 million and is adjusted primarily by non-cash
or non-operating
items of $8.8 million, which primarily includes an investment in unconsolidated entity of $0.9 million, share-based compensation of $1.2 million, debt forgiveness of $0.4 million, a gain on sale of equipment of $0.3 million, an adjustment to deferred income of $3.8 million and a gain on the debt settlement agreement of $5.2 million. Other operating activities resulted in an increase in working capital of $19.7 million. This $19.7 million increase includes a $13.7 million increase to accrued expenses, an increase of $6.3 million to accounts payable and a decrease of $0.3 million to other assets and accounts receivable in 2021. The increase to accrued expenses and accounts payable is predominantly related to our NAFTA financed litigation as it pertains to standard litigation payables and accrued interest associated with the litigation financing.
Net cash used by operating activities for 2020 was $9.3 million. This represents a $3.8 million increase in use of funds when compared to the use of $5.4 million in the same period of 2019. The net cash used by operating activities reflected a net loss before non-controlling interest
of $21.1 million offset in part by non-cash items
of $1.0 million which primarily includes loss on debt extinguishment of $0.8 million, investment in unconsolidated entity of $0.9 million, the fair-value of hybrid-debt accounting of $0.7 million and other which includes items such as depreciation and debt discount accretion for $0.4 million. Other operating activities resulted in an increase in working capital of $2.4 million compared to 2019. Changes to accrued expenses, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other assets in 2020 comprised the $2.4 million. The December 31, 2020 accounts payable balance of $4.1 million is comprised of: a) $3.3 million which pertains to four accounts. These accounts are not related to current operations and are not expected to be settled with cash, b) $0.5 million for our NAFTA litigation and will be funded from our litigation financing facility and c) $0.3 million of standard operating payables that will be settled in the normal course of business.
Cash flows provided by investing activities for the calendar year 2021 were $322,988, which is net of $19,137 of equipment purchases of a marine asset and computer and cash proceeds from the sale of equipment of $342,125.
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There were no cash flows from investing activities in 2020.
Cash flows provided by financing activities for the calendar year 2021 were $1.0 million. The $1.0 million is comprised of $0.7 million received from the sale of equity in our subsidiary offset by outflows of $0.5 million for our lease obligation payments and other debt obligation payments. We were reimbursed $1.4 million from our funder related to our NAFTA litigation financed expenses. A $500,000 termination fee was paid in relation to our Termination Agreement (See NOTE H – Note 13).
Cash flows provided by financing activities for 2020 were $15.2 million, which represented a $12.3 million increase over the same period in 2019 of $2.9 million. The current period $15.2 million was comprised of funds received from our NAFTA litigation financing and funds received from the 37 North agreement (NOTE H). We also received funds from the Small Business Administration (SBA) programs for the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) and the Emergency Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) (NOTE H). These debt proceeds of $3.6 million were offset by $0.2 million of repayments of financed obligations. In August 2020 we sold 2.5 million of our common shares for net-proceeds of
$11.3 million (see NOTE L). During December 2020, we sold $800,000 of new equity in one of our controlled subsidiaries to an existing shareholder of that subsidiary.
General Discussion 2021
At December 31, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents of $2.3 million, a decrease of $3.9 million from the December 31, 2020 balance of $6.2 million. During March 2021, Epsilon Acquisitions LLC converted its indebtedness comprised of $1.0 million of principal and $0.4 million of accrued interest into 411,562 shares of our common stock, and during July 2021, certain creditors converted $1.1 million of our convertible debt and accrued interest of $0.3 million into 283,850 shares of our common stock (See NOTE H). Our litigation funder paid, on our behalf, $5.6 million of amounts due to vendors who are supporting our NAFTA litigation as well as directly reimbursing the Company $1.4 million for expended costs related directly to our NAFTA litigation.
Financial debt of the company, excluding any derivative, discounts, hybrid-debt fair value accounting or beneficial conversion feature components of such, was $42.2 million at December 31, 2021 and $43.2 million at December 31, 2020. During October 2021 we entered into a Termination and Settlement Agreement with Monaco and SMOM which removed $14.5 million of debt principal and accrued interest from our balance sheet. See NOTE H – LOANS PAYABLE (Note 13 – Monaco) for further detail.
Since SEMARNAT initially declined to approve the environmental permit application of our Mexican subsidiary in April 2016 and again in October 2018, notwithstanding that the Superior Court of the Federal Court of Administrative Justice (TFJA) in Mexico nullified SEMARNAT’s initial denial, we continue to support the efforts of our subsidiaries and partners to work through the administrative, legal and political process necessary to have the decision reviewed and overturned in the court of the TFJA. On January 4, 2019, we initiated the process to submit a claim against Mexico to arbitration under the investment protection chapter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). On September 4, 2020, we filed our First Memorial with the Tribunal. The First Memorial is the filing that fully lays out our case, witnesses and evidence for the Tribunal. Mexico filed its counter-memorial, which is available on the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) website, on February 23, 2021. On June 29, 2021, we filed our reply to Mexico’s counter-memorial. Odyssey’s filings are available at www.odysseymarine.com/nafta. The NAFTA’s Tribunal hearing took place from January 24 – January 29, 2022. After this evidentiary phase is closed by the Tribunal, deliberations will begin. Odyssey cannot predict the length of these deliberations or when a ruling will be issued, but we remain confident in the merits of our case. See Litigation Financing below regarding the funding of this litigation, see ITEM 1. BUSINESS for further detail.
