DHT Holdings Inc

The following is a description of the material terms of our amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws that are currently in effect. Because the following is only a summary, it does not contain all information that you may find useful. For more complete information you should read our amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, each listed as an exhibit to this report.

PURPOSE

Our purpose, as stated in Article II of our amended and restated articles of incorporation, is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may now or hereafter be organized under the BCA. Our amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws do not impose any limitations on the ownership rights of our stockholders.

We are registered in the Marshall Islands at the Registrar of Corporations for non-resident corporations, under registration number 39572.

AUTHORIZED CAPITALIZATION

Under our amended and restated articles of incorporation, our authorized capital stock consists of 250,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. As of December 31, 2023, we had 160,999,542 shares of common stock outstanding. As of March 15, 2024, we had 161,329,352 shares of common stock outstanding and no shares of any class of preferred stock. As of December 31, 2023, neither we nor our subsidiaries hold any shares of common stock or any shares of any series of preferred stock.

In March 2021, our board of directors approved a repurchase through March 2022 of up to $50 million of DHT securities through open market purchases, negotiated transactions or other means in accordance with applicable securities laws. In 2021, we repurchased and retired 5,513,254 shares of common stock in the open market at an average price of $5.82 per share. In March 2022, our board of directors approved a repurchase through March 2023 of up to $50 million of DHT securities through open market purchases, negotiated transactions or other means in accordance with applicable securities laws. In 2022, we repurchased and retired 4,326,379 shares of common stock in the open market at an average price of $5.71 per share. In March 2023, our board of directors approved a repurchase through March 2024 of up to $100 million of DHT securities through open market purchases, negotiated transactions or other means in accordance with applicable securities laws. In 2023, the Company repurchased and retired 2,209,927 shares of common stock in the open market at an average price of $8.49 per share. In March 2024, our board of directors approved a repurchase through March 2025 of up to $100 million of DHT securities through open market purchases, negotiated transactions or other means in accordance with applicable securities laws. The repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. Any shares of DHT common stock acquired by DHT will be available for reissuance.

Description of Common Stock

The rights of our stockholders are set forth in our amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, as well as the BCA. Amendments to our amended and restated articles of incorporation generally require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of all outstanding shares entitled to vote. Amendments to our amended and restated bylaws require the affirmative vote of a majority of our entire board of directors.

Each outstanding share of common stock entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders. Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any outstanding shares of preferred stock, holders of shares of common stock are entitled to receive ratably all dividends, if any, declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available for dividends. Upon our dissolution or liquidation or the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, after payment in full of all amounts required to be paid to creditors and to the holders of preferred stock having liquidation preferences, if any, the holders of our common stock will be entitled to receive pro rata our remaining assets available for distribution. Holders of common stock do not have conversion, redemption or preemptive rights to subscribe to any of our securities. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of common stock are subject to the rights of the holders of any shares of preferred stock which we have issued or may issue in the future. Our common stock is not subject to any sinking fund provisions and no holder of any shares will be required to make additional contributions of capital with respect to our shares in the future. There are no provisions in our amended and restated articles of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws discriminating against a stockholder because of his or her ownership of a particular number of shares.

We are not aware of any limitations on the rights to own our common stock, including rights of non-resident or foreign stockholders to hold or exercise voting rights on our common stock, imposed by foreign law or by our amended and restated articles of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws.

Description of Preferred Stock

Our amended and restated articles of incorporation authorize our board of directors to establish one or more series of preferred stock and to determine, with respect to any series of preferred stock, the terms and rights of that series, including:

DIRECTORS

Our directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast by stockholders entitled to vote. There is no provision for cumulative voting.

Section 5.01 of our amended and restated articles of incorporation provides that our board of directors must consist of not less than three nor more than twelve members, the exact number of directors comprising the entire board of directors as determined from time to time by resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the board of directors. Stockholders may change the number of directors only by the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding common stock.

