FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE SHAREHOLDERS AGREEMENT
EXHIBIT
10.2
FIRST
AMENDMENT TO THE SHAREHOLDERS AGREEMENT
This
Amendment, dated as of June 30, 2006 (this “First Amendment”), to the
Shareholders Agreement, dated as of March 20, 2006 (the “Agreement”), is by and
among Trico Marine Services (Hong Kong) Limited, a limited liability company
duly organized and validly existing under the laws of Hong Kong (“Trico”), China
Oilfield Services Limited, a corporation duly organized and validly existing
under the laws of the PRC (“COSL”), COSL-Hong Kong Limited, a limited liability
company duly organized and validly existing under the laws of Hong Kong and
wholly-owned by COSL (“COSLHK”) and Eastern Marine Services, Limited, a limited
liability company duly organized and validly existing under the laws of Hong
Kong (the “Company”). Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein
shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Agreement.
RECITALS
WHEREAS,
the Shareholders set forth their respective rights and obligations in connection
with the ownership and management of the Company and their cooperation
concerning the business of the Company and the provisions of the Services to
customers in the Territory in the Agreement;
WHEREAS,
the Shareholders desire to amend their Agreement concerning certain Definitions,
Capitalization, Subscription, Capital Contributions and the anticipated Closing
Date set forth in the Agreement;
NOW,
THEREFORE, following friendly consultations on the basis of mutual benefit
and
equality, and in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements set forth
herein and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
sufficiency of which are hereby expressly acknowledged, the Parties, intending
to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:
1. Novation
from COSL to COSLHK.
1.1 |
Notwithstanding
any provision to the contrary in the Agreement, COSL assigns all
of its
rights and interests in, to and under the Agreement to COSLHK with
effect
from March 20, 2006 and Trico and the Company hereby consent to such
assignment.
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1.2 |
Notwithstanding
any provision to the contrary in the Agreement, COSL transfers by
novation
all of its obligations in, to and under the Agreement to COSLHK with
effect from March 20, 2006 and Trico and the Company hereby consent
to
such transfer.
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1.3 |
Trico
and the Company hereby release and discharge COSL from further performance
of its obligations under or in respect of the Agreement and from
all
claims and liabilities in respect thereof and accept the liability
of
COSLHK in place of COSL and are bound by the terms of and undertake
to
perform their respective obligations in, to and under the
Agreement.
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2. Article
I - Section 1.1. Definitions.
The
definition “Closing Date” under Section 1.1 shall be deleted in its entirety and
the following definitions shall be inserted under Section 1.1:
“Escrow
Agent” means HSBC Bank U.S.A., N.A. or an escrow agent that is mutually agreed
by COSLHK and Trico.
“Escrow
Agreement” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.2(b) of this
Agreement.
“Initial
Closing Date” means June 16, 2006, or a date that is mutually agreed to by the
parties to this Agreement. .
“Second
Closing Date” means January 1, 2008, or a date that is mutually agreed to by the
parties to this Agreement.
3. Article
III - Section 3.1. Capitalization; Subscription.
Section
3.1 of Article III of the Agreement shall be deleted and replaced in its
entirety by the following:
“3.1
Capitalization;
Subscription
a. .
The
total authorized capital of the Company as of the date hereof is HK$1,000,000,
divided into one million (1,000,000) ordinary shares (“Shares”),
each
Share having a par value of HK$1.00. Each of the Shares shall have the same
voting and other rights and privileges, except as otherwise specified in this
Agreement and the Organizational Documents. COSLHK shall subscribe for 510,000
Shares, representing 51% of the issued and outstanding Shares, and Trico shall
subscribe for 490,000 Shares, representing 49% of the issued and outstanding
Shares, in consideration of their respective Capital Contributions on the
Initial Closing Date and/or the Second Closing Date.”
4. Article
III - Section 3.2. Capital Contributions.
Section
3.2 of Article III of the Agreement shall be deleted and replaced in its
entirety by the following:
“3.2
Capital
Contributions.
(a) The
total
amount of Capital Contributions of the Company shall initially be forty-one
million US Dollars (US$41,000,000) (such amount, the “Total
Capital Contribution”),
which
shall include US$38,000,000 in fixed assets and US$3,000,000 in working capital.
The Total Capital Contribution shall comprise the following Capital
Contributions (each a “Capital
Contribution”)
by
each of the Major Shareholders:
(i) COSLHK
Contribution.
As
consideration for its Shares, COSL shall on the Closing Date make its Capital
Contribution in cash in the amount of twenty million nine hundred ten thousand
US Dollars (US$20,910,000).
(ii) Trico
Contribution.
As
consideration for its Shares, Trico shall make its Capital Contribution in
kind
in the amount of twenty million ninety thousand US Dollars (US$20,090,000)
by
contributing and assigning to the Company (either directly or effectively by
contract) all of its rights, title and interest in the Trico Vessels, free
from
encumbrances, listed on Annex
1(a)
and
Annex
1(b)
on each
of the Initial and Second Closing Dates, respectively, which shall include
all
vessel spares parts assigned to such vessels of not less than seven hundred
forty thousand US Dollars (US$740,000) as of the Initial and Second Closing
Date, whichever the case may be. The Parties agree and acknowledge that the
total value of the Trico Vessels has been established and is thirty-eight
million US Dollars (US$38,000,000). Accordingly, the Parties agree that, in
addition to its Shares, Trico shall receive:
a. |
On
the Initial Closing Date, cash from the Company in the amount of
fourteen
million four hundred and forty-two thousand US Dollars (US$14,442,000)
in
exchange for its contribution of the Trico Vessels listed on Annex
1(a).