2020 Compared to 2019
Increase/(Decrease)
2020 vs. 2019
(Dollars in millions)
2020
2019
$
%
Total revenue
$
2.0
$
3.1
$
(1.0
)
33.7
%
Operations and research
10.9
7.9
3.0
37.8
%
Marketing, general and administrative
3.6
5.5
(1.7
)
31.7
%
Total operating expenses
$
14.7
$
13.4
$
1.3
9.3
%
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Increase/(Decrease)
2020 vs. 2019
(Dollars in millions)
2020
2019
$
%
Total other income (expense)
$
(8.5
)
$
(5.2
)
$
3.3
64.1
%
Income tax benefit (provision)
$
0.0
$
0.0
$
0.0
0.0
%
Non-controlling
interest
$
6.3
$
5.1
$
1.2
24.1
%
Net income (loss)
$
(14.8
)
$
(10.4
)
$
4.4
41.9
%
Revenue
The revenue generated in each period was a result of performing oceanic research, project administration and search and recovery operations for our customers and related parties. Total revenue decreased by $1.0 million in 2020 as compared to 2019. The $1.0 million decrease is comprised of a $1.4 million reduction resulting from the long-term project we were engaged on since 2018 having reached its life expectancy during this period offset in part by an increase of $0.4 million increase in marine exploration services.
Cost and Expenses
Marketing, general and administrative expense decreased $1.7 million to $3.6 million in 2020 compared to $5.5 million in 2019. The key items contributing to this $1.7 million decrease was a non-cash decrease
of share-based compensation of $0.2 million and a net reduction of $1.2 in employee incentives and employee and director related compensation. The $1.2 million reduction was primarily due to the reduction of the discretionary incentive reserve resulting from management’s decision to not pay discretionary incentives until appropriate. We also had a $0.4 million reduction in professional corporate services which includes a reduction of approximately $0.3 million in maritime legal services associated with the HMS Victory
as well as fees related to legal and in our annual audit function. These decreases were offset in part by a $0.1 million increase split between governmental fees and our corporate liability insurance.
Operations and research expenses increased by $3.0 million from 2019 to 2020 primarily as a result of the following items: (a) a $4.3 million increase in financed professional fees, legal fees, and other expenses directly associated with our NAFTA litigation pursuit, (b) a $1.3 million decrease in marine services operating technical labor costs, (c) a $0.4 million increase in our concession permit fees for our Mexican subsidiary and (d) a $0.4 million decrease in our general operational overhead which includes items such as travel related, insurances, depreciation and rent.
Other Income or Expense
Other income and expense was $8.5 and $5.2 million in net expenses for 2020 and 2019, respectively, resulting in a net expense increase of $3.3 million. This variance was primarily attributable to an increase in interest expense of $3.5 million primarily from our litigation financing agreement (NOTE H), a reduction in debt discount accretion in the amount of $1.0 million, a $0.4 million incremental expense due to the fair value accounting of our hybrid debt instrument (NOTE H), the prior year included an expense of $0.9 million related to the fair value accounting for a warrant inducement related to debt refinancing, a $0.5 million current year expense related to debt extinguishment accounting related to a loan extension, and $0.8 million of other income in 2019 attributable to the extinguishment of deferred revenue that was caused by the 2019 cancelation of the HMS Sussex
contract.
Income Taxes and Non-Controlling
Interest
We did not incur any taxes in 2020, 2019 or 2018.
Starting in 2013, we became the controlling shareholder of Oceanica. Our financial statements thus include the financial results of Oceanica and its subsidiary. Except for intercompany transactions that are eliminated upon consolidation, Oceanica’s revenues and expenses, in their entirety, are shown in our consolidated financial statements. The share of Oceanica’s net losses corresponding to the equity of Oceanica not owned by us is subsequently shown as the “Non-Controlling
Interest” in the consolidated statements of operations. The non-controlling
interest adjustment for 2020 was $6.3 million as compared to $5.1 million for 2019. The administrative support has been ongoing in support of the legal process in obtaining the environmental application for our Mexican subsidiary. This increase was mainly attributable to the compounding debt interest on our Mexican subsidiary’s balance sheet.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
(Dollars in thousands)
2020
2019
Summary of Cash Flows:
Net cash (used) by operating activities
$
(9,287
)
$
(5,444
)
Net cash provided by investing activities
—
(16
)
Net cash provided by financing activities
15,237
2,876
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
$
5,950
$
(2,584
)
Beginning cash and cash equivalents
213
2,797
Ending cash and cash equivalents
$
6,163
$
213
Discussion of Cash Flows
Net cash used by operating activities for 2020 was $9.3 million. This represents a $3.8 million increase when compared to the use of $5.4 million in the same period of 2019. The net cash used by operating activities reflected a net loss before non-controlling interest
of $21.1 million offset in part by non-cash items
of $1.0 million which primarily includes loss on debt extinguishment of $0.8 million, investment in unconsolidated entity of $0.9 million, the fair-value of hybrid-debt accounting of $0.7 million and other which includes items such as depreciation and debt discount accretion for $0.4 million. Other operating activities resulted in an increase in working capital of $2.4 million compared to 2019. Changes to accrued expenses, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other assets in 2020 comprised the $2.4 million. The December 31, 2020 accounts payable balance of $4.1 million is comprised of: a) $3.3 million which pertains to four accounts. These accounts are not related to current operations and are not expected to be settled with cash, b) $0.5 million for our NAFTA litigation and will be funded from our litigation financing facility and c) $0.3 million of standard operating payables that will be settled in the normal course of business.
Net cash used by operating activities for 2019 was $5.4 million, an increase of $1.0 million compared to the same period in 2018. Net cash used by operating activities reflected a net loss before non-controlling
interest of $(15.5) million offset in part by non-cash
items of $1.7 million which primarily included depreciation and amortization of $0.1 million, note payable interest accretion of $0.8 million, equity based compensation of $0.8 million and deferred income amortization of $(0.8) million as well as a noncash use of $(0.7) million for an investment in an unconsolidated entity, loss on debt extinguishment of $0.3 million, a loss of $0.3 million on the debt fair value option and a $0.9 million loss due to a debt modification inducement. Other operating activities resulted in an increase in working capital of $8.4 million. Changes to accrued expenses, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other assets in 2019 comprised the $8.4 million.