Our amended and restated bylaws provide that no contract or transaction between us and a director, or one in which a director has a financial interest, is void or voidable solely for this reason, or solely because the director is present at or participates in a board of directors meeting or committee thereof which authorizes the contract or transaction, or solely because his or her vote is counted for such purpose, if: (i) the material facts as to his or her relationship or interest and as to the contract or transaction are disclosed or are known to the board of directors or the committee and the board of directors or committee in good faith authorizes the contract or transaction by the affirmative vote of a majority of the disinterested directors, or, if the votes of the disinterested directors are insufficient to constitute an act of the board of directors as defined in Section 55 of the BCA, by unanimous vote of the disinterested directors; (ii) the material facts as to his or her relationship or interest and as to the contract or transaction are disclosed or are known to the stockholders entitled to vote thereon, and the contract or transaction is specifically approved in good faith by vote of the stockholders; or (iii) the contract or transaction is fair as to us as of the time it is authorized, approved or ratified by the board of directors, a committee thereof or the stockholders. Common or interested directors may be counted in determining the presence of a quorum at a meeting of the board of directors or of a committee which authorizes the contract or transaction.

Our board of directors may, in its discretion, fix the amounts which shall be payable to members of the DHT board of directors and to members of any committee, for attendance at the meetings of the board of directors or of such committee and for services rendered to the Company.

STOCKHOLDER MEETINGS

Under our amended and restated bylaws, annual stockholder meetings will be held at a time and place selected by our board of directors. The meetings may be held in or outside of the Marshall Islands. Special meetings may be called by stockholders holding not less than one-fifth of all the outstanding shares entitled to vote at such meeting. Our board of directors may set a record date between 15 and 60 days before the date of any meeting to determine the stockholders that will be eligible to receive notice and vote at the meeting.

DISSENTERS’ RIGHTS OF APPRAISAL AND PAYMENT

Under the BCA, our stockholders have the right to dissent from various corporate actions, including any merger or consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets not made in the usual course of our business, and receive payment of the fair value of their shares. In the event of any further amendment of our articles of incorporation, a stockholder also has the right to dissent and receive payment for his or her shares if the amendment alters certain rights in respect of those shares. The dissenting stockholder must follow the procedures set forth in the BCA to receive payment. In the event that we and any dissenting stockholder fail to agree on a price for the shares, the BCA procedures involve, among other things, the institution of proceedings in the High Court of the Marshall Islands or in any appropriate court in any jurisdiction in which our shares are primarily traded on a local or national securities exchange.

STOCKHOLDERS’ DERIVATIVE ACTIONS

Under the BCA, any of our stockholders may bring an action in our name to procure a judgment in our favor, also known as a derivative action; provided that the stockholder bringing the action is a holder of common stock both at the time the derivative action is commenced and at the time of the transaction to which the action relates.

LIMITATIONS ON LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

The BCA authorizes corporations to limit or eliminate the personal liability of directors and officers to corporations and their stockholders for monetary damages for breaches of directors’ fiduciary duties. Our amended and restated bylaws include a provision that eliminates the personal liability of directors for monetary damages for actions taken as a director to the fullest extent permitted by law. In February 2013, we amended our bylaws to clarify the scope of indemnification rights provided to directors and officers.

Our amended and restated bylaws provide that we must indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent authorized by law. We are also expressly authorized to advance certain expenses (including attorneys’ fees and disbursements and court costs) to our directors and officers and carry directors’ and officers’ insurance providing indemnification for our directors, officers and certain employees for some liabilities. We believe that these indemnification provisions and insurance are useful to attract and retain qualified directors and executive officers.

The limitation of liability and indemnification provisions in our amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions may also have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. In addition, your investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

There is currently no pending material litigation or proceeding involving any of our directors, officers or employees for which indemnification is sought.

ANTI-TAKEOVER EFFECT OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF OUR ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION AND BYLAWS

Several provisions of our amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, which are summarized below, may have anti-takeover effects. These provisions are intended to avoid costly takeover battles, lessen our vulnerability to a hostile change of control and enhance the ability of our board of directors to maximize stockholder value in connection with any unsolicited offer to acquire us. However, these anti-takeover provisions, which are summarized below, could also discourage, delay or prevent (1) the merger or acquisition of our Company by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or otherwise that a stockholder may consider in its best interest or (2) the removal of incumbent officers and directors.

Issuance of Capital Stock

Under the terms of our amended and restated articles of incorporation and the laws of the Marshall Islands, our board of directors has authority, without any further vote or action by our stockholders, to issue any remaining authorized shares of blank check preferred stock and any remaining authorized shares of our common stock. Our board of directors may issue shares of preferred stock on terms calculated to discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our Company or the removal of our management.

