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Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘20-F’ for 12/31/20

On:  Monday, 4/12/21, at 9:28am ET   ·   For:  12/31/20   ·   Accession #:  1493152-21-8493   ·   File #:  1-37611

Previous ‘20-F’:  ‘20-F’ on 3/31/20 for 12/31/19   ·   Next:  ‘20-F’ on 4/1/22 for 12/31/21   ·   Latest:  ‘20-F’ on 4/17/24 for 12/31/23   ·   21 References:   By:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – Latest ‘20-F’ on 4/17/24 for 12/31/23 By:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘20-F’ on 4/12/23 for 12/31/22 By:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – Next ‘20-F’ on 4/1/22 for 12/31/21 By:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘POS AM’ on 4/14/21 By:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘POS AM’ on 4/14/21 To:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘F-1’ on 3/1/21 To:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘6-K’ on 2/24/21 for 2/28/21 To:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘F-1/A’ on 9/28/20 To:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘F-1’ on 8/13/20 To:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – Previous ‘20-F’ on 3/31/20 for 12/31/19 To:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘20-F’ on 3/29/19 for 12/31/18 To:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘6-K’ on / for 11/20/18 To:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘6-K’ on / for 3/30/18 To:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘20-F’ on 3/23/18 for 12/31/17 To:  Maritime Investors Corp. – ‘SC 13D/A’ on 1/2/18 To:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘20-F’ on 3/28/17 for 12/31/16 To:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘20-F’ on 3/23/16 for 12/31/15 To:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘F-4/A’ on 9/28/15 To:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘F-4/A’ on 9/4/15 To:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘F-4/A’ on 8/6/15 To:  Pyxis Tankers Inc. – ‘F-4’ on 4/23/15 

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  As Of               Filer                 Filing    For·On·As Docs:Size             Issuer                      Filing Agent

 4/12/21  Pyxis Tankers Inc.                20-F       12/31/20   76:8.4M                                   M2 Compliance LLC/FA

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

Commission file number 001-37611

PYXIS TANKERS INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter and translation of Registrant’s name into English)

Marshall Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

59 K. Karamanli Street, Maroussi 15125 Greece

(Address of principal executive office)

Mr. Henry Williams, Chief Financial Officer

59 K. Karamanli Street, Maroussi 15125 Greece

Tel: +30 210 638 0200

Fax: +30 210 653 7715

(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

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

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

None

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act.

None

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the Annual Report.

Common Stock, par value U.S. $0.001 per share: 21,962,881as of December 31, 2020

Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Shares, par value U.S. $0.001 per share: 181,475 as of December 31, 2020

Warrants to purchase Common Stock, par value of $0.001 per share: 1,735,040 as of December 31, 2020

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

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Yes [  ] No [X]

Note – Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 from their obligations under those Sections.

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes [X] No [  ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. [  ]

† The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. [  ]

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

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow: Item 17 [  ] Item 18 [  ]

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

(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 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 [  ]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Unless otherwise indicated in this Annual Report on Form 20-F (“Annual Report”), “Pyxis,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Pyxis Tankers Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Our audited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or “U.S. GAAP” or “GAAP”.

All references in this Annual Report to “$,” “US$,” “U.S.$,” “U.S. dollars,” “dollars” and “USD” mean U.S. dollars and all references to “€” and “euros,” mean euros, unless otherwise noted.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Our disclosure and analysis in this Annual Report pertaining to our operations, cash flows and financial position, including, in particular, the likelihood of our success in developing and expanding our business and making acquisitions, include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, or that include words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “seeks,” “targets,” “continue,” “contemplate,” “possible,” “likely,” “might,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “projects,” “forecasts,” “potential”, “may,” “should” and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. All statements in this Annual Report that are not statements of either historical or current facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, such matters as our future operating or financial results, global and regional economic and political conditions, including piracy, pending vessel acquisitions, our business strategy and expected capital spending or operating expenses, including dry-docking and insurance costs, competition in the product tanker industry, statements about shipping market trends, including charter rates and factors affecting supply and demand, our financial condition and liquidity, including our ability to obtain financing in the future to fund capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate activities, our ability to enter into fixed-rate charters after our current charters expire and our ability to earn income in the spot market and our expectations of the availability of vessels to purchase, the time it may take to construct new vessels, and vessels’ useful lives. Many of these statements are based on our assumptions about factors that are beyond our ability to control or predict and are subject to risks and uncertainties that are described more fully under the “Item 3. Key Information – D. Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report. Any of these factors or a combination of these factors could materially affect our future results of operations and the ultimate accuracy of the forward-looking statements.

Factors that might cause future results to differ include, but are not limited to, the following:

You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report, because they are statements about events that are not certain to occur as described or at all. All forward-looking statements in this Annual Report are qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained in this Annual Report. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of our future performance, and actual results and future developments may vary materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Except to the extent required by applicable law or regulation, we undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Annual Report or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

PART I

ITEM 1. IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

Not applicable.

ITEM 2. OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

Not applicable.

ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION

A. Selected Financial Data

The following table presents in each case for the periods and at the dates indicated, our selected consolidated financial and operating data. You should read the table together with “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects”. Our selected consolidated financial data is a summary of, is derived from, and is qualified by reference to, our audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The selected financial data as of December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018 and for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements not included herein. The selected financial data as of December 31, 2019 and 2020 and for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2019 and 2020, are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements together with the notes thereto and are included in “Item 18. Financial Statements” herein.

* Pursuant to the adoption of ASU 2014-09, Revenues have been presented net of address commissions which were previously recognized under Voyage related costs and commissions. Comparative amounts have been reclassified accordingly.

*Comparative amounts have been reclassified due to current presentation of restricted cash pursuant to the adoption of ASU No. 2016-18-Statement of Cash Flows-Restricted Cash on January 1, 2018.

Vessel operating expenses per day (“Opex”) are our vessel operating expenses for a vessel, which consist primarily of crew wages and related costs, insurance, lube oils, communications, spares and consumables, tonnage taxes as well as repairs and maintenance, divided by the days in the applicable period. Please see “Item 4. Information on the Company – B. Business Overview – The International Product Tanker Shipping Industry – Eco Ships” for a description of the terms “eco-efficient”, “eco-modified” and “standard”.

B. Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not applicable.

C. Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not applicable.

D. Risk Factors

Investing in our securities is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment in our securities, you should carefully consider the risks described below, as well as other information included or incorporated by reference in this Annual report before deciding to invest in our securities. The summary of risk factors below is qualified in its entirety by the more fulsome risk factors that follow.

Summary of Risk Factors

Risks Related to Our Industry

We operate our vessels worldwide and as a result, our vessels are exposed to international and inherent operational risks that may reduce revenue or increase expenses.

The international shipping industry is an inherently risky business involving global operations. The operation of ocean-going vessels in international trade is affected by a number of risks. Our vessels and their cargoes will be at risk of being damaged or lost because of events, including bad weather, grounding, fire, explosions, mechanical failure, vessel and cargo property loss or damage, hostilities, labor strikes, adverse weather conditions, stowaways, placement on our vessels of illegal drugs and other contraband by smugglers, war, terrorism, piracy, human error, environmental accidents generally, collisions and other catastrophic natural and marine disasters. An accident involving any of our vessels could result in death or injury to persons, loss of property or environmental damage, delays in the delivery of cargo, damage to our customer relationships, loss of revenues from or termination of charter contracts, governmental fines, penalties or restrictions on conducting business or higher insurance rates. These sorts of events could interfere with shipping routes (such as delay or rerouting), and result in market disruptions that may reduce our revenue or increase our expenses and also subject us to litigation. International shipping is also subject to various security and customs inspection and related procedures in countries of origin and destination and transhipment points. Inspection procedures can result in the seizure of cargo and/or our vessels, delays in the loading, offloading or delivery and the levying of customs duties, fines or other penalties against us. It is possible that changes to inspection procedures or an increase in the frequency of vessel inspections could impose additional financial and legal obligations on us. Furthermore, changes to inspection procedures could also impose additional costs and obligations on our customers and may, in certain cases, render the shipment of certain types of cargo uneconomical or impractical.

The operation of tankers has unique operational risks associated with the transportation of refined petroleum products. A spill of such cargoes may cause significant environmental damage, and the associated costs could exceed the insurance coverage available to the Company. Compared to other types of vessels, tankers are exposed to a higher risk of damage and loss by fire, whether ignited by a terrorist attack, collision, or other cause, due to the high flammability and high volume of the refined petroleum products transported in tankers. If the Company’s vessels suffer damage, they may need to be repaired at a drydocking facility. The costs of drydock repairs are unpredictable and may be substantial. The Company may have to pay drydocking costs that its insurance does not cover in full. The loss of revenues while these vessels are being repaired and repositioned, as well as the actual cost of these repairs, may adversely affect the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, space at drydocking facilities is sometimes limited and not all drydocking facilities are conveniently located. The Company may be unable to find space at a suitable drydocking facility or its vessels may be forced to travel to a drydocking facility that is not conveniently located to the vessels’ positions. The loss of earnings while these vessels are forced to wait for space or to travel to more distant drydocking facilities may adversely affect the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition. Further, the total loss of any of the Company’s vessels could harm its reputation as a safe and reliable vessel owner and operator. If the Company is unable to adequately maintain or safeguard its vessels, it may be unable to prevent any such damage, costs, or loss which could negatively impact its business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our revenues are derived substantially from a single segment where charter hire rates for product tankers are cyclical and volatile.

Substantially all of our revenues are derived from a single market, the product tanker segment, and therefore our financial results depend on chartering activities and developments in this segment. The product tanker market is cyclical and volatile in charter hire rates. The degree of charter hire rate volatility among different types of product tankers has varied widely, and, as a result, our ability to charter, or to re-charter our vessels upon the expiration or termination of our current charters, the charter rates payable under any replacement charters and vessel values will depend upon, among other things, economic conditions in the product tanker market at that time and changes in the supply and demand for vessel capacity. Any renewal or replacement charters that the Company enters into may not be sufficient to allow the Company to operate its vessels profitably. After reaching historic highs in mid-2008, charter hire rates for product tankers declined significantly before increasing in 2015 and then declining again in 2016. Since then, charter hire rates have remained volatile, especially during 2020. If charter hire rates remain depressed or fall further in the future when our charters expire, we may be unable to re-charter our vessels at rates as favorable to us, with the result that our earnings and available cash flow will continue to be adversely affected. In addition, a decline in charter hire rates will likely cause the value of our vessels to decline.

Charter hire rates depend on the demand for, and supply of, product tanker vessels.

The factors that influence the demand for product tanker vessel capacity are unpredictable and outside of our control, and include, among others:

The factors that influence the supply of product tanker vessel capacity are also outside of our control and unpredictable and include, among others:

These factors influencing the supply of and demand for product tanker capacity and charter rates are outside of our control, and we may not be able to correctly assess the nature, timing and degree of changes in industry conditions. A global economic downturn, such as in 2020, may reduce demand for transportation of refined petroleum products, edible oils and chemicals. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully charter our product tankers in the future at all or at rates sufficient to allow us to meet our contractual obligations, including repayment of our indebtedness.

Product tanker rates fluctuate based on seasonal variations in demand.

Product tanker markets are typically stronger in the winter months as a result of increased refined petroleum products consumption in the northern hemisphere and weaker in the summer months as a result of lower consumption in the northern hemisphere and refinery maintenance that is typically conducted in the summer months. Unpredictable weather patterns during the winter months in the northern hemisphere tend to disrupt vessel routing and scheduling. The price volatility of products resulting from these factors has historically led to increased product trading activities in the winter months. As a result, revenues generated by vessels are typically weaker during the quarters ended June 30 and September 30, and stronger in the quarters ended March 31 and December 31. If increased revenues generated in the fall/winter months are not sufficient to offset any decreases in revenue in the spring/summer months, it may have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The COVID-19 pandemic is dynamic. The continuation of the pandemic and the emergence of other epidemic or pandemic crises could have material adverse effects on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

The COVID-19 pandemic is dynamic, including the developments of variants of the virus and its ultimate scope, duration and effects are uncertain. The pandemic and any future epidemic or pandemic crises could result in direct and indirect adverse effects on the product tanker industry. Effects of the current pandemic include, or may include, among others:

Although disruption and effects from the coronavirus pandemic may be temporary or moderated by expanding vaccine accessibility, given the dynamic nature of these circumstances, the duration of business disruption and the related financial impact on the product tanker industry and its participants cannot be reasonably estimated at this time. In addition, public health threats and other highly communicable disease outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, could adversely affect the business, results of operations or financial condition of us or our customers, suppliers and other business partners.

In addition, the effects of the infectious disease, COVID-19, are rapidly evolving globally and are uncertain. The Company’s business could be adversely affected by this outbreak. Any prolonged restrictive measures in order to control the spread of COVID-19 or other adverse public health development in Asia, U.S. or the Company’s targeted markets may also have a material and adverse effect on the demand for the Company’s vessels, operations and financial condition.

An over-supply of product tanker capacity may lead to reductions in charter rates, vessel values and profitability.

The market supply of product tankers is affected by a number of factors such as the demand for energy resources, oil, petroleum and chemical products, the level of current and expected charter hire rates, asset and newbuilding prices and the availability of financing, as well as overall global economic growth in parts of the world economy, including Asia, and has been increasing as a result of the delivery of substantial newbuilding orders over the last few years.

There has been a global trend towards energy efficient technologies, lower environmental emissions and alternative sources of energy. In the long-term, demand for oil may be reduced by increased availability of such energy sources and machines that run on them. In addition, reduced global supply of oil due to coordinated action, such as the production cuts recently agreed by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) and other oil producing nations, may lead to an over-supply of product tanker capacity due to lower demand for the transportation of refined petroleum products.