There were no cash flows from investing activities in 2020.
Cash flows used by investing activities for 2019 were $0.01 million compared to $1.0 million provided by for in 2018. The same period during 2018 includes a payment of $1.0 million from Magellan Ltd (“Magellan”) for the purchase of certain marine assets.
Cash flows provided by financing activities for 2020 were $15.2 million, which represented a $12.3 million increase over the same period in 2019 of $2.9 million. The current period $15.2 million was comprised of funds received from our NAFTA litigation financing and funds received from the 37 North agreement (NOTE H). We received funds from the Small Business Administration (SBA) programs for the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) and the Emergency Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) (NOTE H). These debt proceeds of $3.6 million were offset by $0.2 million of repayments of financed obligations. In August 2020 we sold 2.5 million of our common shares for net-proceeds of
$11.3 million (see NOTE L). During December 2020, we sold $800,000 of new equity in one of our controlled subsidiaries to an existing shareholder of that subsidiary.
Cash flows provided by financing activities for 2019 were $2.9 million which represented $2.8 million of funds received from our NAFTA litigation financing, and $0.5 million debt financing offset by $0.3 million of repayments of financed obligations. For the same period in 2018, we borrowed the final tranche of $0.4 million from MINOSA, increased our note payable to SMOM by $0.5 and received $0.8 million toward our last promissory note. We also received a net advance of $1.0 million from Monaco in January 2018 which was eventually converted to a promissory note. This cash inflow was partially offset by repayment of debt obligations of $0.2 million. During the fourth quarter of 2018, we issued new equity in an equity offering netting the Company $4.6 million.
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General Discussion 2020
At December 31, 2020, we had cash and cash equivalents of $6.2 million, an increase of $5.9 million from the December 31, 2019 balance of $0.2 million. The operating cash used of $9.3 million was supported by debt proceeds from 37North, the NAFTA litigation financing and the SBA’s programs for the PPP and EIDL as well as the August 2020 capital raise of $11.3 million noted below. The $9.3 million of cash used from operations was partially offset by non-cash items
totaling $1.0 million which include share-based compensation, loss on debt extinguishment accounting and the results of the hybrid-debt agreement fair value accounting.
Financial debt of the company, excluding any derivative, hybrid-debt fair value accounting or beneficial conversion feature components of such, was $43.2 million at December 31, 2020 and $33.9 million at December 31, 2019.
On August 21, 2020, we sold an aggregate of 2,553,314 shares of our common stock and warrants to purchase up to 1,901,985 shares of our common stock. The net proceeds received from sale, after offering expenses of $0.3 million, were $11.3 million (See NOTE L).
Since SEMARNAT initially declined to approve the environmental permit application of our Mexican subsidiary in April 2016 and again in October 2018, notwithstanding that the Superior Court of the Federal Court of Administrative Justice (TFJA) in Mexico nullified SEMARNAT’s initial denial, we continue to support the efforts of our subsidiaries and partners to work through the administrative, legal and political process necessary to have the decision reviewed and overturned in the court of the TFJA. On January 4, 2019, we initiated the process to submit a claim against Mexico to arbitration under the investment protection chapter of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). On September 4, 2020, we filed our First Memorial with the Tribunal. The First Memorial is the filing that fully lays out our case, witnesses and evidence for the Tribunal. Mexico filed its counter-memorial, which is available on the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) website, on February 23, 2021. On June 29, 2021, we filed our reply to Mexico’s counter-memorial. Odyssey’s filings are available at www.odysseymarine.com/nafta. The NAFTA’s Tribunal hearing took place from January 24 – January 29, 2022. After this evidentiary phase is closed by the Tribunal, deliberations will begin. Odyssey cannot predict the length of these deliberations or when a ruling will be issued, but we remain confident in the merits of our case. See Litigation Financing below regarding the funding of this litigation, see ITEM 1. BUSINESS for further detail.
Financings
Stock Purchase Agreement
On March 11, 2015, we entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Penelope Mining LLC (the “Investor”), and, solely with respect to certain provisions of the Purchase Agreement, Minera del Norte, S.A. de C.V. (“MINOSA”). The Purchase Agreement provides for us to issue and sell to the Investor shares of our preferred stock in the amounts and at the prices set forth below (the numbers set forth below have been adjusted to reflect the 1-for-12
reverse stock split of February 19, 2016):
Series
No. of Shares
Price per Share
Series AA-1
8,427,004
$
12.00
Series AA-2
7,223,145
$
6.00
The closing of the sale and issuance of shares of the Company’s preferred stock to the Investor is subject to certain conditions, including the Company’s receipt of required approvals from the Company’s stockholders (received on June 9, 2015), the receipt of regulatory approval, performance by the Company of its obligations under the Purchase Agreement, receipt of certain third party consents, the listing of the underlying common stock on the NASDAQ Stock Market and the Investor’s satisfaction, in its sole discretion, with the viability of certain undersea mining projects of the Company. Completion of the transaction requires amending the Company’s articles of incorporation to (a) effect a reverse stock split, which was done on February 19, 2016, (b) adjusting the Company’s authorized capitalization, which was also done on February 19, 2016, and (c) establishing a classified board of directors (collectively, the “Amendments”). The Amendments have been or will be set forth in certificates of amendment to the Company’s articles of incorporation filed or to be filed with the Nevada Secretary of State.