Classified Board of Directors

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

Election and Removal of Directors

Our amended and restated articles of incorporation prohibit cumulative voting in the election of directors. Our amended and restated bylaws require parties other than the board of directors to give advance written notice of nominations for the election of directors. Our amended and restated articles of incorporation also provide that our directors may be removed only for cause and only upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote for those directors. These provisions may discourage, delay or prevent the removal of incumbent officers and directors. Our amended and restated bylaws provide that stockholders are required to give us advance notice of any person they wish to propose for election as a director if that person is not proposed by our board of directors. These advance notice provisions provide that the stockholder must have given written notice of such proposal not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual general meeting. In the event the annual general meeting is called for a date that is not within 30 days before or after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder must be given not later than 10 days following the earlier of the date on which notice of the annual general meeting was mailed to stockholders or the date on which public disclosure of the date of the annual general meeting was made.

In the case of a special general meeting called for the purpose of electing directors, notice by the stockholder must be given not later than 10 days following the earlier of the date on which notice of the special general meeting was mailed to stockholders or the date on which public disclosure of the date of the special general meeting was made. Any nomination not properly made will be disregarded.

A director may be removed only for cause by the stockholders, provided notice is given to the director of the stockholders meeting convened to remove the director and provided such removal is approved by the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote for those directors. The notice must contain a statement of the intention to remove the director and must be served on the director not less than fourteen days before the meeting. The director is entitled to attend the meeting and be heard on the motion for his removal.

Limited Actions by Stockholders

Our amended and restated articles of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws provide that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at an annual or special meeting of stockholders or by the unanimous written consent of our stockholders. Our amended and restated articles of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws provide that, subject to certain exceptions, our chairman or chief executive officer, at the direction of the board of directors or holders of not less than one-fifth of all outstanding shares, may call special meetings of our stockholders and the business transacted at the special meeting is limited to the purposes stated in the notice. Accordingly, a stockholder may be prevented from calling a special meeting for stockholder consideration of a proposal over the opposition of our board of directors and stockholder consideration of a proposal may be delayed until the next annual meeting.

TRANSFER AGENT

The registrar and transfer agent for our common stock is Equiniti Trust Company, LLC.

LISTING

Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “DHT.”

COMPARISON OF REPUBLIC OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS CORPORATE LAW TO DELAWARE CORPORATE LAW

Our corporate affairs are governed by our amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and by the BCA. The provisions of the BCA resemble provisions of the corporation laws of a number of states in the U.S. For example, the BCA allows the adoption of various anti-takeover measures such as stockholder “rights” plans. While the BCA also provides that it is to be interpreted according to the laws of the State of Delaware and other states with substantially similar legislative provisions, there have been few court cases interpreting the BCA in the Marshall Islands and we cannot predict whether Marshall Islands courts would reach the same conclusions as U.S. courts. Thus, you may have more difficulty in protecting your interests in the face of actions by the management, directors or controlling stockholders than would stockholders of a corporation incorporated in a U.S. jurisdiction which has developed a substantial body of case law. The following table provides a comparison between the statutory provisions of the BCA and the Delaware General Corporation Law relating to stockholders’ rights.

Other than the Executive Officer Employment Agreements, our charters, our guarantees for certain of our subsidiaries, the Danish Ship Finance Credit Facility, the Credit Agricole Credit Facility, the Nordea Credit Facility, the ING Credit Facility and the VAA and IRA with BW Group, each of which is described above, we have not entered into any material contracts other than contracts entered into in the ordinary course of business.

None.

The following is a discussion of the material Marshall Islands and U.S. federal income tax considerations relevant to an investment decision with respect to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our common stock and preferred stock. This discussion does not purport to deal with the tax consequences to all categories of investors, some of which (such as financial institutions, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, tax-exempt organizations, insurance companies, persons holding our common stock or preferred stock as part of a hedging, integrated, conversion or constructive sale transaction or a straddle, traders in securities that have elected the mark-to-market method of accounting for their securities, certain U.S. expatriates, persons required to accelerate the recognition of any item of gross income with respect to debt securities as a result of such income being recognized on an applicable financial statement, persons liable for alternative minimum tax, persons who are investors in pass-through entities, persons required to recognize any item of gross income as a result of such income being recognized on an applicable financial statement, dealers in securities or currencies and investors whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar) may be subject to special rules.

REPUBLIC OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS TAX CONSIDERATIONS

The following are the material Marshall Islands tax consequences of our activities to us and holders of our common stock or preferred stock. We are incorporated in the Marshall Islands. Under current Marshall Islands law, we are not subject to tax on income or capital gains, and no Marshall Islands withholding tax will be imposed upon payments of dividends by us to holders of our common stock or preferred stock.