The parties acknowledge that the cash amount received by Trico shall
be in
partial consideration for the following Trico Vessels: Northern Genesis,
Northern Mariner, Northern Chaser and Northern Comrade;
and
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b. |
On
the Second Closing Date (defined below), cash from the Company in
the
amount of three million and four hundred and sixty-eight thousand
US
Dollars (US$3,468,000) less the bareboat fee of the Trico Vessels
listed
on Annex
1(b)
from Initial Closing Date through December 31, 2007 in exchange for
its
contribution of the Trico Vessels listed on Annex
1(b).
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Parties agree that should the
Second
Closing Date not occur on the date set forth in Section 3.2(a)(iii)
below,
the cash amount to be received by Trico shall be mutually agreed
upon by
the Parties.
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The
aggregate amount of cash received by Trico constitutes the difference between
the value of the Trico Vessels and Trico’s Capital Contribution less the
foresaid bareboat fee. If the Initial Closing Date occurs on June 16, 2006,
the
bareboat fee shall be US$2,140,380.
If not, the bareboat fee shall be calculated at the day rate of US$3,795 from
the actual Initial Closing Date through the later of (i) December 31, 2007
and
(ii) the end of any existing charter contract term for such vessel.
(iii) Closing
Date.
The
Initial Closing Date shall occur on the date that is mutually agreed by COSLHK
and Trico. The Second Closing Date shall occur on January 1, 2008.”
(b) On
the
Initial Closing Date, the following events shall occur in the following
sequence:
(i) |
Trico
shall deliver to the Company all the bills of sale and all the sale
and
purchase agreements of the Trico Vessels listed on Annex
1(a)
so
that the Trico Vessels listed on Annex
1(a)
can be validly and legally transferred from Trico or its Affiliates
to the
Company and all the requisite documents (including, in respect of
Amite
River, Flint River, Red River, Sun River and White River, the applications
for deletion of registration issued by the Coast Guard in the United
States) necessary for the registration of Amite River, Flint River,
Red
River, Sun River and White River at the registry in the Commonwealth
of
Dominica, for the change of ownership of Willow River at the registry
in
the Commonwealth of Dominica, for the change of ownership of Northern
Mariner and Northern Chaser at the registry in the United Kingdom
and for
the change of ownership of Northern Genesis and Northern Comrade
at the
registry in Norway, all in the name of the Company in accordance
with the
laws of the respective
jurisdictions.
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(ii) |
Trico
shall deliver to the Escrow Agent, in escrow subject to terms and
conditions acceptable to COSLHK, Trico and the Escrow Agent, all
the bills
of sale and all the sale and purchase agreements of the Trico Vessels
listed on Annex
1(b)
so
that the Trico Vessels listed on Annex
1(b)
can be validly and legally transferred from Trico or its Affiliates
to the
Company and all the requisite documents (including application for
deletion of registration to the Coast Guard in the United States)
necessary for the registration of such Trico Vessels listed on
Annex
1(b)
in
the name of the Company at the registry in the Commonwealth of Dominica
in
accordance with the laws of the respective
jurisdictions.
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(iii) |
COSLHK
shall transfer to the Company the sum of seventeen million four hundred
forty two thousand US Dollars (US$17,442,000) in immediately available
funds;
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(iv) |
COSLHK
shall transfer to the Escrow Agent as nominee of the Company the
sum of
three million four hundred sixty eight thousand US Dollars (US$3,468,000)
less the bareboat fee as stipulated in Article 3.2(a)(ii)b in immediately
available funds which shall be held by the Escrow Agent in escrow
subject
to terms and conditions acceptable to COSLHK, Trico and the Escrow
Agent
and set forth in the Escrow Agreement by and amongst Trico, the Escrow
Agent and the Company (the “Escrow
Agreement”);
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(v) |
the
Company shall pay fourteen million four hundred forty-two thousand
US
Dollars (US$14,442,000) to Trico as the excess capital contribution
made
by Trico to the Company on the Initial Closing Date;
and
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(vi) |
the
Company shall issue and allot 510,000 Shares and 490,000 Shares to
COSLHK
and Trico respectively and deliver to COSLHK and Trico the certificates
representing such numbers of Shares in their respective
names.
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(c)
Trico
Vessels listed on Annex 1(a) shall be validly vested in the Company free from
encumbrances within two (2) months of the Initial Closing Date.
(d)
On
the Second Closing Date, Trico, COSLHK and the Company shall cause the Escrow
Agent to release the sum and the documents held in escrow in accordance with
the
terms and conditions set forth in the Escrow Agreement.
5. Annex
1 to the Agreement.