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The purchase and sale of 2,916,667 shares of Series AA-1
Preferred Stock at an initial closing and for the purchase and sale of the remaining 5,510,337 shares of Series AA-1
Preferred Stock according to the following schedule, is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of specified conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement:
Date
No. Series AA-1
Shares
Total Purchase
Price
March 1, 2016
1,806,989
$
21,683,868
September 1, 2016
1,806,989
$
21,683,868
March 1, 2017
1,517,871
$
18,214,446
March 1, 2018
378,488
$
4,541,856
The Investor may elect to purchase all or a portion of the Series AA-1
Preferred Stock before the other dates set forth above. The initial closing and the closing scheduled for March 1, 2016, have not yet occurred because certain conditions to closing have not yet been satisfied or waived. After completing the purchase of all AA-1
Preferred Stock, the Investor has the right, but not the obligation, to purchase all or a portion the 7,223,145 shares of Series AA-2
Preferred Stock at any time after the closing price of the Common Stock on the NASDAQ Stock Market has been $15.12 or more for 20 consecutive trading days. The Investor’s right to purchase the shares of Series AA-2
Preferred Stock will terminate on the fifth anniversary of the initial closing under the Purchase Agreement.
The Purchase Agreement contains certain restrictions, subject to certain exceptions described below, on the Company’s ability to initiate, solicit or knowingly encourage or facilitate an alternative acquisition proposal, to participate in any discussions or negotiations regarding an alternative acquisition proposal, or to enter into any acquisition agreement, merger agreement or similar definitive agreement, or any letter of intent, memorandum of understanding or agreement in principle, or any other agreement relating to an alternative acquisition proposal. These restrictions will continue until the earlier to occur of the termination of the Purchase Agreement pursuant to its terms and the time at which the initial closing occurs.
The Purchase Agreement also includes customary termination rights for both the Company and the Investor and provides that, in connection with the termination of the Purchase Agreement under specified circumstances, including in the event of a termination by the Company in order to accept a Superior Proposal, the Company will be required to pay to the Investor a termination fee of $4.0 million.
The Purchase Agreement contains representations, warranties and covenants of the parties customary for a transaction of this type.
Subject to the terms set forth in the Purchase Agreement, the Lender provided the Company, through a subsidiary of the Company, with loans of $14.75 million, the outstanding amount of which, plus accrued interest, will be repaid from the proceeds from the sale of the shares of Series AA-1
Preferred Stock at the initial closing. The outstanding principal balance of the loan at December 31, 2019 was $14.75 million.
The obligation to repay the loans is evidenced by a promissory note (the “Note”) in the amount of up to $14.75 million and bears interest at the rate of 8.0% per annum, and, pursuant to a pledge agreement (the “Pledge Agreement”) between the Lender and Odyssey Marine Enterprises Ltd., an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“OME”), is secured by a pledge of 54.0 million shares of Oceanica Resources S. de R.L., a Panamanian limitada (“Oceanica”), held by OME. In addition, OME and the Lender entered into a call option agreement (the “Oceanica Call”), pursuant to which OME granted the Lender an option to purchase the 54.0 million shares of Oceanica held by OME for an exercise price of $40.0 million at any time during the one-year
period after the Oceanica Call was executed and delivered by the parties. The Oceanica Call option expired on March 11, 2016 without being executed or extended. On December 15, 2015, the Promissory Note was amended to provide that, unless otherwise converted as provided in the Note, the adjusted principal balance shall be due and payable in full upon written demand by MINOSA; provided that MINOSA agrees that it shall not demand payment of the adjusted principal balance earlier than the first to occur of: (i) 30 days after the date on which (x) SEMARNAT makes a determination with respect to the current application for the Manifestacion de Impacto Ambiental relating to our phosphate deposit project, which determination is other than an approval or (y) Enterprises or any of its affiliates withdraws such application without MINOSA’s prior written consent; (ii) termination by Odyssey of the Stock Purchase Agreement, dated March 11, 2015 (the “Purchase Agreement”), among Odyssey, MINOSA, and Penelope Mining, LLC (the “Investor”); (iii) the occurrence of an event of default under the Promissory Note; (iv) March 30, 2016; or (v) if and only if the Investor shall have terminated the Purchase Agreement pursuant to Section 8.1(d)(iii) thereof, March 30, 2016. On March 18, 2016 the agreements with MINOSA and Penelope were further
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amended and extended the maturity date of the loan to March 18, 2017(see NOTE H). The August 10, 2017 Minosa Purchase Agreement amended the due date of this note to a due date which may be no earlier than December 31, 2017, and that is at least 60 days subsequent to written notice that Minosa intends to demand payment. We have not received any notice the creditor intends to demand payment. See the August 10, 2017 Minosa Purchase Agreement disclosure below. During December 2017 MINOSA transferred this debt to its parent company.
On March 18, 2016, Odyssey entered into a $3.0 million Note Purchase Agreement with Epsilon Acquisitions LLC (see below and NOTE H).
Epsilon is an investment vehicle of Mr. Alonso Ancira who is Chairman of the Board of AHMSA, an entity that controls MINOSA.
Class AA Convertible Preferred Stock
Pursuant to a certificate of designation (the “Designation”) to be filed with the Nevada Secretary of State, each share of Series AA-1
Convertible Preferred Stock and Series AA-2
Convertible Preferred Stock (collectively, the “Class AA Preferred Stock”) will be convertible into one share of Common Stock at any time and from time to time at the election of the holder. Each share of Class AA Preferred Stock will rank pari passu with all other shares of Class AA Preferred Stock and senior to shares of Common Stock and all other classes and series of junior stock. If the Company declares a dividend or makes a distribution to the holders of Common Stock, the holders of the Class AA Preferred Stock will be entitled to participate in the dividend or distribution on an as-converted
basis. Each share of Class AA Preferred Stock shall entitle the holder thereof to vote, in person or by proxy, at any special or annual meeting of stockholders, on all matters voted on by holders of Common Stock, voting together as a single class with other shares entitled to vote thereon. So long as a majority of the shares of the Class AA Preferred Stock are outstanding, the Company will be prohibited from taking specified extraordinary actions without the approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class AA Preferred Stock. In the event of the liquidation of the Company, each holder of shares of Class AA Preferred Stock then outstanding shall be entitled to be paid, out of the assets of the Corporation available for distribution to its stockholders, an amount in cash equal to the greater of (a) the amount paid to the Company for such holder’s shares of Class AA Preferred Stock, plus an accretion thereon of 8.0% per annum, compounded annually, and (b) the amount such holder would be entitled to receive had such holder converted such shares of Class AA Preferred into Common Stock immediately prior to such time at which payment will be made or any assets distributed.