U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU CONSULT WITH YOUR OWN TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE OVERALL TAX CONSEQUENCES ARISING IN YOUR OWN PARTICULAR SITUATION UNDER U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL OR FOREIGN LAW OF THE OWNERSHIP OR DISPOSITION OF OUR COMMON STOCK.

This discussion is based on the Code, the Treasury regulations issued thereunder, published administrative interpretations of the IRS and judicial decisions as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to change at any time, possibly on a retroactive basis.

Taxation of Our Operating Income

Our subsidiaries have elected to be treated as disregarded entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, for purposes of the discussion below, our subsidiaries are treated as branches rather than as separate corporations.

U.S. Taxation of Our Shipping Income

For purposes of the following discussion, “shipping income” means any income that is derived from the use of vessels, from the hiring or leasing of vessels for use on a time, voyage or bareboat charter basis, from the participation in a pool, partnership, strategic alliance, joint operating agreement, code sharing arrangement or other joint venture we directly or indirectly own or participate in that generates such income, or from the performance of services directly related to those uses.

“U.S. source gross transportation income” includes 50% of shipping income that is attributable to transportation that begins or ends, but that does not both begin and end, in the U.S. Except as discussed below, our U.S. source gross transportation income would be subject to a 4% U.S. federal income tax imposed without allowance for deductions. Shipping income attributable to transportation exclusively between non-U.S. ports generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax.

Under Section 883 of the Code and the regulations thereunder, we will be exempt from the 4% U.S. federal income tax if:

The Marshall Islands, the jurisdiction where we are incorporated, grants an “equivalent exemption” to U.S. corporations. Therefore, we will be eligible for the exemption under Section 883 of the Code if either the 50% Ownership Test or the Publicly Traded Test is met. Because our common stock is traded on the NYSE and our stock is widely held, it would be difficult or impossible for us to establish that we satisfy the 50% Ownership Test.

As to the Publicly Traded Test, the regulations under Section 883 of the Code provide, in pertinent part, that stock of a foreign corporation will be considered to be “primarily traded” on an established securities market in a country if the number of shares of each class of stock that is traded during any taxable year on all established securities markets in that country exceeds the number of shares in each such class that is traded during that year on established securities markets in any other single country. We believe that our common stock is, and will continue to be, “primarily traded” on the NYSE, which is an established securities market for these purposes.

The Publicly Traded Test also requires our common stock to be “regularly traded” on an established securities market. Because our common stock is listed on the NYSE, and because our preferred stock, if any, is not listed for trading on any exchange, our common stock is the only class of our outstanding stock traded on an established securities market. Our common stock will be treated as “regularly traded” on the NYSE for purposes of the Publicly Traded Test if:

We believe we satisfy the trading threshold test. We also believe we satisfy, and will continue to satisfy, the trading frequency and trading volume tests. However, even if we do not satisfy these tests in the future, both tests are deemed satisfied if our common stock is traded on an established securities market in the U.S. and is regularly quoted by dealers making a market in such stock. Because our common stock is listed on the NYSE, we believe this is and will continue to be the case.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, our common stock will not be considered to be “regularly traded” on an established securities market for any taxable year in which 50% or more of the vote and value of such stock is owned, actually or constructively under certain stock attribution rules, on more than half the days during the taxable year by persons who each own 5% or more of the vote and value of such stock, referred to as the “5 Percent Override Rule.” In order to determine the persons who actually or constructively own 5% or more of the vote and value of our common stock (“5% Stockholders”), we are permitted to rely on those persons that are identified on Schedule 13G and Schedule 13D filings with the SEC as having a 5% or more beneficial interest in our common stock. In addition, an investment company identified on a Schedule 13G or Schedule 13D filing which is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, will not be treated as a 5% Stockholder for such purposes.

We believe that the 5 Percent Override Rule has not been triggered with respect to our common stock. However, the 5 Percent Override Rule might be triggered in the future as a result of factual circumstances beyond our control, for example, if one or more stockholders became a 5% Stockholder. In this case, the 5 Percent Override Rule will nevertheless not apply if we can establish that among the closely held group of 5% Stockholders, there are sufficient 5% Stockholders that are considered to be “qualified stockholders” for purposes of Section 883 of the Code to preclude non-qualified 5% Stockholders in the closely held group from owning 50% or more of the value of our common stock for more than half the number of days during the taxable year. In any year that the 5 Percent Override Rule is triggered with respect to our common stock, we will be eligible for the exemption from tax under Section 883 of the Code only if (i) we can nevertheless satisfy the Publicly Traded Test, which would require us to show that the exception to the 5 Percent Override Rule applies, as described above, or if (ii) we can satisfy the 50% Ownership Test. In either case, we would have to satisfy certain substantiation requirements regarding the identity and certain other aspects of our stockholders which generally would require that we receive certain statements from certain of our direct and indirect stockholders. These requirements are onerous and there is no assurance that we would be able to satisfy them.