Newly built product tankers were delivered in significant numbers starting at the beginning of 2006 through 2020 and continuing into 2021. Furthermore, if the capacity of new ships delivered exceeds the capacity of product tankers being scrapped and lost, product tanker capacity will increase. For example, as of February 28, 2021, there were 100 product and product/chemical tankers on order, equivalent to 6.3% of the existing fleet by units and 6.6% of the existing fleet by dwt and the orderbook may increase further in the future. If the supply of product tanker capacity increases and if the demand for product tanker capacity does not increase correspondingly, charter rates and vessel values could materially decline. If that happens, as the Company’s charters expire, the Company may only be able to re-charter its vessels at reduced or unprofitable rates, or the Company may not be able to charter its vessels at all. A reduction in charter rates and the value of our vessels for any of these reasons may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, product tankers currently used to transport crude oil and other “dirty” products may be “cleaned up” and reintroduced into the product tanker market, which would increase the available product tanker tonnage which may affect the supply and demand balance for product tankers. This could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial position.

Over the last nine years, a number of vessel owners have ordered and taken delivery of so-called “eco-efficient” vessel designs, which offer significant bunker savings as compared to older designs. Increased demand for and supply of “eco-efficient” vessels could reduce demand for certain of our vessels that are not classified as such and expose us to lower vessel utilization and/or decreased charter rates.

We estimate that a significant proportion of newbuilding orders have been based on new vessel designs, which purport to offer material bunker savings compared to older designs, such as a significant proportion of our tanker vessels. See “Item 4. Information on the Company – B. Business Overview – The Fleet.” New vessel designs have resulted in a significant reduction of bunker consumption and consequently cost for charterers. As the supply of “eco-efficient” tankers expands, if charterers prefer those vessels over our tankers that are not classified as such, this may reduce demand for our non- “eco-efficient” tankers, impair our ability to re-charter such tankers at competitive rates or at all and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Acts of piracy on ocean-going vessels could adversely affect our business.

Acts of piracy have historically affected ocean-going vessels trading in many regions of the world, such as South China Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Guinea region off Nigeria. Sea piracy incidents continue to occur, and tanker vessels are particularly vulnerable to attacks by pirates. If regions in which our vessels are deployed are characterized as “war risk’’ zones or “war and strikes” listed areas by insurers, or other parties such as the Joint War Committee of Lloyds Insurance and IUA Company, premiums payable for coverage could increase significantly and such insurance coverage may be more difficult to obtain. In addition, crew and security equipment costs, including employing onboard security guards, could increase in such circumstances. We may not be adequately insured to cover losses from these incidents. In addition, any detention hijacking as a result of an act of piracy against our vessels, increases in cost associated with seeking to avoid such events (including increased bunker costs resulting from vessels being rerouted or travelling at increased speeds as recommended by BMP4), or unavailability or increases in cost of insurance for our vessels, could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

An economic slowdown or changes in the economic and political environment in the Asia Pacific region could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We anticipate a significant number of the port calls made by our vessels will continue to involve the loading or discharging of cargoes in ports in the Asia Pacific region. As a result, any negative changes in economic conditions in any Asia Pacific country, particularly in China, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as our future prospects. Before the global economic financial crisis that began in 2008, China had one of the world’s fastest growing economies in terms of gross domestic product, or GDP, which had a significant impact on shipping demand. The year-over-year growth rate of China’s GDP declined to 2.3% for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to approximately 6.0% for the year ended December 31, 2019, and continues to remain below pre-2008 levels. We cannot assure you that the Chinese economy will not experience a significant contraction in the future, especially in light of the impact of COVID-19. Furthermore, there is a rising threat of a Chinese financial crisis resulting from massive personal and corporate indebtedness and “trade wars”. The International Monetary Fund has warned that continuing trade tensions, including significant tariff increases, between the United States and China are expected to result in a 0.8% cumulative reduction of global GDP in 2020. We cannot assure you that the Chinese economy will not experience a significant contraction in the future.

Although state-owned enterprises still account for a substantial portion of the Chinese industrial output, in general, the Chinese government is adjusting the level of direct control that it exercises over the economy through state plans and other measures. There is a questionable 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 refined petroleum products 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. Notwithstanding economic reform, the Chinese government may adopt policies that favor domestic shipping and tanker companies and may hinder our ability to compete with them effectively. For example, China imposes a tax for non-resident international transportation enterprises engaged in the provision of services of passengers or cargo, among other items, in and out of China using their own, chartered or leased vessels. The regulation may subject international transportation companies to Chinese enterprise income tax on profits generated from international transportation services passing through Chinese ports. This could 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. Moreover, an economic slowdown in the economies of the European Union and other Asian countries may further adversely affect economic growth in China and elsewhere.

In addition, concerns regarding the possibility of sovereign debt defaults by European Union member countries, including Greece, have in the past disrupted financial markets throughout the world, and may lead to weaker consumer demand in the European Union, the United States, and other parts of the world. The possibility of sovereign debt defaults by European Union member countries, including Greece, and the possibility of market reforms to float the Chinese renminbi, either of which development could weaken the Euro against the Chinese renminbi, could adversely affect consumer demand in the European Union. Moreover, the revaluation of the renminbi may negatively impact the United States’ demand for imported goods, many of which are shipped from China. Future weak economic conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders. Our business, financial condition, results of operations, as well as our future prospects, will likely be materially and adversely affected by another economic downturn in any of the aforementioned countries and regions.

The current global economic condition and financial environment, may negatively affect our business.

In recent years, businesses in the global economy have faced periods of slower growth, recessions, limited or no credit or credit on less favorable terms than previously obtained, lower demand for goods and services, reduced liquidity and volatile capital markets. These factors have had, and in part continue to have, a negative effect on the demand for refined petroleum products including fuel oil or bunkers, which, along with diminished trade credit available for the delivery of such cargoes have led to periodic decreased demand for product tankers, creating downward pressure on charter rates and reduced product tanker values. Beginning in February 2020, due in part to fears associated with the spread of COVID-19, global financial markets, and financial markets in the U.S., experienced greater than usual volatility and a steep and abrupt downturn. The volatility and downturn may continue as COVID-19 continues to spread. China’s economy has shown signs of slowing its growth rate, especially due to the recent impact of COVID-19. A significant number of the port calls we expect our vessels to make will likely involve the loading or discharging of cargo in ports in Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development countries (“OECD”) and the Asia Pacific region. We cannot assure you that the Chinese, Indian or Japanese economies, which generate a substantial amount of demand for shipping companies, will not experience a significant contraction or otherwise negatively change in the future, especially due to the recent effects from the turmoil in the Asian capital markets. Moreover, a significant or protracted slowdown in the economies of the United States, the European Union (“EU”) or various Asian countries may adversely affect economic growth in China and elsewhere. In addition, concerns persist regarding the debt burden of certain Eurozone countries 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 our services.

Moreover, we operate in a sector of the economy that is likely to be adversely impacted by the effects of political conflicts, including the current political instability in the Middle East and the South China Sea region and other geographic countries and areas, geopolitical events such as the withdrawal of the U.K. from the European Union, or “Brexit,” terrorist or other attacks, and war (or threatened war) or international hostilities, such as those between the United States and North Korea or Iran. Terrorist attacks such as those in New York on September 11, 2001, in London on July 7, 2005, in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 and in Paris on November 13, 2015, and the Manchester on May 22, 2017, as well as the frequent incidents of terrorism in the Middle East, and the continuing response of the United States and others to these attacks, as well as the threat of future terrorist attacks around the world, continues to cause uncertainty in the world’s financial markets and international commerce and may affect our business, operating results and financial condition. Continuing conflicts and recent developments in the Middle East, and including increased tensions between the U.S. and Iran which in January 2020 escalated into a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad that killed a high-ranking Iranian general, as well as the presence of U.S. or other armed forces in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and various other regions, 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 and international commerce. Additionally, any escalations between the U.S. and Iran could result in retaliation from Iran that could potentially affect the shipping industry, through increased attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz (which already experienced an increased number of attacks on and seizures of vessels in 2019). These uncertainties could also adversely affect our ability to obtain additional financing or insurance on terms acceptable to us or at all. Any of these occurrences could have a material adverse impact on our operating results, revenues and costs. Additionally, Brexit, or similar events in other jurisdictions, could impact global markets, including foreign exchange and securities markets; any resulting changes in currency exchange rates, tariffs, treaties and other regulatory matters could in turn adversely impact our business and operations.

Further, governments may turn and have turned to trade barriers to protect their domestic industries against foreign imports, thereby depressing shipping demand. In particular, leaders in the United States and China have implemented certain increasingly protective trade measures which have been somewhat mitigated by the recent trade deal (first phase trade agreement) between the U.S. and China, which requires the purchase of over USD 50 billion of Chinese energy products including crude oil. Additionally, in March 2018, former President Trump announced tariffs on imported steel and aluminum into the United States that could have a negative impact on international trade generally and in January 2019, the United States announced expanded sanctions against Venezuela, which may have an effect on its oil output and in turn affect global oil supply. The results of the 2020 presidential election in the United States have created significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States, China and other exporting countries, including with respect to trade policies, treaties, government regulations and tariffs. However, it is not yet clear how the new United States administration under President Biden may deviate from the former administration’s protectionist foreign trade policies. Protectionist developments, or the perception that they may occur, may have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions, and may significantly reduce global trade. Moreover, increasing trade protectionism may cause an increase in (a) the cost of goods exported from regions globally, (b) the length of time required to transport goods and (c) the risks associated with exporting goods. Such increases may significantly affect the quantity of goods to be shipped, shipping time schedules, voyage costs and other associated costs, which could 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.

In Europe, large sovereign debts and fiscal deficits, low growth prospects and high unemployment rates in a number of countries have contributed to the rise of Eurosceptic parties, which would like their countries to leave the Euro. The exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union, or Brexit, and potential new trade policies in the United States further increase the risk of additional trade protectionism.

These issues, along with the re-pricing of credit risk and the difficulties currently experienced by financial institutions, especially those lending in the shipping industry, have made, and will likely continue to make, it difficult to obtain financing. As a result of the disruptions in the credit markets and higher capital requirements, many lenders have enacted tighter lending standards, required more restrictive terms (including higher collateral ratios for advances, shorter maturities and smaller loan amounts), increased margins or lending rates or have refused to refinance existing debt at all. Moreover, certain banks that have historically been significant lenders to the shipping industry have reduced or ceased lending activities in the shipping industry. Further tightening of capital requirements and the resulting policies adopted by lenders, could further reduce lending activities.

Global economic conditions remain fragile with uncertainty surrounding sustainable recovery and long-term prospects. If the current global economic and financial environment persists or worsens, we may be negatively affected in the following ways, among others:

The occurrence of any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The U.K.’s withdrawal from the European Union may have a negative effect on global economic conditions, financial markets and our business.

In June 2016, a majority of voters in the U.K. elected to withdraw from the EU in a national referendum (informally known as “Brexit”), a process that the government of the U.K. formally initiated in March 2017. Since then, the U.K. and the EU negotiated the terms of a withdrawal agreement, which was approved in October 2019 and ratified in January 2020. The U.K. formally exited the EU on January 31, 2020, although a transition period remained in place until December 2020, during which the U.K. was subject to the rules and regulations of the EU while continuing to negotiate the parties’ relationship going forward, including trade deals. On December 24, 2020, the U.K. and the EU entered into a trade and cooperation agreement (the “Trade and Cooperation Agreement”), which was applied on a provisional basis from January 1, 2021. While the new economic relationship does not match the relationship that existed during the time the U.K. was a member state of the EU, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement sets out preferential arrangements in certain areas such as trade in goods and in services, digital trade and intellectual property. Negotiations between the U.K. and the EU are expected to continue in relation to other areas which are not covered by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The long term effects of Brexit will depend on the effects of the implementation and application of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and any other relevant agreements between the U.K. and EU.

It is unclear what long-term economic, financial, trade, and legal implications the withdrawal of the U.K. from the European Union would have and how such withdrawal would affect our business. In addition, Brexit may lead other European Union member countries to consider referendums regarding their European Union membership. Any of these events, along with any political, economic and regulatory changes that may occur, could cause political and economic uncertainty and harm our business and financial results.

Brexit contributes to considerable uncertainty concerning the current and future economic environment. Brexit could adversely affect European or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions and could contribute to instability in global political institutions, regulatory agencies and financial markets.

Changes in fuel, or bunkers, prices may adversely affect results of operations.

Fuel, or bunkers, is a significant expense in shipping operations for our vessels employed on the spot market and changes in the price of fuel may adversely affect the Company’s profitability and can have a significant impact on earnings. With respect to our vessels employed on time charter, the charterer is generally responsible for the cost and supply of fuel, but such cost may affect the charter rates we are able to negotiate for our vessels. The price and supply of fuel is unpredictable and fluctuates based on events outside our control, including geopolitical developments, supply and demand for oil and gas, actions by OPEC and other oil and gas producers, war and unrest in oil producing countries and regions, regional production patterns and environmental concerns and regulations. The cost of fuel is a significant factor in negotiating charter rates and can affect us in both direct and indirect ways. This cost will be borne by us when our tankers are not employed or are employed on voyage charters. Even where the cost of fuel is borne by the charterer, which is the case with all of our existing time charters, that cost may affect the level of charter rates that charterers are prepared to pay. In addition, as of January 1, 2020 the entry into force of the 0.5% global sulfur cap in marine fuels under the International Convention for Prevention of Pollution from Ships (“MARPOL”) Annex VI has initially led to a significant increase in the costs for low sulfur fuel used by vessels that are not equipped with exhaust gas scrubbers. Non-scrubber tankers may become less competitive (compared with ships equipped with exhaust gas scrubbers that can utilize the less expensive high sulfur fuel), and consequently may have difficulty finding employment, command lower charter hire, have difficulty in financing and/or need to be scrapped. Further, fuel may become much more expensive in the future, including as a result of the imposition of lower sulfur oxide emissions under new IMO 2020 regulations, which may reduce the profitability and competitiveness of our business versus other forms of transportation, such as truck or rail. Also, older vessels usually consume more fuel than eco-efficient vessels. Consequently, employment of our older vessels may be lower and less profitable. Changes in the price of fuel may adversely affect our profitability.