Stockholder Agreement
The Purchase Agreement provides that, at the initial closing, the Company and the Investor will enter into a stockholder agreement (the “Stockholder Agreement”). The Stockholder Agreement will provide that (a) in connection with each meeting of the Company’s stockholders at which directors are to be elected, the Company will (i) nominate for election as members of the Company’s board of directors a number of individuals designated by the Investor (“Investor Designees”) equivalent to the Investor’s proportionate ownership of the Company’s voting securities (rounded up to the next highest integer) less the number of Investor Designees who are members of the board of directors and not subject to election at such meeting, and (ii) use its reasonable best efforts to cause such nominees to be elected to the board of directors; (b) the Company will cause one of the Investor Designees to serve as a member of (or at such Investor Designee’s election, as an observer to) each committee of the Company’s board of directors; and (c) each Investor Designee shall have the right to enter into an indemnification agreement with the Company (an “Indemnification Agreement”) pursuant to which such Investor Designee is indemnified by the Company to the fullest extent allowed by Nevada law if, by reason of his or her serving as a director of the Company, such Investor Designee is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any proceeding or by reason of anything done or not done by such Investor Designee in his or her capacity as a director of the Company.
The Stockholder Agreement will provide the Investor with pre-emptive
rights with respect to certain equity offerings of the Company and restricts the Company from selling equity securities until the Investor has purchased all the Class AA Preferred Stock or no longer has the right or obligation to purchase any of the Class AA Preferred Stock. The Stockholder Agreement will also provide the Investor with certain “first look” rights with respect to certain mineral deposits discovered by the Company or its subsidiaries. Pursuant to the Stockholder Agreement, the Company will grant the Investor certain demand and piggy-back registration rights, including for shelf registrations, with respect to the resale of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Class AA Preferred Stock.
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Other loans and financing
Litigation Financing
On June 14, 2019, Odyssey and Exploraciones Oceánicas S. de R.L. de C.V., our Mexican subsidiary (“ExO” and, together with Odyssey, the “Claimholder”), and Poplar Falls LLC (the “Funder”) entered into an International Claims Enforcement Agreement (the “Agreement”), pursuant to which the Funder agreed to provide financial assistance to the Claimholder to facilitate the prosecution and recovery of the claim by the Claimholder against the United Mexican States under Chapter Eleven of the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) for violations of the Claimholder’s rights under NAFTA related to the development of an undersea phosphate deposit off the coast of Baja Sur, Mexico (the “Project”), on our own behalf and on behalf of ExO and United Mexican States (the “Subject Claim”). Pursuant to the Agreement, the Funder agreed to specified fees and expenses regarding the Subject Claim (the “Claims Payments”) incrementally and at the Funder’s sole discretion.
Under the terms of the Agreement, the Funder agreed to make Claims Payments in an aggregate amount not to exceed $6,500,000 (the “Maximum Investment Amount”). The Maximum Investment Amount will be made available to the Claimholder in two phases, as set forth below:
(a)
a first phase, in which the Funder shall make Claims Payments in an aggregate amount no greater than $1,500,000 for the payment of antecedent and ongoing costs (“Phase I Investment Amount”); and
(b)
a second phase, in which the Funder shall make Claims Payments in an aggregate amount no greater than $5,000,000 for the purposes of pursuing the Subject Claim to a final award (“Phase II Investment Amount”).
Upon exhaustion of the Phase I Investment Amount, the Claimholder will have the option to request Tranche A of the Phase II Investment Amount, consisting of funding up to $3.5 million (“Tranche A Committed Amount”). Upon exhaustion of the Tranche A Committed Amount, the Claimholder will have the option to request Tranche B of the Phase II Investment Amount, consisting of funding of up to $1.5 million (“Tranche B Committed Amount”). The Claimholder must exercise its option to receive the Tranche A Committed Amount in writing, no less than thirty days before submitting a Funding Request to the Funder under Tranche A. The Claimholder must exercise its option to receive the Tranche B Committed Amount in writing within forty-five days after the exhaustion of the Tranche A Committed Amount. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Claimholder agreed that, upon exercising the Claimholder’s option to receive funds under Phase I, Tranche A of Phase II, or Tranche B of Phase II, the Funder will be the sole source of third-party funding for the specified fees and expenses of the Subject Claim under each respective phase and tranche covered by the option exercised, and the Claimholder will obtain funding for such fees and expenses only as set forth in the Agreement. The Funder was due closing fee of $80,000 for the Phase I Investment Amount, and $80,000 for the Phase II Investment Amount to pay third parties in connection with due diligence and other administrative and transaction costs incurred by the Funder prior to and in furtherance of execution of the Agreement.
Upon the Funder making Claims Payments to the Claimholder or its designees in an aggregate amount equal to the Maximum Investment Amount, the Funder has the option to continue funding the specified fees and expenses in relation to the Subject Claim on the same terms and conditions provided in the Agreement. The Funder must exercise its option to continue funding in writing, within thirty days after the Funder has made Claims Payments in an aggregate amount equal to the Maximum Investment Amount. If the Funder exercises its option to continue funding, the parties agreed to attempt in good faith to amend the Agreement to provide the Funder with the right to provide at the Funder’s discretion funding in excess of the Maximum Investment Amount, in an amount up to the greatest amount that may then be reasonably expected to be committed for investment in Subject Claim. If the Funder declines to exercise its option, the Claimholder may negotiate and enter into agreements with one or more third parties to provide funding, which shall be subordinate to the Funder’s rights under the Agreement.