Based on the foregoing, we believe we satisfy, and will continue to satisfy, the Publicly Traded Test, and therefore we qualify for the exemption under Section 883 of the Code. However, if at any time in the future, including in 2024, we fail to qualify for these benefits, our U.S. source gross transportation income, to the extent not considered to be “effectively connected” with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business, as described below, would be subject to a 4% tax imposed by Section 887 of the Code on a gross basis, without the benefit of deductions. Since 50% of our gross shipping income for transportation that begins or ends in the U.S. would be treated as U.S. source gross transportation income, the effective rate of U.S. federal income tax on such gross shipping income would be 2%.

If the benefits of Section 883 of the Code become unavailable to us in the future, any of our U.S. source gross transportation income that is considered to be “effectively connected” with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business, as described below, net of applicable deductions, would be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax at a current rate of 21%. In addition, we may be subject to the 30% “branch profits tax” on such earnings, as determined after allowance for certain adjustments, and on certain interest paid or deemed paid attributable to the conduct of our U.S. trade or business.

We believe that none of our U.S. source gross transportation income will be “effectively connected” with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business. Such income would be “effectively connected” only if:

We believe that we will not meet these conditions because we do not have, and we do not intend to have or permit circumstances that would result in our having, such a fixed place of business in the U.S. or any vessel sailing to or from the U.S. on a regularly scheduled basis.

Income attributable to transportation that both begins and ends in the U.S. is not subject to the tax rules described above. Such income is subject to either a 30% gross-basis tax or to a U.S. federal corporate income tax on net income at a rate of 21% (and the branch profits tax described above). Although there can be no assurance, we do not expect to engage in transportation that produces shipping income of this type.

U.S. Taxation of Gain on Sale of Vessels

Regardless of whether we qualify for exemption under Section 883 of the Code, we will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation with respect to gain realized on a sale of a vessel; provided that the sale is considered to occur outside of the U.S. under U.S. federal income tax principles. In general, a sale of a vessel will be considered to occur outside of the U.S. for this purpose if title to the vessel, and risk of loss with respect to the vessel, pass to the buyer outside of the U.S. We expect that any sale of a vessel will be so structured that it will be considered to occur outside of the U.S.

U.S. Federal Income Taxation of “U.S. Holders”

The following section applies to you only if you are a “U.S. Holder.” For this purpose, a “U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of shares of our common stock (other than an entity or arrangement that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

If an entity or arrangement that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our common stock, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner, the tax treatment of the partnership and certain determinations made at the partner level. A partner in a partnership holding our common stock is urged to consult its own tax advisor.

Distributions on Our Common Stock

Subject to the discussion of PFICs below, any distributions made by us with respect to our common stock to a U.S. Holder will generally constitute dividends, which may be taxable as ordinary income or “qualified dividend income” as described below, to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles (“E&P”). Distributions in excess of such E&P will be treated first as a nontaxable return of capital to the extent of the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in its common stock (determined separately for each share) on a dollar-for-dollar basis and thereafter as capital gain. U.S. Holders that are corporations will generally not be entitled to claim a dividends received deduction with respect to any distributions they receive from us. Dividends paid with respect to our common stock will generally be treated as “passive income” for purposes of computing allowable foreign tax credits for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes.