If our vessels call on ports located in or operate in countries or territories that are the subject of sanctions or embargoes imposed by the United States, the European Union, the United Nations, or other governmental authorities it could result in monetary fines and penalties and adversely affect our reputation and the market price of our common shares.

Although none of our vessels called on ports located in countries or territories that are the subject of country-wide or territory-wide comprehensive sanctions and/or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government or other applicable governmental authorities (“Sanctioned Jurisdictions”) in violation of applicable sanctions or embargo laws in 2020, and we endeavor to take steps reasonably designed to mitigate such risks, it is possible that, in the future, our vessels may call on ports in Sanctioned Jurisdictions on charterers’ instructions and/or without our consent. If such activities result in a violation of sanctions or embargo laws, we could be subject to monetary fines, penalties, or other sanctions, and our reputation and the market for our common stock could be adversely affected.

Sanctions and embargo laws and regulations vary in their application, as they do not all apply to the same covered persons or proscribe the same activities, and such sanctions and embargo laws and regulations may be amended or expanded over time. Current or future counterparties of ours may be affiliated with persons or entities that are, or may be in the future, the subject of sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S., the EU, and/or other international bodies. If we determine that such sanctions or embargoes require us to terminate existing or future contracts to which we, or our subsidiaries, are party, or if we are found to be in violation of such applicable sanctions or embargoes, our results of operations may be adversely affected, we could face monetary fines or penalties, or we may suffer reputational harm.

Although we believe that we have been in compliance with all applicable sanctions and embargo laws and regulations, and intend to maintain such compliance, there can be no assurance that we will be in compliance at all times in the future, particularly as the scope of certain laws may be unclear and may be subject to changing interpretations. Any such violation could result in fines, penalties or other sanctions that could severely impact our ability to access the U.S. capital markets and conduct our business, and could result in some investors deciding, or being required, to divest their interest, or refrain from investing, in 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 or territories 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 stock may adversely affect the price at which our common stock trades. Moreover, our charterers 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, such as entering into charters with individuals or entities that are not controlled by the governments of countries or territories that are the subject of certain U.S. sanctions or embargo laws, or engaging in operations associated with those countries or territories pursuant to contracts with third parties that are unrelated to those countries or territories or entities controlled by their governments. Investor perception of the value of our common stock may be adversely affected by the consequences of war, the effects of terrorism, civil unrest and governmental actions in the countries or territories that we operate in.

Our vessels could be arrested by maritime claimants, which could result in a significant loss of earnings and cash flow if we are not able to post the required security to lift the arrest or attachment.

Generally, under the terms of the time charters for our vessels, a vessel would be placed off-hire (that is, the charterer could cease to pay charter hire) for any period during which it is “arrested” for a reason not arising from the fault of the charterer. Under maritime law in many jurisdictions, and under the International Convention on Arrest of Ships, 1999, crew members, tort claimants, claimants for breach of certain maritime contracts, vessel mortgagees, suppliers of goods and services to a vessel and shippers and consignees of cargo and others entitled to a maritime lien against the vessel may enforce their lien by “arresting” or “attaching” a vessel through court processes. In addition, claims may be brought by parties in hostile jurisdictions or on fictitious grounds or for claims against previous owners, if any, or in respect of previous cargoes. Any such claims could lead to the arrest of the vessel, against which the ship owner would have to post security to have the arrest lifted and to defend against such claims.

In addition, in those countries adopting the International Convention on Arrest of Ships, 1999, and in certain other jurisdictions, such as South Africa, under the “sister ship” theory of liability, a claimant may arrest not only the vessel with respect to which the claimant’s maritime lien has arisen, but also any “associated” vessel owned or controlled by the legal or beneficial owner of that vessel. While in some of the jurisdictions which have adopted this doctrine, liability for damages is limited in scope and would only extend to a company and its vessel-owning subsidiaries, there can be no assurance that liability for damages caused by a vessel managed by an unaffiliated party, ITM, would not be asserted against us or one or more of our vessels. The arrest of one or more vessels in our fleet could result in a material loss of cash flow for us and/or require us to pay substantial sums to have the arrest lifted.

The smuggling or alleged smuggling of drugs or other contraband onto the Company’s vessels may lead to governmental claims against the Company.

The Company expects that its vessels will call in ports where smugglers may attempt to hide drugs and other contraband on vessels, with or without the knowledge of crew members. To the extent the Company’s vessels are found with or accused to be carrying contraband, whether inside or attached to the hull of our vessels and whether with or without the knowledge of any of its crew, the Company may face governmental or other regulatory claims which could have an adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Additionally, such events could have consequences on our share price.

Governments could requisition our vessels during a period of war or emergency.

A government could take actions for requisition of title, hire or seize our vessels. Requisition for title occurs when a government takes control of a vessel and becomes its owner. Also, a government could requisition our vessels for hire, which occurs when a government takes control of a vessel and effectively becomes her charterer at dictated charter rates. Generally, requisitions occur during a period of war or emergency. Although we would expect to be entitled to compensation in the event of a requisition of one or more of our vessels, the amount and timing of payment, if any, would be uncertain. Government requisition of one or more of our vessels could negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Increasing scrutiny and changing expectations from investors, lenders and other market participants with respect to our ESG policies may impose additional costs on us or expose us to additional risks.

Companies across all industries are facing increasing scrutiny relating to their ESG policies. Investor advocacy groups, certain institutional investors, investment funds, lenders and other market participants are increasingly focused on ESG practices and in recent years have placed increasing importance on the implications and social cost of their investments. The increased focus and activism related to ESG and similar matters may hinder access to capital, as investors and lenders may decide to reallocate capital or to not commit capital as a result of their assessment of a company’s ESG practices. Companies which do not adapt to or comply with investor, lender or other industry shareholder expectations and standards, which are evolving, or which are perceived to have not responded appropriately to the growing concern for ESG issues, regardless of whether there is a legal requirement to do so, may suffer from reputational damage and the business, financial condition, and/or stock price of such a company could be materially and adversely affected.

We may face increasing pressures from investors, lenders and other market participants, who are increasingly focused on climate change, to prioritize sustainable energy practices, reduce our carbon footprint and promote sustainability. As a result, we may be required to implement more stringent ESG procedures or standards so that our existing and future investors and lenders remain invested in us and make further investments in us. If we do not meet these standards, our business and/or our ability to access capital could be harmed.

Additionally, certain investors and lenders may exclude shipping companies, such as us, from their investing portfolios altogether due to environmental, social and governance factors.  These limitations in both the debt and equity capital markets may affect our ability to develop as our plans for growth may include accessing the equity and debt capital markets.  If those markets are unavailable, or if we are unable to access alternative means of financing on acceptable terms, or at all, we may be unable to implement our business strategy, which would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations and impair our ability to service our indebtedness. Further, it is likely that we will incur additional costs and require additional resources to monitor, report and comply with wide ranging ESG requirements.  The occurrence of any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

We are subject to increasingly complex laws and regulations, including environmental and safety laws and regulations, which expose us to liability and significant additional expenditures, and can adversely affect our insurance coverage and access to certain ports as well as our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our operations are affected by extensive and changing international, national and local laws, regulations, treaties, conventions and standards in force in international waters, the jurisdictional waters of the countries in which our vessels operate, as well as the countries of our vessels’ registration.

These laws and regulations include, but are not limited to, the U.S. Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (the “OPA”), requirements of the U.S Coast Guard (“USCG”) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”), the U.S. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (the “CERCLA”), the U.S. Clean Air Act of 1970 (as amended from time to time and referred to herein as the “CAA”), the U.S. Clean Water Act of 1972 (as amended from time to time and referred to herein as the “CWA”), the International Maritime Organization (the “IMO”), the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage of 1969 (as amended from time to time and referred to herein as the “CLC”), the IMO International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damages (the “Bunker Convention”), MARPOL, including designation of Emission Control Areas (“ECAs”) thereunder, the IMO International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea of 1974 (as amended from time to time and referred to herein as the “SOLAS Convention”) and the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and Pollution Prevention (the “ISM Code”) promulgated thereby, the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (the “BWM Convention”), the IMO International Convention on Load Lines of 1966 (as from time to time amended) (the “LL Convention”), the U.S. Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (the “MTSA”), the International Labour Organization (“ILO”), the Maritime Labour Convention, EU regulations, and the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (the “ISPS Code”).

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 the OPA, for example, owners, operators and bareboat charterers are jointly and severally strictly liable for the discharge of oil in U.S. waters, including the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone around the United States. An oil spill could also result in significant liability, including fines, penalties, criminal liability and remediation costs for natural resource damages under other international and U.S. federal, state and local laws, as well as third-party damages, and could harm our reputation with current or potential charterers of our tankers. 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.

The safe operation of our vessels is affected by the requirements of the ISM Code, promulgated by the IMO under the SOLAS Convention. 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 safety and environmental protection policies setting forth instructions and procedures for safe operation and describing procedures for dealing with emergencies. If we fail to comply with the ISM Code, we may be subject to increased liability, invalidation of our existing insurance, or reduction in available insurance coverage for our affected vessels. Such noncompliance may also result in a denial of access to, or detention in, certain ports which could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

Compliance with such laws and regulations, where applicable, may require installation of costly equipment, vessel modifications, operational changes or restrictions, a reduction in cargo-capacity and may affect the resale value or useful lives of our vessels as well as result in the denial of access to, or detention in, certain jurisdictional waters or ports. 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 including greenhouse gases, the management of ballast and bilge waters, maintenance and inspection, elimination of tin-based paint, development and implementation of emergency procedures and insurance coverage or other financial assurance of our ability to address pollution incidents. Government regulation of the shipping industry, particularly as it may relate to safety, ship recycling requirements, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, and other environmental matters, can be expected to become stricter in the future, and may require us to incur significant capital expenditures on our vessels to keep them in compliance, may require us to scrap or sell certain vessels altogether, may reduce the residual value we receive if a vessel is scrapped, and may generally increase our compliance costs. A failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations may result in administrative and civil penalties, criminal sanctions or the suspension or termination of operations. Increased inspection procedures 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 can result in the seizure of the cargo and/or our vessels, delays in the loading, offloading or delivery and the levying of customs duties, fines or other penalties against us. It is possible that changes to inspection procedures could impose additional financial and legal obligations on us, 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. All of the above, including any changes or developments, both individually and cumulatively, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Recent action by the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee and U.S. agencies indicates that cyber-security regulations for the maritime industry are likely to be further developed in the near future in an attempt to combat cyber-security threats. This might cause companies to cultivate additional procedures for monitoring cyber-security, which could require additional expenses and/or capital expenditures. However, the impact of such regulations is hard to predict at this time.

The failure to maintain class certifications of authorized classification societies on one or more of our vessels would affect our ability to employ such vessels.

The hull and machinery of every commercial vessel must be certified as meeting its class requirements by a classification society authorized by the vessel’s country of registry. The classification society certifies that the vessel is safe and seaworthy in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations of the country of registry of the vessel and the SOLAS Convention. The operating vessels in our fleet are classed by the major classification societies, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (“NKK”) and Det Norske Veritas (“DNV GL”). ITM and the vessels in our fleet have also been awarded certifications from major classification societies under the ISM Code. In order for a vessel to maintain its classification, the 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 from time to time over a five-year period. All of the vessels in our fleet on time charters or operating on the spot market are on special survey cycles for both hull and machinery inspection. Every vessel may also be required to be dry-docked every two to three years for inspection of the underwater parts of the vessel. If a vessel fails any survey or otherwise fails to maintain its class, the vessel will be unable to trade and will be unemployable, and may subject us to claims from the charterer if it has chartered the vessel, which would negatively impact our revenues as well as our reputation.

We could be adversely affected by violations of the FCPA and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws.

The FCPA and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to non-U.S. officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Our policies mandate compliance with these laws. In certain circumstances, third parties may request our employees and agents to make payments that may not comply with the FCPA and other anti-bribery laws. Despite such compliance program, we cannot assure you that our internal control policies and procedures always will protect us from reckless or negligent acts committed by our employees or agents. Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could result in substantial fines, sanctions, civil and/or criminal penalties and curtailment of operations in certain jurisdictions and could have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, actual or alleged violations could damage the Company’s 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 the Company’s senior management.

The Company obtains some of its insurance through protection and indemnity associations, which could result in significant additional premium payments.

The Company may be subject to increased premium payments, or calls, in amounts based on its claim records, the claim records of Maritime or ITM, as well as the claim records of other members of the protection and indemnity associations through which the Company receives insurance coverage for tort liability, including pollution-related liability. The Company’s protection and indemnity associations may not have sufficient resources to cover claims made against them. The Company’s payment of these calls could result in significant expense to the Company, which could have a material adverse effect on us. Changes in the insurance markets or increased risks to other members of the Company’s protection and indemnity associations attributable to terrorist attacks, piracy, environmental disasters or other maritime and non-maritime perils may cause increases to premiums and may make certain types of insurance more difficult for the Company to obtain due to increased premiums or reduced or restricted coverage, which could have a material adverse impact on its business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to funding calls by our protection and indemnity associations, and our associations may not have enough resources to cover claims made against them.