Annex I
to the Agreement shall be deleted and replaced in its entirety by Annex 1(a)
and
Annex 1(b) attached and incorporated by reference hereto.
6. Annex
3(B) to the Agreement.
Annex
3(B) to the Agreement shall be deleted and replaced in its entirety by Annex
3(B) attached and incorporated by reference hereto.
7. Article
II - Section 2.3. Vessel Bareboat Principles.
Section
2.3(b) of the Agreement shall be deleted and replaced in its entirety by the
following:
“(b)
Trico
Charters Outside of the Territory.
Trico
shall enter into bareboat charter arrangements with the Company in respect
of
the Trico Vessels indicated on Annex
3(B)
for
operations to be conducted outside of the Territory, such bareboat charters
to
commence on the Initial Closing Date and to terminate on the later of (i) the
end of any existing charter contract term for such vessel (including any
applicable charterer-elected contractual option periods); and (ii) the bareboat
end of term date specified with respect to such vessel on Annex
3(B).
All
such charter contracts shall be based on the BIMCO Model Form Bareboat Charter
Agreement attached as Annex
5 hereto and
shall
include pricing terms as set forth on Annex
3(B).
8. Article
V - Section 5.2 Board of Directors: Term and Vacancies.
Section
5.2 of the Agreement shall be deleted and replaced in its entirety by the
following:
“5.2
Board
of Directors: Term and Vacancies.
The
Company shall be governed by a Board composed of six (6) directors, of which
the
Shareholders agree three (3) shall be nominated by COSLHK and three (3) by
Trico. The Directors shall be elected by the Shareholders for a term of office
of three (3) years. A Director whose term of office expires may be re-elected.
Should any casual vacancy occur in the membership of the Board of Directors,
the
Board of Directors shall appoint the person nominated by the Shareholder that
nominated the Director whose departure created such vacancy. Within 30 days
following the end of the term of office for the initial Chairman and
Vice-Chairman (and thereafter for each successor Chairman and Vice-Chairman),
the Shareholders shall discuss and agree upon a successor Chairman and
Vice-Chairman. The initial Board members, Chairman and Vice-Chairman are listed
on Annex
4.
Each
Shareholder may replace one or more Directors appointed by it at any time upon
written notice to the other Parties of such appointment or
replacement.”
9. Article
V - Section 5.13. Senior Officers.
In
accordance with the parties’ desire to reduce the number of Trico nominees for
Senior Officers during the first 36 months commencing on the Initial Closing
Date, section 5.13 is hereby deleted and replaced in its entirety by the
following:
“5.13
Senior
Officers.
The
Company shall have the following senior officers: Co-Chief Executive Officers,
one (1) Executive Vice President, and one (1) Chief Financial Officer. During
the first thirty-six (36) months commencing on the Initial Closing Date, the
Major Shareholders agree to direct their respective Directors to vote for
Trico’s nominee for the position of Co-Chief Executive Officer and to vote for
the COSLHK’s nominees for the positions of Co-Chief Executive Officer and
Executive Vice President. The Trico nominee serving as Co-Chief Executive
Officer shall manage the Company’s operations within the Territory and the
COSLHK nominee as Co-Chief Executive Officer shall manage the Company’s
operations in PRC. The position of Chief Financial Officer shall be agreed
and
appointed by the Board.
The
Co-Chief Executive Officers shall report to the Board and shall have
responsibility for the day-to-day management and operation of the Company.
The
Co-Chief Executive Officers shall act upon the instructions of the Board,
executing its resolutions.
The
senior officers shall act in accordance with the laws and regulations of Hong
Kong. No senior officer shall hold a post concurrently with other economic
organizations, nor shall any senior officer be engaged (in whatever capacity)
in
any other economic organizations which are in commercial competition with the
Company.
Each
Co-Chief Executive Officer, the Executive Vice President, and the Chief
Financial Officer may be dismissed at any time by a decision of the Board.
Should either Co-Chief Executive Officer, the Executive Vice President, or
the
Chief Financial Officer violate any law or be derelict in their duties, the
Board may dismiss them.
Unless
otherwise decided by the Board, the term of office for all senior personnel
(each Co-Chief Executive Officer, the Executive Vice President, and Chief
Financial Officer) shall be three (3) years.”
10. Annex
4 to the Agreement.
Annex 4
to the Agreement shall be deleted and replaced in its entirety by Annex 4
attached and incorporated by reference hereto.
11. Effect
of Amendment.
Except
as expressly set forth herein, the terms and conditions of the Agreement shall
remain in effect and binding on each party. Nothing herein shall be deemed
to
entitle either party to a consent to, or a waiver, amendment, modification
or
other change of, any of the other terms, conditions, obligations, or agreements
contained in the Agreement. Neither this First Amendment nor any provision
hereof may be waived, amended or modified except by a written amendment signed
by both parties.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this First Amendment to be
executed and delivered as of the date first written above.
Eastern
Marine Services Limited
By:
Name:
Title:
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Trico
Marine Services (Hong Kong) Limited
By:
Name: Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx
Title:
Director
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COSL
Hong Kong
By:
Name:
Title:
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China
Oilfield Services Limited
By:
Name:
Title:
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