Dividends paid on our common stock to a U.S. Holder who is an individual, trust or estate (a “U.S. Non-Corporate Holder”) will generally be treated as “qualified dividend income” that is taxable to such U.S. Non-Corporate Holder at a current maximum preferential tax rate of 20%; provided that (i) our common stock is readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S. (such as the NYSE), which we expect to be the case; (ii) we are not a PFIC for the taxable year during which the dividend is paid or the immediately preceding taxable year (see the discussion below); (iii) the U.S. Non-Corporate Holder has owned the common stock for more than 60 days in the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the date on which such common stock becomes ex-dividend (and has not entered into certain risk limiting transactions with respect to such common stock); and (iv) the U.S. Non-Corporate Holder is not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property. Any dividends we pay out of E&P which are not eligible for the preferential tax rates will be taxed at ordinary income rates in the hands of a U.S. Non-Corporate Holder. Special rules may apply to any “extraordinary dividend” generally, a dividend in an amount which is equal to or in excess of 10% of a stockholder’s adjusted basis (or fair market value in certain circumstances) in a share of our common stock paid by us. If we pay an “extraordinary dividend” on our common stock that is treated as “qualified dividend income,” then any loss derived by a U.S. Non-Corporate Holder from the subsequent sale or exchange of such stock will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of the amount of such dividend. There is no assurance that any dividends paid on our common stock will be eligible for these preferential tax rates in the hands of a U.S. Non-Corporate Holder, although we believe that they will be so eligible, provided that we are not a PFIC, as discussed below.

Sale, Exchange or Other Disposition of Our Common Stock

Provided that we are not a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss upon a sale, exchange or other disposition of our common stock in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized by the U.S. Holder from such sale, exchange or other disposition and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in such stock. Such gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period is greater than one year at the time of the sale, exchange or other disposition. Such capital gain or loss will generally be treated as U.S. source income or loss, as applicable, for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes. Long-term capital gains of U.S. Non-Corporate Holders are generally eligible for a current maximum 20% preferential tax rate. A U.S. Holder’s ability to deduct capital losses against income is subject to certain limitations.

PFIC Status and Significant Tax Consequences

Special U.S. federal income tax rules apply to a U.S. Holder that holds stock in a non-U.S. corporation classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In particular, U.S. Non-Corporate Holders would not be eligible for the current maximum 20% preferential tax rate on qualified dividends. In general, we will be treated as a PFIC with respect to a U.S. Holder if, for any taxable year in which the U.S. Holder held our common stock, either:

Income earned, or treated as earned (for U.S. federal income tax purposes), by us in connection with the performance of services would not constitute passive income. By contrast, rental income would generally constitute “passive income” unless we were treated under specific rules as deriving our rental income in the active conduct of a trade or business.

We believe that it is more likely than not that the gross income we derive, or are deemed to derive, from our time chartering activities is properly treated as services income rather than rental income. Assuming this is correct, our income from time chartering activities would not constitute “passive income,” and the assets we own and operate in connection with the production of that income would not constitute passive assets. Consequently, based upon our actual and projected income, assets and activities, we believe it is more likely than not that we are not currently a PFIC and will not become a PFIC in the foreseeable future.

There is substantial legal authority supporting the position that we are not a PFIC, consisting of case law and IRS pronouncements concerning the characterization of income derived from time chartering activities as services income for other tax purposes. Nonetheless, it should be noted that there is legal uncertainty in this regard because the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has held that, for purposes of a different set of rules under the Code, income derived from certain time chartering activities should be treated as rental income rather than services income. However, the IRS stated that it disagrees with the holding of this Fifth Circuit case, and that income from time chartering activities should be treated as services income. We have not sought, and we do not expect to seek, an IRS ruling on this matter. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the IRS or a court will accept this position, and there is a risk that the IRS or a court could determine that we are a PFIC. No assurance can be given that this result will not occur. In addition, although we intend to conduct our affairs in a manner to avoid, to the extent possible, being classified as a PFIC with respect to any taxable year, we cannot assure you that the nature of our operations will not change in the future, or that we can avoid PFIC status in the future.

If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder owns our common stock, such U.S. Holder will, for any taxable year during which we are treated as a PFIC, generally be required to file IRS Form 8621 with his or her U.S. federal income tax return to report his or her ownership of our common stock if the total value of all PFIC stock that such U.S. Holder directly or indirectly owns exceeds certain thresholds. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors concerning the filing of IRS Form 8621.

In addition, as discussed more fully below, if we were treated as a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder would be subject to different taxation rules depending on whether the U.S. Holder made an election to treat us as a “Qualified Electing Fund,” which election is referred to as a “QEF election.” As an alternative to making a QEF election, a U.S. Holder should be able to make a “mark-to-market” election with respect to our common stock as discussed below. The PFIC rules are complex, and you are encouraged to consult your own tax advisor regarding the PFIC rules, including the annual PFIC reporting requirement.