We are indemnified for certain liabilities incurred while operating our vessels through membership in protection and indemnity associations, which are mutual insurance associations whose members contribute to cover losses sustained by other association members. Claims are paid through the aggregate premiums (typically annually) of all members of the association, although members remain subject to calls for additional funds if the aggregate premiums are insufficient to cover claims submitted to the association. Claims submitted to the association may include those incurred by members of the association, as well as claims submitted to the association from other protection and indemnity associations with which our association has entered into inter-association agreements. We cannot assure you that the associations to which we belong will remain viable.

We will incur additional costs to retrofit ballast water treatment systems in our vessels to comply with new regulations.

Vessels unload ballast water during passage by taking ballast water in one port and unloading it in another. This helps maintain safety and stability. However, the ballast water can contain local organisms and pathogens. When vessels unload ballast water they can then release organisms and pathogens in different parts of the world, which can be invasive to that local ecosystem. To avoid transfers of invasive species in ballast water, the IMO and United States have regulations that require ballast water is treated prior to the discharge. In order to comply with IMO and U.S. ballast water regulations, we are required to install ballast water treatment plants on all MR’s by September 2023.

In February 2004, the IMO adopted the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments. The BWM Convention aims to prevent the spread of harmful aquatic organisms from one region to another by establishing standards and procedures for the management and control of ships’ ballast water and sediments. The BWM Convention contains an environmentally protective numeric standard for the treatment of ship’s ballast water before it is discharged. This standard, detailed in Regulation “D-2” of the BWM Convention, sets out the numbers of organisms allowed in specific volumes of treated discharge water. The IMO “D-2” standard is also the standard that has been adopted by the U.S. Coast Guard’s ballast water regulations and the U.S. EPA’s Vessel General Permit. The BWM Convention also contains an implementation schedule for the installation of IMO member state type approved treatment systems in existing ships and in new vessels, requirements for the development of vessel ballast water management plans, requirements for the safe removal of sediments from ballast tanks, and guidelines for the testing and type approval of ballast water treatment technologies. Depending on the date of the IOPP renewal survey, existing vessels constructed before September 8, 2017 must comply with the updated D-2 standard on or after September 8, 2019. Ships constructed on or after September 8, 2017 are to comply with the D-2 standards on or after September 8, 2017.

Vessels trading internationally will have to comply with the BWM Convention upon their next special survey after September 8, 2019 and for an MR2 tanker, the retrofit cost could be as much as $0.75 million per vessel including labor. The cost of compliance per vessel for us is estimated to be $0.6 million, depending on specifications of the vessel. Significant investments in ballast water treatment systems (“BWTS”) may have a material adverse effect on our future performance, results of operations, cash flows and financial position depending on the ability to install effective ballast water treatment systems, including ship yard availability, and the extent to which existing vessels must be modified to accommodate such systems

As of the date of this filing, two vessels in the Company’s fleet, Pyxis Malou and Pyxis Epsilon, have a BWTS installed. The Company cannot be assured that this system will continue to be approved by the regulatory bodies of every jurisdiction in which it may wish to conduct its business. Accordingly, the Company may have to make additional investments in these vessels and substantial investments in the remaining medium range (“MR”) tanker, the Pyxis Theta, that does not carry such equipment. Also, as part of future loan agreements, lenders may require us to periodically deposit additional funds as a reserve to cover these types of expenditures.

Furthermore, United States regulations are currently changing. Although the 2013 Vessel General Permit (“VGP”) program and U.S. National Invasive Species Act (“NISA”) are currently in effect to regulate ballast discharge, exchange and installation, the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (“VIDA”), which was signed into law on December 4, 2018, requires that the EPA develop national standards of performance for approximately 30 discharges, similar to those found within the VGP, within two years. On October 26, 2020, the EPA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Vessel Incidental Discharge National Standards of Performance under VIDA. Within two years after the EPA publishes its final Vessel Incidental Discharge National Standards of Performance, the U.S. Coast Guard must develop corresponding implementation, compliance and enforcement regulations regarding ballast water. The new regulations could require the installation of new equipment, which may cause us to incur substantial costs.

Developments in safety and environmental requirements relating to the recycling of vessels may result in escalated and unexpected costs.

The 2009 Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships (the “Hong Kong Convention”) aims to ensure ships, being recycled once they reach the end of their operational lives, do not pose any unnecessary risks to the environment, human health, and safety. The Hong Kong Convention has yet to be ratified by the required number of countries to enter into force. Upon the Hong Kong Convention’s entry into force, however, each ship sent for recycling will have to carry an inventory of its hazardous materials. The hazardous materials, whose use or installation is prohibited in certain circumstances, are listed in an appendix to the Hong Kong Convention. Ships will be required to have surveys to verify their inventory of hazardous materials initially, throughout their lives, and prior to the ship being recycled.

The Hong Kong Convention will enter into force 24 months after the date on which 15 IMO Member States, representing 40% of world merchant shipping by gross tonnage, have ratified or approved accession. As of the date of this Annual Report, 16 countries have ratified or approved accession of the Hong Kong Convention, but the requirement of 40% of world merchant shipping by gross tonnage has not yet been satisfied. Even though the Hong Kong Convention is currently not in effect, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU have adopted the Ship Recycling Regulation, which retains the requirements of the Hong Kong Convention and requires that certain commercial seagoing vessels flying the flag of an EU Member State may be recycled only in facilities included on the European list of permitted ship recycling facilities. We are required to comply with EU Ship Recycling Regulation by December 31, 2020, since our ships trade in EU region.

These regulatory developments, when implemented, may lead to cost escalation by shipyards, repair yards and scrap yards. This may then result in a decrease in the residual scrap value of a vessel, and a vessel could potentially not cover the cost to comply with latest requirements which may have an adverse effect on our future performance, results of operations, cash flows and financial position.

Climate change and greenhouse gas restrictions may adversely impact our operations, markets and capital sources.

Due to concern over the risk of climate change, a number of countries and the IMO have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, regulatory frameworks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These regulatory measures may include, among others, adoption of cap and trade regimes, carbon taxes, increased efficiency standards and incentives or mandates for renewable energy. More specifically, on October 27, 2016, the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee announced its decision concerning the implementation of regulations mandating a reduction in sulfur emissions from 3.5% currently to 0.5% as of the beginning of January 1, 2020. Since January 1, 2020, ships must either remove sulfur from emissions or buy fuel with low sulfur content, which may lead to increased costs and supplementary investments for ship owners. The interpretation of “fuel oil used on board” includes use in main engine, auxiliary engines and boilers. Shipowners may comply with this regulation by (i) using 0.5% sulfur fuels on board, which are available around the world but at a higher cost; (ii) installing scrubbers for cleaning of the exhaust gas; or (iii) by retrofitting vessels to be powered by liquefied natural gas, which may not be a viable option due to the lack of supply network and high costs involved in this process. Costs of compliance with these regulatory changes may be significant and may have a material adverse effect on our future performance, results of operations, cash flows and financial position.

Additionally, on September 15, 2020 the European Parliament voted to include greenhouse gas emissions from the maritime sector in the European Union’s carbon market from 2022, meaning that specific regulations on this are forthcoming and will require shipowners to buy permits to cover such emissions.

Currently, the emissions of greenhouse gases from international shipping are not subject to the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations 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 with targets extended through 2020. International negotiations are continuing with respect to a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, and restrictions on shipping emissions may be included in any new treaty. In December 2009, more than 27 nations, including the U.S. and China, signed the Copenhagen Accord, which includes a non-binding commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris resulted in the Paris Agreement, which entered into force on November 4, 2016 and does not directly limit greenhouse gas emissions from ships. The U.S. initially entered into the agreement, but on June 1, 2017, the U.S. President announced that the United States intends to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, which provides for a four-year exit process, meaning that the earliest possible effective withdrawal date cannot be before November 4, 2020. However, on January 20, 2021, newly-elected U.S. President Biden signed an executive order to rejoin the Paris Agreement, which the U.S. officially rejoined on February 19, 2021. The effect of such action has yet to be determined. Compliance with changes in laws, regulations and obligations relating to climate change could increase our costs related to operating and maintaining our vessels and require us to install new emission controls, acquire allowances or pay taxes related to our greenhouse gas emissions or administer and manage a greenhouse gas emissions program. Revenue generation and strategic growth opportunities may also be adversely affected.

On June 29, 2017, the Global Industry Alliance (“GIA”), was officially inaugurated. The GIA is a program, under the Global Environmental Facility-United Nations Development Program-IMO project, which supports shipping, and related industries, as they move towards a low carbon future. Organizations including, but not limited to, shipowners, operators, classification societies and oil companies, signed to launch the GIA.

Adverse effects upon the oil and gas industry relating to climate change, including growing public concern about the environmental impact of climate change, may also adversely affect demand for our services and investor interest in our common stock. For example, increased regulation of greenhouse gases or other concerns relating to climate change may reduce the demand for oil and gas in the future or create greater incentives for use of alternative energy sources and electric powered vehicles. Therefore, any long-term material adverse effect on the oil and gas industry could have a material adverse effect on our future performance, results of operations, cash flows and financial position. Also, increasing focus and selectivity by investors and certain lenders on environmentally sensitive and sustainable public companies could make our stock less appealing or bank debt to be become more restricted and/or costly due to the nature of our business. Please read “Item 4. Information on the Company – B. Business Overview – Environmental and Other Regulations in the Shipping Industry” in this Annual Report, incorporated by reference herein.

Technological innovation and quality and efficiency requirements from our customers could reduce our charter hire income and the value of our vessels.

Our customers, in particular those in the oil industry, have a high and increasing focus on quality and compliance standards with their suppliers across the entire supply chain, including the shipping and transportation segment. Our continued compliance with these standards and quality requirements is vital for our operations. 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, the impact of the stress of operations and stipulations from classification societies. If new product tankers 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 financial condition and available cash could be adversely affected.

Risks Related to Our Business and Operations

We recently had a working capital deficit and may not be able to fund our ongoing operations.

We are operating in a challenging market with low charter rates and vessel utilization, which has significantly weakened our liquidity. We have incurred a net loss to common shareholders of $7.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 and have a working capital deficit of $2.9 million at December 31, 2020. Additionally, as of December 31, 2020, there was no amount available for us to draw down under our existing loan agreements.

In order to avoid there being substantial doubt about our ability to fund future operations, meet our obligations as they become due and help us fund our growth plans, we recently completed the 2021 Private Placement Transaction (as defined below), which generated $23.1 million in net proceeds as well as refinanced the outstanding loan for the Pyxis Epsilon which extended our debt maturities and reduced interest costs.

We operate in highly competitive international markets.

The product tanker industry is highly fragmented, with many charterers, owners and operators of vessels, and the transportation of refined petroleum products is characterized by intense competition. Competition arises primarily from other tanker owners, including major oil companies as well as independent tanker companies, some of which have substantially greater financial and other resources than we do. Although we believe that no single competitor has a dominant position in the markets in which we compete, the trend towards consolidation in the industry is creating an increasing number of global enterprises capable of competing in multiple markets, which will likely result in greater competition to us. Our competitors may be better positioned to devote greater resources to the development, promotion and employment of their businesses than we are. Competition for charters, including for the transportation of refined petroleum products, is intense and depends on price as well as on vessel location, size, age, condition and acceptability of the vessel and its operator to the charterer and reputation. Competition may increase in some or all of our principal markets, including with the entry of new competitors. We may not be able to compete successfully or effectively with our competitors and our competitive position may be eroded in the future, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Because we intend to charter some of the vessels in our fleet in the spot market or in pools trading in the spot market, we expect to have exposure to the cyclicality and volatility of the spot charter market and incur additional working capital. As of April 6, 2021, we operated two vessels in the spot market which is highly competitive and volatile. Spot charter rates may fluctuate dramatically based on the competitive factors listed in the preceding risk factor. Significant fluctuations in spot charter rates may result in significant fluctuations in our ability to continuously re-charter our vessels upon the expiration or termination of their current spot charters and in the earnings of our vessels operating on the spot market. Since we charter some of our vessels on the spot market, and may in the future also admit our vessels in pools trading on the spot market, we have exposure to fluctuations in cash flows due to the cyclicality and volatility of the spot charter market. By focusing the employment of some of the vessels in our fleet on the spot market, we will benefit if conditions in this market strengthen. However, we will also be particularly vulnerable to declining spot charter rates. Future spot charters may continue to be at the rates currently prevailing in the spot market at which we cannot operate our vessels profitably and may fall further. If spot charter rates remain at current levels or decrease further, our earnings will be adversely impacted to the extent we have vessels trading on the spot market. Trading our vessels in the spot market or in pools requires greater working capital than operating under a time charter as the vessel owner is responsible for various voyage related costs, such as, fuel, port and canal charges, as well as additional timing for collections of charter receivables, including additional demurrage revenues.

We may be unable to secure medium- and long-term employment for our vessels at profitable rates and present and future vessel employment could be adversely affected by an inability to clear the oil majors’ risk assessment process.

One of our strategies is to explore and selectively enter into or renew medium- and long-term, fixed rate time and, possibly, bareboat charters for some of the vessels in our fleet in order to provide us with a base of stable cash flows and to manage charter rate volatility. However, the process for obtaining longer term charters is highly competitive and generally involves a lengthier and intense screening and vetting process and the submission of competitive bids, compared to shorter term charters. Shipping, and especially refined petroleum product tankers have been, and will remain, heavily regulated. The so-called “oil majors”, together with a number of commodities traders, represent a significant percentage of the production, trading and shipping logistics (terminals) of refined products worldwide. Concerns for the environment have led the oil majors to develop and implement a strict ongoing due diligence process when selecting their commercial partners. This vetting process has evolved into a sophisticated and comprehensive risk assessment of both the vessel operator and the vessel, including physical ship inspections, completion of vessel inspection questionnaires performed by accredited inspectors and the production of comprehensive risk assessment reports.