The Agreement provides that the Claimholder may at any time without the consent of the Funder either settle or refuse to settle the Subject Claim for any amount; provided, however, that if the Claimholder settles the Subject Claim without the Funder’s consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned, or delayed, the value of the Recovery Percentage (as defined below) will be deemed to be the greater of (a) the Recovery Percentage (under Phase I or Phase II, as applicable), or (b) the total amount of all Claims Payments made in connection with such Subject Claim multiplied by three (3).
If the Claimholder ceases the Subject Claim for any reason other than (a) a full and final arbitral award against the Claimholder or (b) a full and final monetary settlement of the claims, including in particular, for a grant of an environmental permit to the Claimholder allowing it to proceed with the Project (with or without a monetary component), all Claims Payments under Phase I and, if Claimholder has exercised the corresponding option, the Tranche A Committed Amount and Tranche B
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Committed Amount, shall immediately convert to a senior secured liability of the Claimholder. This sum shall incur an annualized internal rate of return (IRR) of 50.0% retroactive to the date each Funding Request was paid by the Funder (under Phase I), or, to the conversion date for the Tranche A Committed Amount and Tranche B Committed Amount of Phase II if the Claimholder has exercised the respective option (collectively, the “Conversion Amount”). Such Conversion Amount and any and all accrued IRR shall be payable in-full by
the Claimholder within 24 months of the date of such conversion, after which time any outstanding Conversion Amounts, shall accrue an (IRR) of 100.0%, retroactive to the conversion date (the “Penalty Interest Amount”). The Claimholder will execute such documents and take other actions as necessary to grant the Funder a senior security interest on and over all sums due and owing by the Claimholder in order to secure its obligation to pay the Conversion Amount to the Funder. If the Claimholder ceases the Subject Claim due to the grant of an environmental permit (with or without a monetary component), all Claims Payments under Phase 1 and, if the Claimholder has exercised the corresponding option, the Tranche A Committed Amount and Tranche B Committed Amount shall immediately convert to a senior secured liability of the Claimholder and shall incur an annualized an IRR of 50.0% on the Conversion Amount, noted above, from the conversion date. Management has estimated it is more likely than not the Subject Claim will result in the issuance of the environmental permit requiring us to record interest under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Reliance should not be placed on this estimate in determining the likely outcome of the Subject Claim.
If, at any time after exercising its option to receive funds under either Tranche A or Tranche B of Phase II, the Claimholder wishes to fund the Subject Claim with its own capital (“Self-Funding”) (which excludes any Claims Payments made, either directly or indirectly, by any other third party), the Claimholder shall immediately pay to the Funder the Conversion Amount, provided that this requirement shall not apply if, after the Funder has made Claims Payments in an aggregate amount equal to the Maximum Investment Amount, the Funder does not exercise its option to provide Follow-On Funding.
In the event of any receipt of proceeds resulting from the Subject Claim (“Proceeds”), the Funder shall be entitled to any additional sums above the Conversion Amount to which the Funder is entitled as described below. Should the Claimholder cease the Subject Claim as described above after Self-Funding the Claim, accrued IRR and Penalty Interest shall be calculated and paid to the Funder as set forth above. The Funder’s rights to the Recovery Percentage as defined below shall survive any decision by Claimholder to utilize Self-Funding. The parties acknowledge this Agreement constitutes a sale of the right to a portion of the Proceeds (if any) arising from the Subject Claim as set forth in this Agreement. The Claimholder has relinquished its right to the portion of the proceeds, if any, that the Funder would have the right to as described below. This sale of proceeds is being accounted for under the guidance of ASC 470-10-25
Recognition (Sales of Future Revenues)
On each Distribution Date, distributions of the Proceeds shall be made to the Claimholder and the Funder in accordance with subparagraph (a) or (b) below (the “Recovery Percentage”), as applicable:
(a)
If the Claimholder receives only the Phase I Investment Amount from the Funder, the first Proceeds shall be distributed as follows:
(i)
first, 100.0% to the Funder, until the cumulative amount distributed to the Funder equals the total Claims Payments paid by the Funder under Phase I;
(ii)
second, 100.0% to the Funder until the cumulative amount distributed to the Funder equals an IRR of 20% of Claims Payments paid by the Funder under Phase I (“Phase I Compensation”), per annum; and
(iii)
thereafter, 100.0% to the Claimholder.
(b)
If the Claimholder exercises its options to receive Tranche A or both Tranche A and Tranche B of the Phase II Investment Amount, the first Proceeds shall be distributed as follows:
(i)
first, 100.0% to the Funder until the cumulative amount distributed to the Funder equals the total Claims Payments paid by the Funder under Phases I and II;
(ii)
second, 100.0% to the Funder until the cumulative amount distributed to the Funder equals an additional 300.0% of Phase I Investment Amount; plus an additional 300% of the Tranche A Committed Amount (i.e. 300.0% of $3.5 million), less any amounts remaining of the Tranche A Committed Amount that the Funder did not pay as Claims Payments; plus an additional 300.0% of the Tranche B Committed Amount (i.e. 300.0% of $1.5 million), if the Claimholder exercises the Tranche B funding option, less any amounts remaining of the Tranche B Committed Amount that the Funder did not pay as Claims Payments;
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(iii)
third, for each $10,000 in specified fees and expenses paid by the Funder under Phase I and Phase II and any amounts over each $10,000 of the Tranche A Committed Amount and the Tranche B Committed Amount (if the Claimholder exercises the Tranche B funding option), 0.01% of the total Proceeds from any recoveries after repayment of (i) and (ii) above, to the Funder; and
(iv)
thereafter, 100% to the Claimholder.