Taxation of U.S. Holders of a PFIC Making a Timely QEF Election

If we were a PFIC for any taxable year and a U.S. Holder made a timely QEF election, such U.S. Holder being referred to as an “Electing Holder,” the Electing Holder would be required to report each year for U.S. federal income tax purposes the Electing Holder’s pro rata share of our ordinary earnings (as ordinary income) and our net capital gain (which gain shall not exceed our E&P for the taxable year and would be reported as long-term capital gain), if any, for our taxable year that ends with or within the taxable year of the Electing Holder, regardless of whether or not distributions were received from us by the Electing Holder. Any such income inclusions would not be eligible for the current maximum 20% preferential tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income as discussed above. The Electing Holder’s adjusted tax basis in our common stock would be increased to reflect taxed but undistributed E&P. Distributions of E&P that had been previously taxed would, pursuant to this election, result in a corresponding reduction in the adjusted tax basis in such common stock and would not be taxed again once distributed. An Electing Holder would not, however, be entitled to a deduction for its pro rata share of any losses that we incurred with respect to any year. An Electing Holder would generally recognize capital gain or loss on the sale, exchange or other disposition of such common stock. A U.S. Holder would make a QEF election with respect to any year that we are a PFIC by filing IRS Form 8621 with its U.S. federal income tax return. If we were to become aware that we were treated as a PFIC for any taxable year, we would notify all U.S. Holders of such treatment and provide each U.S. Holder with all necessary information in order to make the QEF election described above. Even if a U.S. Holder makes a QEF election for one of our taxable years, if we were a PFIC for a prior taxable year during which the holder was a stockholder and for which the holder did not make a timely QEF election, the holder would also be subject to the different and more adverse tax consequences described below under “—Taxation of U.S. Holders of a PFIC Not Making a Timely QEF or ‘Mark-to-Market’ Election.”

A QEF election generally will not have any effect with respect to any taxable year for which we are not a PFIC, but will remain in effect with respect to any subsequent taxable year for which we are a PFIC.

Taxation of U.S. Holders of a PFIC Making a “Mark-to-Market” Election

Alternatively, if we were treated as a PFIC for any taxable year and our common stock is treated as “marketable stock,” a U.S. Holder would be allowed to make a “mark-to-market” election with respect to such stock; provided that the U.S. Holder completes and files IRS Form 8621 with its U.S. federal income tax return. We believe our common stock will be treated as “marketable stock” for this purpose.

If the mark-to-market election is made with respect to a U.S. Holder’s common stock, the U.S. Holder generally would include as ordinary income in each taxable year the excess, if any, of the fair market value of such common stock at the end of the taxable year over the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in such common stock. The U.S. Holder would also be permitted an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in such common stock over its fair market value at the end of the taxable year, but only to the extent of the net amount previously included in income as a result of the mark-to-market election. A U.S. Holder’s tax basis in its common stock would be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amount. Gain realized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common stock would be treated as ordinary income, and any loss realized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of the common stock would be treated as ordinary loss to the extent that such loss does not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included by the U.S. Holder in income.

Taxation of U.S. Holders of a PFIC Not Making a Timely QEF or “Mark-to-Market” Election

Finally, if we were treated as a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder that does not make either a QEF election or a “mark-to-market” election for that year, referred to as a “Non-Electing Holder,” would be subject to special rules with respect to (i) any excess distribution (i.e., the portion of any distributions received by the Non-Electing Holder on our common stock in a taxable year in excess of 125% of the average annual distributions received by the Non-Electing Holder in the three preceding taxable years, or, if shorter, the Non-Electing Holder’s holding period for such common stock), and (ii) any gain realized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common stock. Under these special rules:

These penalties would not apply to a qualified pension, profit-sharing or other retirement trust or other tax-exempt organization that did not borrow money or otherwise utilize leverage in connection with its acquisition of our common stock. If we were a PFIC, and a Non-Electing Holder who was an individual died while owning our common stock, such holder’s successor generally would not receive a step-up in tax basis with respect to such stock. Certain of these rules would apply to a U.S. Holder who made a QEF election for one of our taxable years if we were a PFIC in a prior taxable year during which the holder held our common stock and for which the holder did not make a QEF election.

Medicare Tax

A U.S. Non-Corporate Holder (excluding certain trusts within a special class of trusts that is exempt from such tax) is subject to a 3.8% tax on the lesser of (1) such U.S. Holder’s “net investment income” for the relevant taxable year and (2) the excess of such U.S. Holder’s modified gross income for the taxable year over a certain threshold (which in the case of individuals will be between $125,000 and $250,000, depending on the individual’s circumstances). Such a U.S. Holder’s net investment income will generally include such U.S. Holder’s gross interest income and dividend income and net gains from the disposition of our common stock, unless such interest, dividends or net gains are derived in the ordinary course of the conduct of a trade or business (other than a trade or business that consists of certain passive or trading activities). A U.S. Non-Corporate Holder is urged to consult the holder’s own tax advisor regarding the applicability of the Medicare tax to the holder’s ownership of our common stock.