In addition to the quality, age and suitability of the vessel, longer term charters tend to be awarded based upon a variety of other factors relating to the vessel operator, including:

We cannot assure you that we would be successful in winning medium- and long-term employment for our vessels at profitable rates.

A substantial portion of our revenues is derived from a limited number of customers, and the loss of any of these customers could result in a significant loss of revenues and cash flow.

We currently derive substantially all of our revenues from a limited number of customers. In 2019, three customers accounted for approximately 86% of our total revenues with one customer accounting for 71% of our total revenues and in 2020, two customers accounted for approximately 74% of our total revenues, one of which accounted for 58% of our total revenues. The loss of any significant customer or a decline in the amount of services provided to a significant customer could have a material adverse effect on our future performance, results of operations, cash flows and financial position.

Additionally, oil and natural gas companies, refineries and energy companies have undergone significant consolidation. Further consolidation is possible and could result in fewer companies to charter or contract our services. Merger activity may result in a budget for a combined company that is less than the combined budget of the companies before consolidation. Future consolidation of the Company’s customer base could reduce demand for our vessels and could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our financial performance and operations may be adversely affected by outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and related governmental responses.

Since the beginning of calendar year 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 that originated in China in late 2019 and that has spread to most nations around the globe has resulted in numerous actions taken by governments and governmental agencies in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the virus, including travel bans, quarantines, and other emergency public health measures, and a number of countries implemented lockdown measures. These measures have resulted in a significant reduction in global economic activity and extreme volatility in the global financial markets. If the COVID-19 pandemic continues on a prolonged basis or becomes more severe, the adverse impact on the global economy and the rate environment for tankers may deteriorate further and our operations and cash flows may be negatively impacted. Relatively weak global economic conditions during periods of volatility have and may continue to have a number of adverse consequences for tankers and other shipping sectors, including, among other things:

The COVID-19 pandemic and measures to contain its spread have negatively impacted regional and global economies and trade patterns in markets in which we operate, the way we operate our business, and the businesses of our charterers and suppliers. These negative impacts could continue or worsen, even after the pandemic itself diminishes or ends. Companies, including us, have also taken precautions, such as requiring employees to work remotely and imposing travel restrictions, while some other businesses have been required to close entirely. Moreover, we and our managers face significant risks to personnel and operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The crews on our vessels face risk of exposure to COVID-19 as a result of travel to ports in which cases of COVID-19 have been reported. Our shore-based personnel likewise face risk of such exposure, as we maintain offices in areas that have been impacted by the spread of COVID-19.

Measures against COVID-19 in a number of countries have restricted crew rotations on our vessels, which may continue or become more severe. As a result, in 2020, we experienced and may continue to experience disruptions to our normal vessel operations caused by increased deviation time associated with positioning our vessels to countries in which we can undertake a crew rotation in compliance with such measures. Delays in crew rotations have led to issues with crew fatigue and may continue to do so, which may result in delays or other operational issues. We have had and expect to continue to have increased expenses due to incremental fuel consumption and days in which our vessels are unable to earn revenue in order to deviate to certain ports on which we would ordinarily not call during a typical voyage. We may also incur additional expenses associated with testing, personal protective equipment, quarantines, and travel expenses such as airfare costs in order to perform crew rotations in the current environment. Delays in crew rotations may also cause us to incur additional costs related to crew bonuses paid to retain the existing crew members on board and may continue to do so.

The COVID-19 pandemic and measures in place against the spread of the virus have led to a difficult environment in which to dispose of vessels given difficulty to physically inspect vessels. The impact of COVID-19 has also resulted in reduced industrial activity globally, with temporary closures of factories and other facilities, labor shortages and restrictions on travel. We believe these disruptions along with other factors, including lower demand for some of the cargoes we carry, have contributed to lower tanker rates in the second half of 2020.

Epidemics may also affect personnel operating payment systems through which we receive revenues from the chartering of our vessels or pay for our expenses, resulting in delays in payments. Organizations across industries, including ours, are rightly focusing on their employees’ well-being, while making sure that their operations continue undisrupted and at the same time, adapting to the new ways of operating. As such employees are encouraged or even required to operate remotely which could increase the risk of cyber security attacks.

While it is still too early to fully assess the overall impact that COVID-19 will have on our financial condition and operations and on the tanker industry in general, we assess that the tanker charter rates have been reduced significantly as a result of COVID-19 after an initial increase in rates through the spring of 2020 and that the shipping industry in general and our Company specifically are likely to continue to be exposed to volatility in the near term.

Further, containment measures and quarantine restrictions adopted by many countries worldwide have caused significant impact on our ability to embark and disembark crew members and on our seafarers themselves. As a result, since the outbreak of COVID-19 and as of the date of this Annual Report, we have encountered certain delays and surrounding complexities in embarking and disembarking crew onto our ships which further resulted in increased operational costs and decreased revenues by reason of off-hires associated with crew rotation and related logistical complications associated with supplying our vessels with spares or other supplies.

The occurrence or continued occurrence of any of the foregoing events or other epidemics or an increase in the severity or duration of the COVID-19 or other epidemics could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition, and value of our vessels.

The Company’s growth depends on its ability to expand relationships with existing customers and obtain new customers, for which it will face substantial competition.

The process of obtaining new charters is highly competitive, generally involves an intensive screening process and competitive bids and often extends for several months. Contracts are awarded based upon a variety of factors, including:

The Company’s ability to obtain new customers will also depend upon a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:

If we cannot meet our customers’ quality and compliance requirements, we may not be able to operate our vessels profitably which could have an adverse effect on our future performance, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

Our customers, in particular those in the petroleum products industry, have a high and increasing focus on quality and compliance standards with their suppliers across the entire value chain, including the shipping and transportation segment. Our continuous compliance with these standards and quality requirements is vital for our operations. Related risks could materialize in multiple ways, including a sudden and unexpected breach in quality and/or compliance concerning one or more vessels, or a continuous decrease in the quality concerning one or more vessels occurring over time. Moreover, continuous increasing requirements from petroleum products industry customers can further complicate our ability to meet the standards. Any noncompliance by us, either suddenly or over a period of time, on one or more vessels, or an increase in requirements by petroleum products operators above and beyond what we deliver, may have a material adverse effect on our future performance, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

We may not be able to successfully mix our charter durations profitably.

It may be difficult to properly balance time and spot charters and anticipate trends in these markets. If we are successful in employing vessels under medium- and long-term charters, those vessels will not be available for the spot market during an upturn in the product tanker demand cycle, when spot trading may be more profitable. By contrast, at the expiration of our charters, if a charter terminates early for any reason or if we acquire vessels charter-free, we may want to charter or re-charter our vessels under medium- and long-term charters. Should more vessels be available on the spot or short-term market at the time we are seeking to fix new medium- to long-term time charters, we may have difficulty entering into such charters at profitable rates and for any term other than a short-term and, as a result, our cash flow may be subject to instability. A more active short-term or spot market may require us to enter into charters on all our vessels based on fluctuating market rates, as opposed to long-term contracts based on a fixed rate, which could result in a decrease in our cash flow in periods when the charter rates for product tankers are depressed. If we cannot successfully employ our vessels in a profitable mix of medium- and long-term time charters and on the spot market, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

We have limited current liquidity and have become reliant on Maritime and Maritime Investors , entities affiliated with our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Valentis, for our short-term working capital financing.

At December 31, 2020, we had cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash of $4.0 million. Of this amount, $2.4 million was restricted cash deposits required by our lenders. At December 31, 2019, Maritime had extended $6.8 million of advances which we used to pay various operating costs, debt service and other obligations. Through December 31, 2020, amounts due to Maritime were repaid and the balance due from Maritime as at December 31, 2020, amounted to $2.3 million which was used to prepay management fees and certain vessel dry docking costs. In the near-term, Maritime may advance or receive from us additional funds for similar purposes. Currently there are no specific repayment terms with respect to these advances, which Maritime controls as our manager. We cannot assure you that in the future Maritime will continue to provide these advances or other working capital funding on similar or different terms, or at all. If our operating cash flows are insufficient to satisfy our liquidity needs, we may have to rely on the sale of assets or additional debt or equity financings to raise adequate funds or restructure our indebtedness, or a combination thereof.

Also, on October 28, 2015, we and Maritime Investors entered into a promissory note, which as subsequently amended and supplemented, has an outstanding principal balance of $5.0 million payable on a quarterly basis at an annual interest rate of 9.0%, of which 4.5% is payable in cash and 4.5% in restricted common stock (the “Amended and Restated Promissory Note”). Please refer to “Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions” below for more information.

An inability to continue this financing in the future from Maritime or Maritime Investors, or the imposition by Maritime of repayment terms that are unfavorable to us may negatively affect our liquidity position and our ability to fund our ongoing operations.

Counterparties, including charterers or technical managers, could fail to meet their obligations to us.

We enter into, among other things, memoranda of agreement, charter parties, ship management agreements and loan agreements with third parties with respect to the purchase and operation of our fleet and our business. Such agreements subject us to counterparty risks. The ability and willingness of each of our counterparties to perform its obligations under these agreements with us depends on a number of factors that are beyond our control and may include, among other things, general economic conditions, the condition of the tanker shipping industry and the overall financial condition of the counterparties. In particular, we face credit risk with our charterers. It is possible that not all of our charterers will provide detailed financial information regarding their operations. As a result, charterer risk is largely assessed on the basis of our charterers’ reputation in the market, and even on that basis, there can be no assurance that they can or will fulfill their obligations under the contracts we enter into with them.

Charterers are sensitive to the commodity markets and may be impacted by market forces affecting commodities. In addition, in depressed market conditions, there have been reports of charterers renegotiating their charters or defaulting on their obligations under charters. Our customers may fail to pay charter hire or attempt to renegotiate charter rates. Should a charterer counterparty fail to honor its obligations under agreements with us, it may be difficult to secure substitute employment for that vessel, and any new charter arrangements we secure on the spot market or on substitute charters may be at lower rates depending on the then existing charter rate levels. The costs and delays associated with the default by a charterer under a charter of a vessel may be considerable. In addition, if the charterer of a vessel in our fleet that is used as collateral under our loan agreements defaults on its charter obligations to us, such default may constitute an event of default under our loan agreements, which may allow the banks to exercise remedies under our loan agreements.

As a result of these risks, we could sustain significant losses, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We depend on ITM and Maritime to operate our business and our business could be harmed if they fail to perform their services satisfactorily.

Pursuant to our management agreements, ITM provides us with day-to-day technical management services (including crewing, maintenance, repair, dry-dockings and maintaining required vetting approvals) and Maritime provides us with ship management and administrative services for our vessels. Our operational success depends significantly upon ITM and Maritime’s satisfactory performance of these services, including their abilities to attract and retain highly skilled and qualified personnel, particularly seamen and on-shore staff who deal directly with vessel operations. Our business would be harmed if ITM or Maritime failed to perform these services satisfactorily. In addition, if our management agreements with either ITM or Maritime were to be terminated or if their terms were to be altered, our business could be adversely affected, as we may not be able to immediately replace such services, and even if replacement services were immediately available, the terms offered could be less favorable than those under our management agreements. A change of technical manager may require approval by certain customers of ours for employment of a vessel.

Our ability to compete for and enter into new period time and spot charters and to expand our relationships with our existing charterers will depend largely on our relationship with ITM and Maritime, and their respective reputation and relationships in the shipping industry. If ITM or Maritime suffers material damage to its reputation or relationships, it may harm our ability to:

If our ability to do any of the things described above is impaired, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may fail to successfully control our operating and voyage expenses.

Our operating results are dependent on our ability to successfully control our operating and voyage expenses. Under our ship management agreements with ITM we are required to pay for vessel operating expenses (which includes crewing, repairs and maintenance, insurance, stores, lube oils and communication expenses), and, for spot charters, voyage expenses (which include bunker expenses, port fees, cargo loading and unloading expenses, canal tolls, agency fees and conversions). These expenses depend upon a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our or the technical manager’s control, including unexpected increases in costs for crews, insurance or spare parts for our vessels, unexpected dry-dock repairs, mechanical failures or human error (including revenue lost in off-hire days), vessel age, arrest action against our vessels due to failure to pay debts, disputes with creditors or claims by third parties, labor strikes, severe weather conditions, any quarantines of our vessels and uncertainties in the world oil markets. Some of these costs, primarily relating to voyage expenses, have been increasing and may increase, possibly significantly, in the future. Repair costs are unpredictable and can be substantial, some of which may not be covered by insurance. If our vessels are subject to unexpected or unscheduled off-hire time, it could adversely affect our cash flow and may expose us to claims for liquidated damages if the vessel is chartered at the time of the unscheduled off-hire period. The cost of dry-docking repairs, additional off-hire time, an increase in our operating expenses and/or the obligation to pay any liquidated damages could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, to the extent our vessels are employed under spot charters in the future, our expenses may be impacted by increases in bunker costs and by canal costs, including the cost of canal-related delays incurred by employment of the vessels on certain routes. Unlike time charters in which the charterer bears all bunker and canal costs, in spot charters we bear these costs. Because it is not possible to predict the future price of bunker or canal-related costs when fixing spot charters, a significant rise in these costs could have an adverse impact on the costs associated with any spot charters we enter into and our earnings. Additionally, an increase in the price of bunkers beyond our expectations may adversely affect our profitability at the time we negotiate time or bareboat charters, and new LSFO rules may result in a significant increase in vessel fuel costs starting in 2020.