The Agreement provides that if no Proceeds are ever paid to or received by the Claimholder or its representatives and if the environmental permit is not issued, the Funder shall have no right of recourse or right of action against the Claimholder or its representatives, or any of their respective property, assets, or undertakings, except as otherwise specifically contemplated by the Agreement. If (a) Proceeds are paid to or received by the Claimholder or its representatives; (b) such Proceeds are promptly applied and/or distributed by the Claimholder or on behalf of the Claimholder in accordance with the terms of the Agreement; and (c) the amount received by the Funder as a result thereof is not sufficient to pay all of the Recovery Percentage and all of the amounts due to the Funder under the Agreement, then (provided that all of the Proceeds which the Funder will ever be entitled to have been paid to or received by the Funder), the Funder shall have no right of recourse or action against the Claimholder or its Representatives, or any of their property, assets, or undertakings, except as otherwise specifically contemplated by the Agreement. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Claimholder acknowledged the Funder’s priority right, title, and interest in any Proceeds, including against any available collateral to secure its obligations under the Agreement, which security interest shall be first in priority as against all other security interests in the Proceeds. The Claimholder also acknowledged and agreed to execute and authorize the filing of a financing statement or similar and to take such other actions in such jurisdictions as the Funder, in its sole discretion, deems necessary and appropriate to perfect such security interest. The Agreement also includes representations and warranties, covenants, conditions, termination and indemnification provisions, and other provisions customary for comparable arrangements.
Amendment and Restatement (January 31, 2020)
On January 31, 2020, the Claimholder and the Funder entered into an Amended and Restated International Claims Enforcement Agreement (the “Restated Agreement”). The material terms and provisions that were amended or otherwise modified are as follows:
•
The Funder agreed to provide up to $2.2 million in Arbitration Support Funds for the purpose of paying the Claimholder’s litigation support costs in connection with Subject Claim;
•
A closing fee of $200,000 has been retain by the Funder in connection with due diligence and other transaction costs incurred by the Funder;
•
A warrant was issued to purchase our common stock which is exercisable for a period of five years beginning on the earlier of (a) the date on which the Claimholder ceases the Subject Claim for any reason other than a full and final arbitral award against the Claimholder or a full and final monetary settlement of the claims or (b) the date on which Proceeds are received and deposited into escrow. The exercise price per share is $3.99, and the Funder can exercise the warrant to purchase the number of shares of our common stock equal to the dollar amount of Arbitration Support Funds provided to us pursuant to the Restated Agreement divided by the exercise price per share (subject to customary adjustments and limitations); and
•
All other terms in the Restated Agreement are substantially the same as in the original Agreement.
During 2020, the Funder provided us with $2.0 million of the Arbitration Support Funds, and we incurred $200,000 in related fees that were treated as an additional advance. Upon each funding, the proceeds were allocated between debt and equity for the warrants based on the relative fair value of the two instruments. As a result, there was a debt discount of $1,063,811 which is being amortized over the expected remaining term of the agreement using the effective interest method which is charged to interest expense.
Although the warrants only become exercisable upon the occurrence of future events, they are considered issued for accounting purposes and were valued using a binomial lattice model. The expected volatility assumption was based on the historical volatility of our common stock. The expected life assumption was primarily based on management’s expectations of when the Warrants will become exercisable and the risk-free interest rate for the expected term of the warrant is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of measurement.
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Second Amendment and Restatement (December 12, 2020)
On December 12, 2020, the Claimholder and the Funder entered into a Second Amended and Restated International Claims Enforcement Agreement (the “Second Restated Agreement”) relating to the Subject Claim. Under the terms of the Second Restated Agreement, the Funder agreed to make Claims Payments in an aggregate amount not to exceed $20,000,000 (the “Maximum Investment Amount”). The Second Restated Agreement requires the Funder to make Claims Payments in an aggregate amount no greater than $10,000,000 for the purposes of pursuing the Subject Claim to a final award (“Phase III Investment Amount”). We also incurred $200,000 in related fees, which were treated as an additional advance. The Second Restated Agreement includes the same representations and warranties, covenants, conditions, termination and indemnification provisions, and other provisions as in the original agreement.
Third Amendment and Restatement (June 14, 2021)
On June 14, 2021, the Claimholder and the Funder entered into a Third Amended and Restated International Claims Enforcement Agreement (the “Third Restated Agreement”) relating to the Subject Claim. Under the terms of the Third Restated Agreement, the Funder has made and agreed to make Claims Payments in an aggregate amount not to exceed $25,000,000, an increase of $5.0 million (the “Incremental Amount”). The Third Restated Agreement requires the Claimholder to request $2.5 million of the Incremental Amount (the “First $2.5 Million”). Within 15 days after exhaustion of the First $2.5 Million, the Claimholder may either (a) request the remaining $2.5 million (the “Second $2.5 Million”) of the Incremental Amount or (b) notify the Funder that the Claimholder has decided to self-fund the Second $2.5 Million. We also incurred $80,000 in related fees which were treated as an additional advance. This Second Restated Agreement includes the same representations and warranties, covenants, conditions, termination and indemnification provisions, and other provisions as in the original agreement.
The December 31, 2021 carrying value of the obligation is $18,323,097 and is net of unamortized debt fees of $293,793 as well as the net unamortized debt discount of $649,928 associated with the fair value of the warrants. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the expense related to debt discount and fee amortization was $241,034 and $133,993, respectively. The total face value of this obligation at December 31, 2021 and 2020 was $19,266,818 and $12,207,477, respectively.
Going Concern Consideration
We have experienced several years of net losses and may continue to do so. Our ability to generate net income or positive cash flows for the following twelve months is dependent upon financings, our success in developing and monetizing our interests in mineral exploration entities, generating income from exploration charters, collecting on amounts owed to us, or completing the MINOSA/Penelope equity financing transaction approved by our stockholders on June 9, 2015.
Our 2022 business plan requires us to generate new cash inflows to effectively allow us to perform our planned projects. We continually plan to generate new cash inflows through the monetization of our receivables and equity stakes in seabed mineral companies, financings, syndications or other partnership opportunities. If cash inflow ever becomes insufficient to meet our desired projected business plan requirements, we would be required to follow a contingency business plan that is based on curtailed expenses and fewer cash requirements. On August 21, 2020, we sold an aggregate of 2,553,314 shares of our common stock and warrants to purchase up to 1,901,985 shares of our common stock. The net proceeds received from this sale, after offering expenses of $0.3 million, were $11.2 million (See NOTE L). These proceeds, coupled with other anticipated cash inflows, provided operating funds through early 2022.
On March 11, 2015, we entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement with Minera del Norte S.A. de c.v. (“MINOSA”) and Penelope Mining LLC (“Penelope”), an affiliate of MINOSA, pursuant to which (a) MINOSA agreed to extend short-term, debt financing to Odyssey of up to $14.75 million, and (b) Penelope agreed to invest up to $101 million over three years in convertible preferred stock of Odyssey. The equity financing is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including the approval of our stockholders which occurred on June 9, 2015, and MINOSA and Penelope are currently under no obligation to make the preferred share equity investments.
Our consolidated non-restricted
cash balance at December 31, 2021 was $2.3 million. We have a working capital deficit at December 31, 2021 of $49.3 million. In the fourth quarter of 2021, we executed a Termination and Settlement Agreement with Monaco and SMOM that removed approximately $14.5 million of indebtedness from our balance sheet (see NOTE H). Our largest loan of $14.75 million from MINOSA had a due date of December 31, 2017 which is now linked to other stipulations, see NOTE H for further detail. The majority of our remaining assets have been pledged to MINOSA, leaving us with few opportunities to raise additional funds from our balance sheet. The total consolidated book value of our assets was
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approximately $8.9 million at December 31, 2021, which includes cash of $2.3 million. The fair market value of these assets may differ from their net carrying book value. Even though we executed the above noted financing arrangement with Penelope, Penelope must purchase the shares for us to be able to complete the equity component of the transaction. The Penelope equity transaction is heavily dependent on the outcome of our subsidiary’s application approval process for an environmental permit (EIA), as well as the current NAFTA litigation, to commercially develop a mineralized phosphate deposit off the coast of Mexico. The factors noted above raise doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the amounts and classification of assets and liabilities that may be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern.
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not engage in off-balance
sheet financing arrangements. In particular, we do not have any interest in so-called
limited purpose entities, which include special purpose entities (SPEs) and structured finance entities.
Indemnification Provisions
Under our bylaws and certain consulting agreements, we have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors for certain events arising as a result of the officer’s or director’s serving in such capacity. Separate agreements may provide indemnification after term of service. The term of the indemnification agreement is as long as the officer or director remains in the employment of the company. The maximum potential amount of future payments we could be required to make under these indemnification agreements is unlimited. However, our director and officer liability insurance policy limits its exposure and enables us to recover a portion of any future amounts paid. As a result of our insurance policy coverage, we believe the estimated fair value of these indemnification agreements is minimal and no liabilities are recorded for these agreements as of December 31, 2021.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The discussion and analysis of our financial position and results of operations is based upon our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect our financial position and results of operations. See NOTE A to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a description of our significant accounting policies. Critical accounting estimates are defined as those that are reflective of significant judgment and uncertainties, and potentially result in materially different results under different assumptions and conditions. We have identified the following critical accounting estimates. We have discussed the development, selection and disclosure of these policies with our audit committee.
Long-Lived Assets
As of December 31, 2021, we had approximately $0.5 million of net property and equipment, right to use – operating lease and related assets. Our policy is to recognize impairment losses relating to long-lived assets in accordance with the ASC topic for Property, Plant and Equipment. Impairment decisions are based on several factors, including, but not limited to, management’s plans for future operations, recent operating results and projected cash flows.
Realizability of Deferred Tax Assets
We have recorded a net deferred tax asset of $0 at December 31, 2021. As required by the ASC topic for Accounting for Income Taxes,
we have evaluated whether it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be realized. Based on the available evidence, we have concluded that it is more likely than not that those assets would not be realizable without the recovery and rights of ownership or salvage rights of high value shipwrecks or the monetization of our mineral exploration stakes and thus a valuation allowance of $74.1 million has been recorded as of December 31, 2021.
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
In determining the collectability of our accounts receivable, we need to make certain assumptions and estimates. Specifically, we may examine accounts and assess the likelihood of collection of particular accounts. Management has elected to record bad debts using the direct write-off
method. Generally accepted accounting principles state an estimate is to be made for an allowance for doubtful accounts. The effect of using the direct write-off
method, however, is not materially different from the results that would have been obtained had the allowance method been followed. If we were to have a recorded allowance, the accounts receivable would be stated net the recorded allowance.
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Derivative Financial Instruments
From time to time, we may enter into a financial instrument that may contain a derivative. In evaluating fair value of derivative financial instruments, there are numerous assumptions which management must make that may influence the valuation of the derivatives that would be included in the financial statements.
Exploration License
The Company follows the guidance pursuant to ASU 350, “ Intangibles-Goodwill and Other
” in accounting for its exploration license. Management determined the rights to use the license to have an indefinite life. This assessment is based on the historical success of renewing the license since 2006, and the fact that management believes there are no legal, regulatory, or contractual provisions that would limit the useful life of the asset. The exploration license is not dependent on another asset or group of assets that could potentially limit the useful life of the exploration license. In the future, the recoverability of the license will be tested whenever circumstances indicate that its carrying amount may not be recoverable per the guidance of ASU 360, “ Subsequent Measurement.”
Contractual Obligations
At December 31, 2021, except as disclosed in NOTE O regarding our office lease, the Company did not have any other contractual obligations that extended beyond 12 months.