U.S. Federal Income Taxation of “Non-U.S. Holders”

The following section applies to you only if you are a “Non-U.S. Holder.” For this purpose, a “Non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of shares of our common stock (other than an entity or arrangement that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is not a U.S. Holder.

Distributions on Our Common Stock

Non-U.S. Holders generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax or withholding tax on distributions received from us with respect to our common stock, unless that interest or dividend income is effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the U.S. If the Non-U.S. Holder is entitled to the benefits of an applicable U.S. income tax treaty with respect to those distributions, that income is taxable only if it is attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder in the U.S.

Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Our Common Stock

Non-U.S. Holders generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax or withholding tax on any gain realized upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common stock, unless:

If the Non-U.S. Holder is engaged in a U.S. trade or business for U.S. federal income tax purposes, any income from the common stock, including dividends and the gain from the sale, exchange or other disposition of such stock, that is effectively connected with the conduct of that trade or business will generally be subject to regular U.S. federal income tax in the same manner as discussed in the previous section relating to the taxation of U.S. Holders. In addition, if you are a Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, your E&P that is attributable to the effectively connected income, which is subject to certain adjustments, may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a rate of 30%, or at a lower rate as may be specified by an applicable U.S. income tax treaty.

Tax Return Disclosure Requirements

Individual U.S. Holders (and to the extent specified in applicable Treasury regulations, certain individual Non-U.S. Holders and certain U.S. Holders that are entities) that hold certain specified foreign financial assets with values in excess of certain dollar thresholds are required to report such assets on IRS Form 8938 with their U.S. federal income tax return, subject to certain exceptions (including an exception for foreign assets held in accounts maintained by U.S. financial institutions). Stock of a non-U.S. corporation, including our common stock, is a specified foreign financial asset for this purpose. Substantial penalties apply for failure to properly complete and file Form 8938. You are encouraged to consult your own tax advisor regarding the filing of this form.

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

In general, dividend payments (or other taxable distributions) and proceeds from the disposition of our common stock made to you may be subject to information reporting requirements if you are a U.S. Non-Corporate Holder. Such payments may also be subject to backup withholding if you are a U.S. Non-Corporate Holder and you:

Non-U.S. Holders may be required to establish their exemption from information reporting and backup withholding by certifying their status on IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E, W-8ECI or W-8IMY, as applicable.

If you are a Non-U.S. Holder and you sell our common stock to or through a U.S. office of a broker, the payment of the proceeds is subject to both U.S. backup withholding and information reporting unless you certify that you are a non-U.S. person, under penalties of perjury, or you otherwise establish an exemption. If you sell our common stock through a non-U.S. office of a non-U.S. broker and the sales proceeds are paid to you outside the U.S., then information reporting and backup withholding generally will not apply to that payment. However, U.S. information reporting requirements and, depending on the circumstances, backup withholding, will apply to a payment of sales proceeds, even if that payment is made to you outside the U.S., if you sell our common stock through a non-U.S. office of a broker that is a U.S. person or has certain other contacts with the U.S. However, such information reporting requirements or backup withholding will not apply if the broker has documentary evidence in its records that you are a non-U.S. person and certain other conditions are met, or you otherwise establish an exemption. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, you generally may obtain a credit or refund of any amounts withheld under backup withholding rules that exceed your income tax liability by timely filing a refund claim with the IRS.

The descriptions of each contract, agreement or other document filed as an exhibit to this report are summaries only and do not purport to be complete. Each such description is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibit for a more complete description of the matter involved.

We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and in accordance therewith will file reports and other information with the SEC. Such reports and other information can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at its principal offices at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such information may be obtained from the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549 at prescribed rates. The SEC also maintains a website (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC.

As a foreign private issuer, we are not subject to the proxy rules under Section 14 of the Exchange Act and our officers, directors and principal stockholders are not subject to the insider short-swing profit disclosure and recovery provisions under Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

As a foreign private issuer, we are not required to publish financial statements as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies; however, we intend to furnish holders of our common stock with reports annually containing consolidated financial statements audited by independent accountants. We also intend to file quarterly unaudited financial statements under cover of Form 6-K.