We will be required to make substantial capital expenditures, for which we may be dependent on additional financing, to maintain the vessels we own or to acquire other vessels.

We must make substantial capital expenditures to maintain, over the long-term, the operating capacity of our fleet. Our business strategy is also based in part upon the expansion of our fleet through the purchase of additional vessels. Maintenance capital expenditures include dry-docking expenses, modification of existing vessels or acquisitions of new vessels to the extent these expenditures are incurred to maintain the operating capacity of our fleet. In addition, we expect to incur significant maintenance costs for our current and any newly-acquired vessels. A newbuilding vessel must be dry-docked within five years of its delivery from a shipyard, and vessels are typically dry-docked every 30 to 60 months thereafter depending on the vessel, not including any unexpected repairs. We estimate the cost to dry-dock a vessel is between $0.3 and $1.03 million (including estimated expenditures for upgrades to comply with new BWTS system regulations), depending on the age, size and condition of the vessel and the location of dry-docking. In addition, capital maintenance expenditures could increase as a result of changes in the cost of labor and materials, customer requirements, increases in the size of our fleet, governmental regulations and maritime self-regulatory organization standards relating to safety, security or the environment and competitive standards.

To purchase additional vessels from time to time, we may be required to incur additional borrowings or raise capital through the sale of debt or additional equity securities. Asset impairments, financial stress, enforcement actions and credit rating pressures experienced in recent years by financial institutions to extend credit to the shipping industry due to depressed shipping rates and the deterioration of asset values that have led to losses in many banks’ shipping portfolios, as well as changes in overall banking regulations, have severely constrained the availability of credit for shipping companies like us. In addition, the re-pricing of credit risk and the difficulties currently experienced by financial institutions, have made, and will likely continue to make, it difficult to obtain financing. As a result of the disruptions in the credit markets and higher capital requirements, many lenders increased margins on lending rates, enacted tighter lending standards, required more restrictive terms (including higher collateral ratios for advances, shorter maturities and smaller loan amounts), or refused to refinance existing debt at all. Furthermore, certain banks that have historically been significant lenders to the shipping industry have reduced or ceased lending activities in the shipping industry. Additional tightening of capital requirements and the resulting policies adopted by lenders, could further reduce lending activities. We may experience difficulties obtaining financing commitments or be unable to fully draw on the capacity under our committed term loans in the future if our lenders are unwilling to extend financing to us or unable to meet their funding obligations due to their own liquidity, capital or solvency issues. We cannot be certain that financing will be available on acceptable terms or at all. If financing is not available when needed, or is available only on unfavorable terms, we may be unable to meet our future obligations as they come due. Our failure to obtain such funds could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In the absence of available financing, we also may be unable to take advantage of business opportunities or respond to competitive pressures.

In addition, our ability to obtain bank financing or to access the capital markets for future offerings may be limited by the terms of our existing credit agreements, our financial condition, the actual or perceived credit quality of our customers, and any defaults by them, as well as by adverse market conditions resulting from, among other things, general economic conditions and contingencies and uncertainties that are beyond our control.

We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain such additional financing in the future on terms that are acceptable to us or at all. Our failure to obtain funds for capital expenditures could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, our actual operating and maintenance capital expenditures will vary significantly from quarter to quarter based on, among other things, the number of vessels dry-docked during that quarter. Even if we are successful in obtaining the necessary funds for capital expenditures, the terms of such financings could limit our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders. Incurring additional debt may significantly increase our interest expense and financial leverage, and issuing additional equity securities may result in significant dilution.

Any vessel modification projects we undertake could have significant cost overruns, delays or fail to achieve the intended results.

Market volatility and higher bunker prices, coupled with increased regulation and concern about the environmental impact of the international shipping industry, have led to an increased focus on bunker efficiency. Some shipowners have implemented vessel modification programs for their existing ships in an attempt to capture potential efficiency gains. We will consider making modifications to our fleet in instances when we believe the efficiency gains will result in a positive return for our stockholders. However, these types of projects are subject to risks of delay and cost overruns, resulting from shortages of equipment, unforeseen engineering problems, work stoppages, unanticipated cost increases, inability to obtain necessary certifications and approvals, shortages of materials or skilled labor, among other problems. In addition, any completed modification may not achieve the full expected benefits or could even compromise the fleet’s ability to operate at higher speeds, which is an important factor in generating additional revenue in an improving freight rate environment. The failure to successfully complete any modification project we undertake or any significant cost overruns or delays in any retrofitting projects could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The Company does not plan to install scrubbers and may have to pay more for fuel which could adversely affect the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

Effective January 1, 2020 all vessels must comply with the IMO’s low sulfur fuel oil (“LSFO”) requirement, which cuts sulfur levels from 3.5% to 0.5%. Shipowners may comply with this regulation by (i) using 0.5% sulfur fuels, which is available in most ports globally but at a higher cost than high-sulfur fuel oil (“HSFO”); (ii) installing scrubbers for cleaning of the exhaust gas; or (iii) by retrofitting vessels to be powered by liquefied natural gas, which may not be a viable option due to the lack of supply network and high costs involved in this process. Costs of compliance with these regulatory changes may be significant and may have a material adverse effect on our future performance, results of operations, cash flows and financial position. See “Item 4. Information on the Company – B. Business Overview – Environmental and Other Regulations in the Shipping Industry” in this Annual Report.

In light of operating and economic uncertainties surrounding the use of scrubbers, the Company has chosen not to purchase and install these units. However, the Company may, in the future, determine to purchase scrubbers for installation on its vessels. While scrubbers rely on technology that has been developed over a significant period of time for use in a variety of applications, their use for maritime applications is a more recent development. Each vessel will require physical modifications to be made in order to install a scrubber, the scope of which will depend on, among other matters, the age and type of vessel, its engine and its existing fixtures and equipment. The purchase and installation of scrubbers will involve significant capital expenditures, currently estimated at $1.5 million per vessel, and the vessel will be out of operation for more than 30 days in order for the scrubbers to be installed. In addition, future arrangements that the Company may enter into with respect to shipyard drydock capacity to implement these scrubber installations may be affected by delays or issues affecting vessel modifications being undertaken by other vessel owners at those shipyards, which could cause the Company’s vessels to be out of service for even longer periods or installation dates to be delayed. In addition, as there is a limited operating history of scrubbers on vessels such as those owned and operated by the Company, the operation and maintenance of scrubbers and related ongoing costs to these vessels is uncertain. Any unforeseen complications or delays in connection with acquiring, installing, operating or maintaining scrubbers installed on the Company’s vessels could adversely affect the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

As of February 28, 2021, approximately 14.8% of the worldwide fleet of MR2 were scrubber-fitted. Fuel expense reductions from operating scrubber-fitted vessels could result in a substantial reduction of bunker cost for charterers compared to vessels in our fleet which do not have scrubbers. If (a) the supply of scrubber-fitted tankers increases, (b) the differential between the cost of HSFO and LSFO is high and (c) charterers prefer such vessels over our tankers, demand for our vessels may be reduced and our ability to re-charter our vessels at competitive rates may be impaired.

Furthermore, it is uncertain how the availability of HSFO and LSFO around the world will be affected by implementation of the IMO 2020 Regulations, as well as the prices of HSFO and LSFO generally and the price differential between the two fuels after January 1, 2020, are also uncertain. If LSFO is unavailable in port and we or our charterers cannot obtain a temporary waiver to refuel and use HSFO for the next voyage, we or our charterers could be subject to fines by regulatory authorities and be in violation of the charter agreements. Scarcity and the quality in the supply of LSFO, or a higher-than-anticipated difference in the costs between the two types of fuel, may cause the Company to pay more than for its fuel than scrubber fitted vessels, which could adversely affect the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

Effective March 1, 2020, as part of the IMO 2020 Regulations, our vessels cannot carry HSFO. The charterer shall be responsible for off-loading of any remaining HSFO by that time. If any of our vessels are under spot charters and are carrying such bunker fuel, we would incur off-loading costs, tank cleaning expenses, potentially a write-down of inventory values and delays in our voyage activities.

There is limited operating history of using LSFO on our vessels and new compliant fuel blends which have been introduced but the vessel performance, economic impact and timing of using such fuels on our vessels is still evolving. In addition, our vessels will likely incur higher fuel costs associated with using more expensive compliant fuel. Such costs may be material and could adversely affect the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition, particularly in any case where we are unable to pass through the costs of higher fuel to charterers due to competition with vessels that have installed scrubbers, market conditions or otherwise.

We may not be able to implement our business strategy successfully or manage our growth effectively.

Our future growth will depend on the successful implementation of our business strategy. A principal focus of our business strategy is to grow by expanding the size of our fleet while capitalizing on a mix of charter types, including on the spot market. Growing any business by acquisition presents numerous risks, such as undisclosed liabilities and obligations, difficulty in obtaining additional qualified personnel and managing relationships with customers and suppliers and integrating newly acquired operations into existing infrastructures. The expansion of the Company’s fleet may impose significant additional responsibilities on our management and may necessitate an increase in the number of personnel. Other risks and uncertainties include distraction of management from current operations, insufficient revenue to offset liabilities assumed, potential loss of significant revenue and income streams, unexpected expenses, inadequate return of capital, regulatory or compliance issues, the triggering of certain covenants in the Company’s debt instruments (including accelerated repayment) and other unidentified issues not discovered in due diligence. As a result of the risks inherent in such transactions, the Company cannot guarantee that any such transaction will ultimately result in the realization of the anticipated benefits of the transaction or that significant transactions will not have a material adverse impact on its business, results of operations and financial condition. Our future growth will depend upon a number of factors, some of which are not within our control. These factors include, among others, our ability to:

Acquisitions of vessels may not be profitable to us at or after the time we acquire them. We may:

The Company’s failure to effectively identify, purchase, develop and integrate additional tankers or businesses could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. The number of employees that perform services for the Company and our current operating and financial systems may not be adequate as the Company implements its plan to expand the size of our fleet, and we may not be able to effectively hire more employees or adequately improve those systems. Future acquisitions may also require additional equity issuances or debt issuances (with amortization payments). If any such events occur, the Company’s financial condition may be adversely affected. The Company 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.

In addition, unlike newbuildings, secondhand vessels typically provide very limited or no warranties with respect to the condition of the vessel. While we expect we would inspect secondhand vessels prior to purchase, this does not provide us with the same knowledge about their condition that we would have had if these vessels had been built for, and operated exclusively by, us.

We also seek to take advantage of changing market conditions, which may include taking advantage of pooling arrangements or profit sharing components of the charters we may enter into. In addition, our future growth will depend upon our ability to: maintain or develop new and existing customer relationships; employ vessels consistent with our chartering strategy; successfully manage our liquidity and expenses; and identify and capitalize on opportunities in new markets. Changing market and regulatory conditions may require or result in the sale or other disposition of vessels we are not able to charter because of customer preferences or because they are not or will not be compliant with existing or future rules, regulations and conventions. Additional vessels of the age and quality we desire may not be available for purchase at prices we are prepared to pay or at delivery times acceptable to us, and we may not be able to dispose of vessels at reasonable prices, if at all.

However, even if we successfully implement our business strategy, we may not improve our net revenues or operating results. Furthermore, we may decide to alter or discontinue aspects of our business strategy and may adopt alternative or additional strategies in response to business or competitive factors or factors or events beyond our control. Our failure to execute our business strategy or to manage our growth effectively could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

If we purchase and operate secondhand vessels, we will be exposed to increased operating costs which could adversely affect our earnings and, as our fleet ages, the risks associated with older vessels could adversely affect our ability to obtain profitable charters.

The Company’s current business strategy includes additional future growth through the acquisition of secondhand vessels and, possibly, newbuild resales. While the Company typically inspects secondhand vessels prior to purchase, this does not provide the Company with the same knowledge about their condition that it would have had if these vessels had been built for and operated exclusively for us. Generally, the Company does not receive the benefit of warranties from the builders for the secondhand vessels that we acquire.

In general, the costs to maintain a vessel in good operating condition increase with the age of the vessel. Older vessels are typically less fuel-efficient than more recently constructed vessels due to improvements in engine technology. Cargo insurance rates increase with the age of a vessel, making older vessels less desirable to charterers.

Governmental regulations, safety or other equipment standards related to the age of vessels may require expenditures for alterations, or the addition of new equipment, to our vessels and may restrict the type of activities in which the vessels may engage. As our vessels age, market conditions may not justify those expenditures or enable us to operate our vessels profitably during the remainder of their useful lives.

In addition, unless we maintain cash reserves or raise external funds on acceptable terms for vessel replacement, we may be unable to replace the vessels in our fleet upon the expiration of their useful lives. We estimate the useful life of our vessels to be 25 years from the date of initial delivery from the shipyard and range from 2034 to 2040. Our cash flows and income are dependent on the revenues we earn by chartering our vessels to customers. If we are unable to replace the vessels in our fleet upon the expiration of their useful lives, our business, results of operations and financial condition will be materially adversely affected. Any reserves set aside for vessel replacement may not be available for other cash needs, including improvement of working capital, early repayment of debt or possible cash dividends.

New vessels may experience initial operational difficulties and unexpected incremental start-up costs.

New vessels, during their initial period of operation, have the possibility of encountering structural, mechanical and electrical problems as well as unexpected incremental start-up costs. Typically, the purchaser of a newbuilding will receive the benefit of a warranty from the shipyard for newbuildings, but we cannot assure you that any warranty we obtain will be able to resolve any problem with the vessel without additional costs to us and off-hire periods for the vessel. Upon delivery of a newbuild vessel from a shipyard, we may incur operating expenses above the incremental start-up costs typically associated with such a delivery and such expenses may include, among others, additional crew training, consumables and spares.

Delays in deliveries of additional vessels, our decision to cancel an order for purchase of a vessel, or our inability to otherwise complete the acquisitions of additional vessels for our fleet, could harm our operating results.

Although we currently have no vessels on order, under construction or subject to purchase agreements, we expect to purchase additional vessels from time to time. The delivery of these vessels, or vessels on order, could be delayed, not completed or cancelled, which would delay or eliminate our expected receipt of revenues from the employment of these vessels. The seller could fail to deliver these vessels to us as agreed, or we could cancel a purchase contract because the seller has not met its obligations. The delivery of vessels we propose to order or that are on order could be delayed because of, among other things:

If the delivery of any vessel is materially delayed or cancelled, especially if we have committed the vessel to a charter under which we become responsible for substantial liquidated damages to the customer as a result of the delay or cancellation, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Declines in charter rates and other market deterioration 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 Company reviews the carrying values of its vessels for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Whenever certain indicators of potential impairment are present, such as third party vessel valuation reports, the Company performs a test of recoverability of the carrying amount of the assets. The projection of future cash flows related to the vessels is complex and requires the Company to make various estimates including future freight rates, residual values, future dry-dockings and operating costs, which are included in the analysis. All of these items have been historically volatile. The Company recognizes an impairment charge if the carrying value is in excess of the estimated future undiscounted net operating cash flows. The impairment loss is measured based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair market value of the asset.

Although the Company believes that the assumptions used to evaluate potential impairment are reasonable and appropriate at the time they are made, such assumptions are highly subjective and likely to change, possibly materially, in the future. There can be no assurance as to how long charter rates and vessel values will remain at their current levels or whether they will improve by a significant degree. If charter rates were to remain at depressed levels, future assessments of vessel impairments would be adversely affected. Any impairment charges incurred as a result of further declines in charter rates could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition.

Should the carrying value plus the unamortized dry-dock and survey balance of the vessel exceed its estimated future undiscounted net operating cash flows, impairment is measured based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair market value of the asset. The Company determines the fair value of its vessels based on management estimates and assumptions and by making use of available market data and taking into consideration third party valuations. The review of the carrying amounts plus the unamortized dry-dock and survey balances in connection with the estimated recoverable amount indicated no impairment charge for the Company’s vessels as of December 31, 2019 and 2020, respectively. See Note #2 (m) in the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Our charterers may terminate charters early or choose not exercise options to extend charters or to re-charter with us, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our charters may terminate earlier than the dates indicated in the charter party agreements. The terms of our charters vary as to which events or occurrences will cause a charter to terminate or give the charterer the option to terminate the charter, but these generally include a total or constructive loss of the relevant vessel, the requisition for hire of the relevant vessel, the dry-docking of the relevant vessel for a certain period of time or the failure of the relevant vessel to meet specified performance criteria. Also, a time charter may grant a charterer an option to extend the contract for a certain period of time at a higher rate. However, the failure to exercise that option could result in the vessel being re-delivered to us in a more difficult market environment. An early termination or decision not to exercise an option to extend an existing charter by our charters may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We cannot predict whether any of our charterers will, upon the expiration of their charters, re-charter our vessels on favorable terms or at all. If our charterers decide not to re-charter our vessels, we may not be able to re-charter them on terms similar to our current charters or at all. Also, we may incur additional costs depending on where the vessel is re-delivered to us. We may also employ our vessels on the spot-charter market, which is subject to greater rate fluctuation than the time charter market. If we receive lower charter rates under replacement charters or are unable to re-charter all of our vessels, our available cash may be significantly reduced or eliminated.

Our vessels may operate in pooling arrangements in the future, which may or may not be beneficial compared to chartering our vessels outside of a pool.

In a pooling arrangement, the net revenues generated by all of the vessels in a pool are aggregated and distributed to pool members pursuant to a pre-arranged weighting system that recognizes each vessel’s earnings capacity based on factors, which may include its cargo capacity, speed and bunker consumption, and actual on-hire performance. Pooling arrangements are intended to maximize vessel utilization. However, pooling arrangements are dependent on the spot charter market, in which rates fluctuate. Also, the pool manager requires the prompt payment of up to $0.5 million of vessel working capital upon entry into the pool. Exit from the pool typically requires a minimum of three months’ advance notice to the pool manager. We cannot assure you that entering any of our vessels into a pool will be beneficial to us compared to chartering our vessels outside of a pool. If we participate in, or for any reason our vessels cease to participate in a pooling arrangement, their utilization rates could fall and the amount of additional hire paid could decrease, either of which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. We also cannot assure you that if we join a pooling arrangement that we will continue to use the pooling arrangement or whether the pools our vessels could participate in will continue to exist in the future.

We are dependent on the services of our founder and Chief Executive Officer and other members of our senior management team.

We are dependent upon our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Valentios (“Eddie”) Valentis, and the other members of our senior management team for the principal decisions with respect to our business activities. The loss or unavailability of the services of any of these key members of our management team for any significant period of time, or the inability of these individuals to manage or delegate their responsibilities successfully as our business grows, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. If the individuals were no longer to be affiliated with us, we may be unable to recruit other employees with equivalent talent and experience, and our business and financial condition may suffer as a result. We do not maintain “key man” life insurance for our Chief Executive Officer or other members of our senior management team.

Our founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer has affiliations with Maritime, which may create conflicts of interest.

Mr. Valentis, our founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, also owns and controls Maritime. His responsibilities and relationships with Maritime could create conflicts of interest between us, on the one hand, and Maritime, on the other hand. These conflicts may arise in connection with the chartering, purchase, sale and operations of the vessels in our fleet versus vessels managed by other companies affiliated with Maritime and may not be resolved in our favor. Maritime entered into a Head Management Agreement (as defined herein) with us and into separate ship management agreements with our subsidiaries. The negotiation of these management arrangements may have resulted in certain terms that may not reflect market standard terms or may include terms that could not have been obtained from arms-length negotiations with unaffiliated third parties for similar services.

In addition, Maritime may give preferential treatment to vessels that are time chartered-in by related parties because our founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and members of his family may receive greater economic benefits. In particular, as of December 31, 2020, Maritime provided commercial management services to one tanker vessel, other than the vessels in our fleet, that was owned or operated by one or more entities affiliated with Mr. Valentis. Such conflicts may have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Several of our senior executive officers do not, and certain of our officers in the future may not, devote all of their time to our business, which may hinder our ability to operate successfully.

Mr. Valentis, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Lytras, our Chief Operating Officer and Secretary and Mr. Williams, our Chief Financial Officer, participate, and other of our senior officers which we may appoint in the future may also participate, in business activities not associated with us. As a result, they may devote less time to us than if they were not engaged in other business activities and may owe fiduciary duties to our stockholders as well as stockholders of other companies with which they may be affiliated. This may create conflicts of interest in matters involving or affecting us and our customers and it is not certain that any of these conflicts of interest will be resolved in our favor. This could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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

Our and Maritime’s current operating and financial systems may not be adequate as the size of our fleet expands, and attempts to improve those systems may be ineffective. In addition, as we expand our fleet, Maritime may need to recruit and retain suitable additional seafarers and shore based administrative and management personnel. We cannot guarantee that Maritime will be able to continue to hire suitable employees as we expand our fleet. If we or Maritime encounter business or financial difficulties, we may not be able to adequately staff our vessels. If we are unable to accomplish the above, our financial reporting performance may be adversely affected and, among other things, it may not be compliant with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) rules.

Our insurance may be insufficient to cover losses that may result from our operations.

Although we carry hull and machinery, protection and indemnity and war risk insurance on each of the vessels in our fleet, we face several risks regarding that insurance. The insurance is subject to deductibles, limits and exclusions. Since it is possible that a large number of claims may be brought, the aggregate amount of these deductibles could be material. As a result, there may be other risks against which we are not insured, and certain claims may not be paid. We do not carry insurance covering the loss of revenues resulting from vessel off-hire time based on our analysis of the cost of this coverage compared to our off-hire experience.

Certain of our insurance coverage, such as tort liability (including pollution-related liability), is maintained through mutual protection and indemnity associations, and as a member of such associations we may be required to make additional payments over and above budgeted premiums if member claims exceed association reserves. Claims submitted to the association may include those incurred by members of the association, as well as claims submitted to the association from other protection and indemnity associations with which our association has entered into inter-association agreements. We cannot assure you that the associations to which we belong will remain viable. If such associations do not remain viable or are unable to cover our losses, we may have to pay what our insurance does not cover in full.

We may be unable to procure adequate insurance coverage at commercially reasonable rates in the future. For example, more stringent environmental regulations have led in the past to increased costs for, and in the future may result in the lack of availability of, insurance against risks of environmental damage or pollution. Changes in the insurance markets attributable to terrorist attacks may also make certain types of insurance more difficult for us to obtain. We maintain for each of the vessels in our existing fleet pollution liability coverage insurance in the amount of $1.0 billion per incident. A catastrophic oil spill or marine disaster could exceed such insurance coverage. In addition, our insurance may be voidable by the insurers as a result of certain of our actions, such as our vessels failing to maintain certification with applicable maritime self-regulatory organizations. The circumstances of a spill, including non-compliance with environmental laws, could also result in the denial of coverage, protracted litigation and delayed or diminished insurance recoveries or settlements. The insurance that may be available to us may be significantly more expensive than our existing coverage. Furthermore, even if insurance coverage is adequate, we may not be able to obtain a timely replacement vessel in the event of a loss. Any of these circumstances or events could negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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, environmental claims or proceedings, employment and personal injury matters, 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 or insurers may not remain solvent, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

We and our subsidiaries may be subject to group liability for damages or debts owed by one of our subsidiaries or by us.

Although each of our vessels is and will be separately owned by individual subsidiaries, under certain circumstances, a parent company and its ship-owning subsidiaries can be held liable under corporate veil piercing principles for damages or debts owed by one of the subsidiaries or the parent. Therefore, it is possible that all of our assets and those of our subsidiaries could be subject to execution upon a judgment against us or any of our subsidiaries.

Maritime and ITM are privately held companies and there is little or no publicly available information about them.

The ability of Maritime and ITM to render their respective management services will depend in part on their own financial strength. Circumstances beyond each such company’s control could impair its financial strength. Because each of these companies is privately held, information about each company’s financial strength is not available. As a result, we and an investor in our securities might have little advance warning of financial or other problems affecting either Maritime or ITM even though its financial or other problems could have a material adverse effect on us and our stockholders.

Exchange rate fluctuations could adversely affect our revenues, financial condition and operating results.

We generate a significant part of our revenues in U.S. dollars, but incur costs in other currencies. The difference in currencies could in the future lead to fluctuations in our net income due to changes in the value of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies. We have not hedged our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations, and as a result, our U.S. dollar denominated results of operations and financial condition could suffer as exchange rates fluctuate.

We must protect the safety and condition of the cargoes transported on our vessels and any failure to do so may subject us to claims for loss or damage.

Under our time and spot charters, we are responsible for the safekeeping of cargo entrusted to us and must properly maintain and control equipment and other apparatus to ensure that cargo is not lost or damaged in transit. Claims and any liability for loss or damage to cargo that is not covered by insurance could harm our reputation and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Increase in frequency of immigrant salvage operations in the Mediterranean could adversely affect our business.

In 2019 and 2020, a significant portion of Northsea Alpha’s and Northsea Beta’s trading routes occurred in the Mediterranean Sea. In recent years, the number of immigrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe in unseaworthy vessels has increased significantly. Many of the vessels are in such a poor condition that they either capsize and sink, incur engine problems or are otherwise incapacitated en route to Europe. As a result, commercial ships may, if witnessing an immigrant vessel in distress, deviate from the task and course and conduct a salvage operation. Such salvage operation may prove costly in terms of time and resources spent and can thus prove a substantial cost for the commercial vessel and may pose risks to the safety of the crew, vessel and cargo. If we are not able to mitigate this potential exposure, and dependent on the number of such salvage operations which must be carried out in the future, this could have a material adverse effect on our future performance, results of operations, cash flows and financial position.

We may face labor interruptions, which if not resolved in a timely manner, could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We, indirectly through our technical managers, employ masters, officers and crews to operate our vessels, exposing us to the risk that industrial actions or other labor unrest may occur. We may suffer labor disruptions if relationships deteriorate with the seafarers or the unions that represent them. A majority of the crew members on the vessels in our fleet that are under time or spot charters are employed under collective bargaining agreements. ITM is a party to some of these collective bargaining agreements. These collective bargaining agreements and any employment arrangements with crew members on the vessels in our fleet may not prevent labor interruptions, particularly since they are subject to renegotiation in the future. Any labor interruptions, including due to failure to successfully renegotiate collective bargaining employment agreements with the crew members on the vessels in our fleet, are not resolved in a timely and cost-effective manner, industrial action or other labor unrest could prevent or hinder our operations from being carried out as we expect, could disrupt our operations and could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We do not currently enter into hedging arrangements with respect to the cost of fuel.

We have not entered into hedging arrangements to establish, in advance, a price for the cost of fuel. As a result, although we may realize the benefit of any short-term decrease in the price of fuel, we will not be protected against increases in the price of fuel, which could materially adversely affect our business, results of operation and financial condition.

In addition, to the extent we decide to enter into hedging arrangements in the future, the success of any hedging arrangement generally depends on the degree of correlation between price movements of a derivative instrument and the position being hedged, the creditworthiness of the counterparty, the costs of the hedging transaction and other factors. While such transactions may reduce the risks of losses with respect to adverse movements in market factors, the transaction may also limit the opportunity for gain. In addition, these arrangements may require the posting of cash or other collateral at a time when we have insufficient cash or illiquid assets such that the posting of the cash is either impossible or requires the sale of assets at prices that do not reflect their underlying value. Moreover, these hedging arrangements may generate significant transactions costs, including potential tax costs and legal fees, which reduce the anticipated returns on an investment. There can be no assurance that any future hedging transaction we enter will successfully hedge the risks associated with hedged positions or that it will not result in poorer overall investment performance than if it had not been executed.

A cyber-attack and failure to comply with data privacy laws could materially disrupt our business.

We and our ship managers rely on information technology systems and networks in our and their operations and business administration. The efficient operation of our business, including processing, transmitting and storing electronic and financial information, is dependent on computer hardware and software systems. Information systems are vulnerable to security breaches by computer hackers and cyber terrorists. We rely on industry accepted security measures and technology to securely maintain confidential and proprietary information maintained on our information systems. However, these measures and technology may not adequately prevent security breaches. Therefore, our or any of our ship managers’ operations and business administration could be targeted by individuals or groups seeking to sabotage or disrupt such systems and networks, or to steal data and these systems may be damaged, shutdown or cease to function properly (whether by planned upgrades, force majeure, telecommunications failures, hardware or software break-ins or viruses, other cyber-security incidents or otherwise). A successful cyber-attack could materially disrupt our or our managers’ operations, which could also adversely affect the safety of our operations or result in the unauthorized release or alteration of information in our or our managers’ systems. Such an attack on us, or our managers, could result in significant expenses to investigate and repair security breaches or system damages and could lead to litigation, fines, other remedial action, heightened regulatory scrutiny, diminished customer confidence and damage to our reputation. We do not maintain cyber-liability insurance at this time to cover such losses. As a result, a cyber-attack or other breach of any such information technology systems could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Additionally, our information systems and infrastructure could be physically damaged by events such as fires, terrorist attacks and unauthorized access to our servers and facilities, as well as the unauthorized entrance into our information systems. Furthermore, we communicate with our customers through an ecommerce platform run by third-party service providers over which we have no management control. A potential failure of our computer systems or a failure of our third-party ecommerce platform provider to satisfy its contractual service level commitments to us may have a material-adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation. Our efforts to modernize and digitize our operations and communications with our customers further increase our dependency on information technology systems, which exacerbates the risks we could face if these systems malfunction.

The EU has recently adopted a comprehensive overhaul of its data protection regime from the current national legislative approach to a single European Economic Area Privacy Regulation, the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). The GDPR came into force on May 25, 2018, and applies to organizations located within the EU, as well as to organizations located outside of the EU if they offer goods or services to, or monitor the behavior of, EU data subjects. It imposes a strict data protection compliance regime with significant penalties and includes new rights such as the “portability” of personal data. It applies to all companies processing and holding the personal data of data subjects residing in the EU, regardless of the company’s location. Implementation of the GDPR could require changes to certain of our business practices, thereby increasing our costs. Our failure to adhere to or successfully implement processes in response to changing regulatory requirements in this area could result in legal liability or impairment to our reputation in the marketplace, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to our Indebtedness

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flow to meet our debt service and other obligations.

Our ability to make scheduled payments on our outstanding indebtedness and other obligations will depend on our ability to generate cash from operations in the future. Our future financial and operating performance will be affected by a range of economic, financial, competitive, regulatory, business and other factors that we cannot control, such as general economic and financial conditions in the tanker sector or the economy generally. In particular, our ability to generate steady cash flow will depend on our ability to secure charters at acceptable rates. Our ability to renew our existing charters or obtain new charters at acceptable rates or at all will depend on the prevailing economic and competitive conditions.

Amounts borrowed under our loan agreements bear interest at both fixed rates and variable rates. Increases in prevailing interest rates could increase the amounts that we would have to pay to our lenders, even though the outstanding principal amount remains the same, and our net income and cash flows would decrease.

In addition, our existing loan agreements require us to maintain various cash balances, while our financial and operating performance is also dependent on our subsidiaries’ ability to make distributions to us, whether in the form of dividends, loans or otherwise. The timing and amount of such distributions will depend on restrictions on our various debt instruments, our earnings, financial condition, cash requirements and availability, fleet renewal and expansion, the provisions of Marshall Islands and Maltese laws affecting the payment of dividends and other factors. Under Maltese law, dividends may only be distributed out of profits available for distribution and/or out of any distributable accumulated reserves.

At any time that our operating cash flows are insufficient to service our debt and other liquidity needs, we may be forced to take actions such as increasing our accounts payable and/or our amounts due to related parties, reducing or delaying capital expenditures, selling assets, restructuring or refinancing our indebtedness, seeking additional capital, seeking bankruptcy protection or any combination of the foregoing. For example, on December 16, 2019, we announced the sale of Pyxis Delta, our 2006-built standard MR tanker. We chose the sell our oldest vessel for a number of strategic, operating and financial reasons. Upon closing in January 2020, the net proceeds after commissions of $13.2 million were used to repay $5.7 million of bank debt, reduce accounts payable and amounts due to related parties, and improve working capital. We cannot assure you that any of the actions listed above could be affected on satisfactory terms, if at all, or that they would yield sufficient funds to make required payments on our outstanding indebtedness and to fund our other liquidity needs. As of December 31, 2020, our total funded debt outstanding, net of deferred financing costs and Amended and Restated Promissory Note aggregated $58.6 million. Also, the terms of existing or future debt agreements may restrict us from pursuing any of these actions as, among other things, if we are unable to meet our debt obligations or if some other default occurs under our loan agreements, the lenders could elect to declare that debt, together with accrued interest and fees, to be immediately due and payable and foreclose against the collateral vessels securing that debt. Any such action could also result in an impairment of cash flows and our ability to service debt in the future. Further, our debt level could make us more vulnerable than our competitors with less debt to competitive pressures or a downturn in our business or the economy generally.

The market values of tanker vessels are highly volatile, have decreased in the past and may decrease further in the future which may cause the Company to recognize losses if we sell our tankers or record impairments and affect the Company’s ability to comply with its loan covenants and refinance its debt. The fair market values of product tankers have generally experienced high volatility. The fair market values for tankers declined significantly from historically high levels reached in 2008, and currently approximate average levels of the past 10 years. You should expect the market value of our vessels to fluctuate. Values for ships can fluctuate substantially over time due to a number of factors, including, among others:

As vessels grow older, they naturally depreciate in value. If the market value of our fleet declines further, we may not be able to refinance our debt or obtain additional financing and our subsidiaries may not be able to make distributions to the Company. An additional decrease in these values could cause us to breach certain covenants that are contained in our loan agreements and in future financing agreements. The prepayment of certain debt facilities may be necessary to cause the Company to maintain compliance with certain covenants in the event that the value of the vessels falls below certain levels.

If we breach covenants in our loan agreements or future financing agreements and are unable to cure the breach, our lenders could accelerate our debt repayment and foreclose on vessels in our fleet securing those debt instruments or seek other similar remedies. In addition, if a charter contract expires or is terminated by the charterer, the Company may be unable to re-charter the affected vessel at an attractive rate and, rather than continue to incur maintenance and financing costs for that vessel, the Company may seek to dispose of the affected vessel. If the Company sells one or more of its vessels at a time when vessel prices have fallen, the sale price may be less than the vessel’s carrying value on the Company’s consolidated financial statements, resulting in a loss on sale or an impairment loss being recognized, ultimately leading to a reduction of net income. Furthermore, if vessel values fall significantly, this could indicate a decrease in the recoverable amount for the vessel and may have a material adverse impact on its business, results of operations and financial condition.

Restrictive covenants in our current and future loan agreements may impose financial and other restrictions on us.

The restrictions and covenants in our current and future loan agreements could adversely affect our ability to finance future operations or capital needs or to pursue and expand our business activities. Our current loan agreements contain, and future financing agreements will likely contain, restrictive covenants that prohibit us or our subsidiaries from, among other things:

In addition, the loan agreements generally contain covenants requiring us, among other things, to ensure that:

As a result of the above, we may need to seek permission from our lenders in order to engage in some corporate actions. The lenders’ interests may be different from ours and we may not be able to obtain our lenders’ permission when needed. This may limit our ability to pay dividends, finance our future operations or capital requirements, make acquisitions or pursue business opportunities.

Our ability to comply with covenants and restrictions contained in our current and future loan agreements may also be affected by events beyond our control, including prevailing economic, financial and industry conditions, a change of control of the Company or a reduction in Mr. Valentis’ shareholding. If our cash flow is insufficient to service our current and future indebtedness and to meet our other obligations and commitments, we will be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as reducing or delaying our business activities, acquisitions, investments, capital expenditures, the payment of dividends or the implementation of our other strategies, refinancing or restructuring our debt obligations, selling vessels or other assets, seeking to raise additional debt or equity capital or seeking bankruptcy protection. However, we may not be able to affect any of these remedies or alternatives on a timely basis, on satisfactory terms or at all, which could lead to events of default under these loan agreements, giving the lenders foreclosure rights on our vessels.

Our ability to obtain additional debt financing may be dependent on the performance of our then existing charters and the creditworthiness of our charterers.

The actual or perceived credit quality of our charterers, and any defaults by them, may materially affect our ability to obtain the additional capital resources that we will require to purchase additional vessels or may significantly increase our costs of obtaining such capital. Our inability to obtain additional financing at all, or our ability to do so only at a higher than anticipated cost, may materially affect our results of operations and our ability to implement our business strategy.

Volatility of LIBOR and potential changes in the benchmark could affect our profitability, earnings and cash flow.

London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) is the subject of recent national, international and other regulatory guidance and proposals for reform. These reforms and other pressures may cause LIBOR to be eliminated or to perform differently than in the past. The consequences of these developments cannot be entirely predicted but could include an increase in the cost of our variable rate indebtedness and obligations. LIBOR has been volatile in the past, with the spread between LIBOR and the U.S. prime lending rate widening significantly at times. Because the interest rates borne by a majority of our outstanding indebtedness fluctuates with changes in LIBOR, significant changes in LIBOR would have a material effect on the amount of interest payable on our debt, which in turn, could have an adverse effect on our financial condition. In order to hedge our variable interest rate exposure, on January 19, 2018, Seventhone entered into an interest rate cap agreement with its lender for a notional amount of $10.0 million and a cap rate of 3.5%. The interest rate cap will terminate on July 18, 2022.

Furthermore, the calculation of interest in most financing agreements in our industry has been based on published LIBOR rates. Due in part to uncertainty relating to the LIBOR calculation process in recent years, it is likely that LIBOR will be phased out in the future. As a result, 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 financing agreements, our lending costs could increase significantly, which would have an adverse effect on our profitability, earnings and cash flow. In addition, on November 30, 2020, ICE Benchmark Administration, the administrator of LIBOR, with the support of the United States Federal Reserve and the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, announced plans to consult on ceasing publication of U.S. Dollar LIBOR on December 31, 2021 for only the one-week and two-month U.S. Dollar LIBOR tenors, and on June 30, 2023 for all other U.S. Dollar LIBOR tenors. The United States Federal Reserve concurrently issued a statement advising banks to stop new U.S. Dollar LIBOR issuances by the end of 2021. Such announcements indicate that the continuation of LIBOR on the current basis will not be guaranteed after 2021, and the banks currently reporting information used to set LIBOR will likely stop such reporting after 2021, when their commitment to reporting information ends. The Alternative Reference Rate Committee, a committee convened by the Federal Reserve that includes major market participants, has proposed an alternative rate to replace U.S. Dollar LIBOR: the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, or “SOFR.” The impact of such a transition from LIBOR to SOFR could be significant for us.

Risks Related to our Common Stock

We are no longer an “emerging growth company” and, as a result, are required to comply with increased disclosure and governance requirements.

On December 31, 2020, we ceased to be an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. Since we are not an “accelerated filer” or a “large accelerated filer” (as such terms are defined under the U.S. securities laws) we are not required comply with the provisions of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (“SOX”), which would otherwise require our independent registered public accounting firm to provide us with an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting (“IFCR”). Compliance with Section 404 is expensive for our shareholders and time consuming for management and could result in the detection of internal control deficiencies of which we are currently unaware. However, we are required to comply with other SOX mandates, including CEO and CFO certifications, the requirement to establish and maintain ICFR and have management assess its effectiveness, and a financial statement audit by an independent auditor, who is required to obtain an understanding of ICFR in the performance of the financial statement audit but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of our ICFR. If we become subject to additional SOX provisions, including Section 404(b), in the future, compliance with these provisions will likely incrementally increase our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time consuming and costly.

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

The market price of our common stock has fluctuated widely since our initial public offering in October 2015, reaching a high of $12.22 per share in December 2017 and a low of $0.62 per share in March 2020. Most recently during the period between January 4, 2021 and April 6, 2021 our shares reached a high of $2.96 and low of $0.83 with pricing continuing to be volatile as a result of many factors, including the issuance of additional shares of common stock in the 2021 Private Placement Transaction, our actual results of operations and perceived prospects, the prospects of our competitors and of the shipping industry in general and in particular the product tanker 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 product tanker sector, changes in general economic or market conditions and broader market fluctuations.

As such, our stock prices may experience rapid and substantial decreases or increases in the foreseeable future that are unrelated to our operating performance or prospects. In addition, the ongoing outbreak of the novel COVID-19 virus has caused broad stock market and industry fluctuations. The stock market in general and the market for shipping companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. As a result of this volatility, investors may experience substantial losses on their investment in our common shares. In addition to the above, the market price for our common shares may be influenced by many other factors, including the following: