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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 29, 2004

File No. 333-119719



UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549


AMENDMENT NO. 2
to
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933


INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING ENTERPRISES, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  6770
(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
  57-1212493
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

1225 Franklin Avenue, Suite 325
Garden City, New York 11530
(516) 240-8025

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including
area code, of registrant's principal executive offices)

Angeliki Frangou, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President
International Shipping Enterprises, Inc.
1225 Franklin Avenue, Suite 325
Garden City, New York 11530
(516) 240-8025

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)




Copies to:
David Alan Miller, Esq.
Graubard Miller
600 Third Avenue
New York, New York 10016
(212) 818-8800
(212) 818-8881—Facsimile
  Scott M. Miller, Esq.
Gusrae, Kaplan & Bruno, PLLC
120 Wall Street, 11th Floor
New York, New York 10005
(212) 269-1400
(212) 809-5449—Facsimile
  Glen T. Oxton, Esq.
Katerina Shaw, Esq.
Healy and Baillie LLP
Maritime Counsel
61 Broadway
New York, New York 10006-2701
(212) 943-3980
(212) 425-0131—Facsimile

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:
As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

        If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box.    ý

        If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.    o

        If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.    o

        If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.    o

        If delivery of the prospectus is expected to be made pursuant to Rule 434, please check the following box.    ý


Title of each Class of
Security being registered

  Amount being
Registered

  Proposed Maximum
Offering Price
Per Security(1)

  Proposed Maximum
Aggregate Offering
Price(1) Fee

  Amount of
Registration


Units, each consisting of one share of Common Stock, $.0001 par value, and two Warrants(2)   32,775,000 Units   $6.00   $196,650,000.00   $24,915.56

Shares of Common Stock included as part of the Units(2)   32,775,000 Shares       —(3)

Warrants included as part of the Units(2)   65,550,000 Warrants       —(3)

Shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants included in the Units(4)   65,550,000 Shares   $5.00   $327,750,000.00   $41,525.93

Total           $524,400,000.00   $66,441.48(5)

(1)
Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee.

(2)
Includes 4,275,000 Units and 4,275,000 shares of Common Stock and 8,550,000 Warrants underlying such Units which may be issued on exercise of a 45-day option granted to the Underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any.

(3)
No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g).

(4)
Pursuant to Rule 416, there are also being registered such indeterminable additional securities as may be issued as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in the Warrants.

(5)
$39,631.76 of the fee has been previously paid.




The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Preliminary Prospectus
Subject to Completion, November 29, 2004

PROSPECTUS

        $171,000,000        

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING ENTERPRISES, INC.

28,500,000 units  

        International Shipping Enterprises, Inc. is a blank check company recently formed for the purpose of acquiring, through a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition or other similar business combination, one or more vessels or an operating business in the shipping industry.

        This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit consists of:

        Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $5.00. Each warrant will become exercisable on the later of our completion of a business combination or                        , 2005 [one year from the date of this prospectus], and will expire on                        , 2008 [four years from the date of this prospectus], or earlier upon redemption.

        We have granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 4,275,000 additional units solely to cover over-allotments, if any (over and above the 28,500,000 units referred to above). The over-allotment will be used only to cover the net syndicate short position resulting from the initial distribution.

        There is presently no public market for our units, common stock or warrants. We anticipate that the units will be quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol            on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, the common stock and warrants will be traded on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbols             and            , respectively.

        Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See "Risk Factors" beginning on page 6 of this prospectus for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities.

        Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 
  Public
offering price

  Underwriting discount
and commissions(1)

  Proceeds, before
expenses, to us

Per unit   $ 6.00   $ 0.42   $ 5.58
Total   $ 171,000,000   $ 11,970,000   $ 159,030,000

(1)
Includes a non-accountable expense allowance in the amount of 1% of the gross proceeds, or $0.06 per unit ($1,710,000 in total) payable to Sunrise Securities Corp.

        Of the net proceeds we receive from this offering, $156,465,000 ($5.49 per unit) will be deposited into a trust account at JPMorgan Chase NY Bank maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.

        We are offering the units for sale on a firm-commitment basis. Sunrise Securities Corp., acting as representative of the underwriters, expects to deliver our securities to investors in the offering on or about                        , 2004.

Sunrise Securities Corp.

                        , 2004



Table Of Contents

 
  Page
Prospectus Summary   1
Summary Financial Data   5
Risk Factors   6
Use of Proceeds   18
Dilution   20
Capitalization   21
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations   22
Proposed Business   24
Management   36
Principal Stockholders   39
Certain Transactions   40
Description of Securities   41
Underwriting   45
Legal Matters   48
Experts   48
Where You Can Find Additional Information   49
Index to Financial Statements   F-1

        You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted.


i



Prospectus Summary

        This summary highlights certain information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. For a more complete understanding of this offering, you should read the entire prospectus carefully, including the risk factors and the financial statements. Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus, references to "we," "us" or "our company" refer to International Shipping Enterprises, Inc. Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. Additionally, unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus has been adjusted to give retroactive effect to a stock dividend of approximately 0.676 shares of common stock for each outstanding share of common stock on November 29, 2004.

        We are a blank check company organized under the laws of the State of Delaware on September 17, 2004. We were formed to acquire, through a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition or other similar business combination, one or more vessels or an operating business in the shipping industry. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities.

        The international maritime shipping industry provides the most practicable and cost-effective means of transporting large volumes of many essential wet and dry cargoes. The wet markets involve the transportation of crude oil, refined petroleum cargoes and liquid chemicals while the dry markets, which we intend to focus on, involve the transportation of dry bulk and general cargoes. Dry bulk and general cargoes include, among other products, coal, steel products, forest products, agricultural products, construction materials and heavy equipment, machinery and spare parts. Total demand for vessels that transport dry bulk and general cargoes has steadily increased as the world's economy and international trade have grown. Accordingly, we believe this represents the most attractive segment of the international maritime shipping industry for us in which to attempt to complete a business combination.

        While we may seek to effect business combinations with more than one target business, our initial business combination must be with a target business whose fair market value is at least equal to 80% of our net assets at the time of such acquisition. Consequently, it is likely that we will have the ability to effect only a single business combination. As used in this prospectus, a "target business" shall include one or more vessels or an operating business in the shipping industry and a "business combination" shall mean the acquisition by us of such a target business.

        Our offices are located at 1225 Franklin Avenue, Suite 325, Garden City, New York 11530, and our telephone number is (516) 240-8025.

1


The Offering

Securities offered:   28,500,000 units, at $6.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:

 

 


 

one share of common stock; and

 

 


 

two warrants.

 

 

The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Each of the common stock and warrants may trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless Sunrise Securities Corp. determines that an earlier date is acceptable. In no event will Sunrise Securities Corp. allow separate trading of the common stock and warrants until we file an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet, upon the consummation of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. The audited balance sheet will include proceeds we receive from the exercise of the over-allotment option if the over-allotment option is exercised prior to the filing of the Form 8-K.

Common stock:

 

 

 

 
 
Number outstanding before this offering

 

7,125,000 shares
 
Number to be outstanding after this offering

 

35,625,000 shares

Warrants:

 

 

 

 
 
Number outstanding before this offering

 

0
 
Number to be outstanding after this offering

 

57,000,000 warrants
 
Exercisability

 

Each warrant is exercisable for one share of common stock.
 
Exercise price

 

$5.00
 
Exercise period

 

The warrants will become exercisable on the later of:

 

 


 

the completion of a business combination with a target business, or

 

 


 

[                        ], 2005
[one year from the date of this prospectus].

 

 

The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on [            ], 2008
[four years from the date of this prospectus] or earlier upon redemption.
         

2


 
Redemption

 

We may redeem the outstanding warrants, with Sunrise Securities Corp.'s prior consent:

 

 


 

in whole and not in part,

 

 


 

at a price of $.01 per warrant at any time after the warrants become exercisable,

 

 


 

upon a minimum of 30 days' prior written notice of redemption, and

 

 


 

if, and only if, the last sales price of our common stock equals or exceeds $8.50 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period ending three business days before we send the notice of redemption and the weekly trading volume of our common stock has been at least 800,000 shares for each of the two calendar weeks before we send the notice of redemption.

Proposed OTC Bulletin Board symbols for our:

 

 

 

 
 
Units

 

[            ]
 
Common stock

 

[            ]
 
Warrants

 

[            ]

Offering proceeds to be held in trust:

 

$156,465,000 of the proceeds of this offering ($5.49 per unit) will be placed in a trust account at JPMorgan Chase NY Bank maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, pursuant to an agreement to be signed on the date of this prospectus. These proceeds will not be released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our liquidation. Therefore, unless and until a business combination is consummated, the proceeds held in the trust fund will not be available for our use for any expenses related to this offering or expenses which we may incur related to the investigation and selection of a target business and the negotiation of an agreement to acquire a target business. These expenses may be paid prior to a business combination only from the net proceeds of this offering not held in the trust fund (initially, approximately $2,115,000 after the payment of the expenses relating to this offering).

 

 

None of the warrants may be exercised until after the consummation of a business combination and, thus, after the proceeds of the trust fund have been disbursed, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us.
         

3



Stockholders must approve business combination:

 

We will seek stockholder approval before we effect any business combination, even if the nature of the acquisition would not ordinarily require stockholder approval under applicable state law. In connection with the vote required for any business combination, all of our existing stockholders, including all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote the shares of common stock owned by them immediately before this offering in accordance with the majority of the shares of common stock voted by the public stockholders. We will proceed with a business combination only if a majority of the shares of common stock voted by the public stockholders are voted in favor of the business combination and public stockholders owning less than 20% of the shares sold in this offering exercise their conversion rights described below.

Conversion rights for stockholders voting to reject a business combination:

 

Public stockholders voting against a business combination will be entitled to convert their stock into a pro rata share of the trust fund, including any interest earned on their portion of the trust fund, if the business combination is approved and completed.

Liquidation if no business combination:

 

We will dissolve and promptly distribute only to our public stockholders the amount in our trust fund plus any remaining net assets if we do not effect a business combination within 12 months after consummation of this offering (or within 18 months from the consummation of this offering if a letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement has been executed within 12 months after consummation of this offering and the business combination has not yet been consummated within such 12 month period).

Escrow of existing stockholders' shares:

 

On the date of this prospectus, all of our existing stockholders, including all of our officers and directors, will place the shares they owned before this offering into an escrow account maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as escrow agent. Subject to certain limited exceptions, these shares will not be transferable during the escrow period and will not be released from escrow until [                        ], 2007
[three years from the date of this prospectus].

Risks

        In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company, as well as the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and, therefore, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled "Risk Factors" beginning on page 7 of this prospectus.

4



Summary Financial Data

        The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.

 
  September 30, 2004
 
  Actual
  As Adjusted
Balance Sheet Data:            
  Working capital/(deficiency)   $ (96,452 ) $ 158,603,548
  Total assets     253,180     158,603,548
  Total liabilities     229,632    
  Value of common stock which may be converted to cash ($5.49 per share)         31,277,354
  Stockholders' equity     23,548     127,326,194

        The working capital deficiency excludes $120,000 of costs related to this offering which were paid prior to September 30, 2004. These deferred offering costs have been recorded as a long-term asset and are reclassified against stockholders' equity in the "as adjusted" information.

        The "as adjusted" information gives effect to the sale of the units we are offering including the application of the related gross proceeds and the payment of the estimated remaining costs from such sale.

        The working capital and total assets amounts include the $156,465,000 being held in the trust fund, which will be available to us only upon the consummation of a business combination within the time period described in this prospectus. If a business combination is not so consummated, we will be dissolved and the proceeds held in the trust fund will be distributed solely to our public stockholders.

        We will not proceed with a business combination if public stockholders owning 20% or more of the shares sold in this offering vote against the business combination and exercise their conversion rights. Accordingly, we may effect a business combination if public stockholders owning up to approximately 19.99% of the shares sold in this offering exercise their conversion rights. If this occurred, we would be required to convert to cash up to approximately 19.99% of the 28,500,000 shares sold in this offering, or 5,697,150 shares of common stock, at an initial per-share conversion price of $5.49, without taking into account interest earned on the trust fund. The actual per-share conversion price will be equal to:

5



Risk Factors

        An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the material risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus before making a decision to invest in our units.

Risks associated with our business

We are a development stage company with no operating history and, accordingly, you will not have any basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

        We are a recently incorporated development stage company with no operating results to date. Therefore, our ability to begin operations is dependent upon obtaining financing through the public offering of our securities. Since we do not have an operating history, you will have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective, which is to acquire one or more vessels or an operating business in the shipping industry. We have not conducted any discussions and we have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective acquisition candidates. We will not generate any revenues (other than interest income on the proceeds of this offering) until, at the earliest, after the consummation of a business combination.

If we are forced to liquidate before a business combination, our public stockholders will receive less than $6.00 per share upon distribution of the trust fund and our warrants will expire worthless.

        If we are unable to complete a business combination and are forced to liquidate our assets, the per-share liquidation will be less than $6.00 because of the expenses of this offering, our general and administrative expenses and the anticipated costs of seeking a business combination. Furthermore, there will be no distribution with respect to our outstanding warrants and, accordingly, the warrants will expire worthless if we liquidate before the completion of a business combination. For a more complete discussion of the effects on our stockholders if we are unable to complete a business combination, see the section below entitled "Effecting a business combination—Liquidation if no business combination."

You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of blank check companies.

        Since the net proceeds of this offering are intended to be used to complete a business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a "blank check" company under the United States securities laws. However, since we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful consummation of this offering and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC upon consummation of this offering including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors of blank check companies such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Because we are not subject to Rule 419, our units will be immediately tradable. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings under Rule 419, see the section entitled "Comparison to offerings of blank check companies" below.

If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share liquidation price received by stockholders will be less than $5.49 per share.

        Our placing of funds in trust may not protect those funds from third party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, prospective target businesses or other entities we engage execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements. Nor is there any guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Accordingly, the proceeds held in trust could be subject to claims which could take priority over the claims of our public stockholders and the per-share liquidation price could be less than $5.49, plus interest, due to claims of

6



such creditors. If we are unable to complete a business combination and are forced to liquidate, Angeliki Frangou, our chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president, will be personally liable under certain circumstances to ensure that the proceeds in the trust fund are not reduced by the claims of various vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or products sold to us. However, we cannot assure you that Ms. Frangou will be able to satisfy those obligations.

Since we have not currently selected a prospective target business with which to complete a business combination, investors in this offering are unable to currently ascertain the merits or risks of the target business' operations.

        Since we have not yet identified a prospective target, investors in this offering have no current basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business' operations. To the extent we complete a business combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its development stage, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations of those entities. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a target business. For a more complete discussion of our selection of a target business, see the section below entitled "Effecting a business combination—We have not identified a target business."

We may issue shares of our capital stock or debt securities to complete a business combination, which would reduce the equity interest of our stockholders and likely cause a change in control of our ownership.

        Our certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 120,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters' over-allotment option), there will be 27,375,000 authorized but unissued shares of our common stock available for issuance (after appropriate reservation for the issuance of shares upon full exercise of our outstanding warrants) and all of the 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock available for issuance. Although we have no commitments as of the date of this offering to issue our securities, we may issue a substantial number of additional shares of our common stock or preferred stock, or a combination of common and preferred stock, to complete a business combination. The issuance of additional shares of our common stock or any number of shares of our preferred stock:

Additionally, the shipping industry is capital intensive, traditionally using substantial amounts of indebtedness to finance vessel acquisitions, capital expenditures and working capital needs. If we finance the purchase of any of our vessels through the issuance of debt securities, it could result in:

7


For a more complete discussion of the possible structure of a business combination, see the section below entitled "Effecting a business combination—Selection of a target business and structuring of a business combination."

Our ability to successfully effect a business combination and to be successful afterwards will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following a business combination and whom we would have only a limited ability to evaluate.

        Our ability to successfully effect a business combination will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The future role of our key personnel following a business combination, however, cannot presently be fully ascertained. Although we expect most of our management and other key personnel, particularly our chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president, to remain associated with us following a business combination, we may employ other personnel following the business combination. While we intend to closely scrutinize any additional individuals we engage after a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a public company as well as United States securities laws which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.

Our officers and directors may allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate a business combination.

        Our officers and directors are not required to commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and other businesses. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the consummation of a business combination. Each of our officers are engaged in several other business endeavors and are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. If our officers' other business affairs require them to devote more substantial amounts of time to such affairs, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs and could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate a business combination. For a complete discussion of the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, see the section below entitled "Management—Conflicts of Interest." We cannot assure you that these conflicts will be resolved in our favor.

Our officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented to.

        Our officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities, including other "blank check" companies, engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us. Additionally, our officers and directors may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are or may be affiliated. Further, certain of our officers and directors are currently involved in other businesses that are similar to the business activities that we intend to conduct following a business combination. Due to these existing affiliations, they may have fiduciary obligations to present potential business opportunities to those entities prior to presenting them to us which could cause additional conflicts of interest. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. For a complete discussion of our management's business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, see the sections below entitled "Management—Directors and Executive Officers" and "Management—Conflicts of Interest." We cannot assure you that these conflicts will be resolved in our favor.

8



All of our directors own shares of our securities which will not participate in liquidation distributions and therefore they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for a business combination.

        All of our directors own stock in our company, but have waived their right to receive distributions upon our liquidation upon our failure to complete a business combination. Additionally, Angeliki Frangou has indicated her intent to purchase units in the offering and has agreed with the representative of the underwriters that she and certain of her affiliates or designees will purchase warrants in the open market following this offering. The shares and warrants owned by our directors will be worthless if we do not consummate a business combination. The personal and financial interests of our directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination timely. Consequently, our directors' discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders' best interest.

If our common stock becomes subject to the SEC's penny stock rules, broker-dealers may experience difficulty in completing customer transactions and trading activity in our securities may be adversely affected.

        If at any time we have net tangible assets of $5,000,000 or less and our common stock has a market price per share of less than $5.00, transactions in our common stock may be subject to the "penny stock" rules promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Under these rules, broker-dealers who recommend such securities to persons other than institutional accredited investors must:

        If our common stock becomes subject to these rules, broker-dealers may find it difficult to effectuate customer transactions and trading activity in our securities may be adversely affected. As a result, the market price of our securities may be depressed, and you may find it more difficult to sell our securities.

It is probable that we will only be able to complete one business combination, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business and a limited number of products or services.

        The net proceeds from this offering will provide us with approximately $158,580,000 which we may use to complete a business combination. Our initial business combination must be with a business with a fair market value of at least 80% of our net assets at the time of such acquisition. Consequently, it is probable that we will have the ability to complete only a single business combination, although this may entail the simultaneous acquisitions of several vessels or closely related operating businesses at the same time. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:

In this case, we will not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several

9



business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Furthermore, since our business combination may entail the simultaneous acquisitions of several vessels or operating businesses at the same time and may be with different sellers, we will need to convince such sellers to agree that the purchase of their vessels or businesses is contingent upon the simultaneous closings of the other acquisitions.

We may be unable to obtain additional financing, if required, to complete a business combination or to fund the operations and growth of the target business, which could compel us to restructure the transaction or abandon a particular business combination.

        Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering will be sufficient to allow us to consummate a business combination, in as much as we have not yet identified any prospective target business, we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of the business combination or the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, or because we become obligated to convert into cash a significant number of shares from dissenting stockholders, we will be required to seek additional financing. We cannot assure you that such financing would be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to consummate a particular business combination, we would be compelled to restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. In addition, if we consummate a business combination, we may require additional financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after a business combination.

Our existing stockholders, including our officers and directors, control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring stockholder vote.

        Upon consummation of our offering, our existing stockholders (including all of our officers and directors) will collectively own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming they do not purchase units in this offering). Angeliki Frangou, our chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president, has indicated that she or an affiliate of hers plans on purchasing up to $20 million of units in the offering. However, she is not obligated to do so and we do not have any agreements or arrangements with her requiring her to purchase units in the offering. None of our other existing shareholders, officers and directors has indicated to us that he or she intends to purchase units in the offering.

        Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. It is unlikely that there will be an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of a business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office at least until the consummation of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our "staggered" board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our existing stockholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our existing stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the consummation of a business combination. In addition, our existing stockholders and their affiliates and relatives are not prohibited from purchasing units in this offering or shares in the aftermarket. If they do, we cannot assure you that our existing stockholders will not have considerable influence upon the vote in connection with a business combination.

10


Our existing stockholders paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, for their shares and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our common stock.

        The difference between the public offering price per share of our common stock and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. The fact that our existing stockholders acquired their shares of common stock at a nominal price has significantly contributed to this dilution. Assuming the offering is completed, you and the other new investors will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 29% or $1.75 per share (the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $4.25, and the initial offering price of $6.00 per unit).

Our outstanding warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of common stock and make it more difficult to effect a business combination.

        In connection with this offering, as part of the units, we will be issuing warrants to purchase 57,000,000 shares of common stock. To the extent we issue shares of common stock to effect a business combination, the potential for the issuance of substantial numbers of additional shares upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle in the eyes of a target business as such securities, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of our common stock and reduce the value of the shares issued to complete the business combination. Accordingly, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of the target business. Additionally, the sale, or even the possibility of sale, of the shares underlying the warrants could have an adverse effect on the market price for our securities or on our ability to obtain future public financing. If and to the extent these warrants are exercised, you may experience dilution to your holdings.

If our existing stockholders exercise their registration rights, it may have an adverse effect on the market price our common stock and the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effect a business combination.

        Our existing stockholders are entitled to demand that we register the resale of their shares of common stock at any time after the date on which their shares are released from escrow, which, except in limited circumstances, will not be before three years from the date of this prospectus. If our existing stockholders exercise their registration rights with respect to all of their shares of common stock, then there will be an additional 7,125,000 shares of common stock eligible for trading in the public market. The presence of this additional number of shares of common stock eligible for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock. In addition, the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of the target business, as the stockholders of the target business may be discouraged from entering into a business combination with us or will request a higher price for their securities as a result of these registration rights and the potential future effect their exercise may have on the trading market for our common stock.

If you are not an institutional investor, you may purchase our securities in this offering only if you reside within certain states and may engage in resale transactions only in those states and a limited number of other jurisdictions.

        We have applied to register our securities, or have obtained or will seek to obtain an exemption from registration, in Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New York and Rhode Island. If you are not an "institutional investor," you must be a resident of these jurisdictions to purchase our securities in the offering. The definition of an "institutional investor" varies from state to state but generally includes financial institutions, broker-

11



dealers, banks, insurance companies and other qualified entities. In order to prevent resale transactions in violation of states' securities laws, you may engage in resale transactions only in these states and in a limited number of other jurisdictions in which an applicable exemption is available or a Blue Sky application has been filed and accepted. This restriction on resale may limit your ability to resell the securities purchased in this offering and may impact the price of our securities. For a more complete discussion of the Blue Sky state securities laws and registrations affecting this offering, please see the section entitled "State Blue Sky Information" below.

We intend to have our securities quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board, which will limit the liquidity and price of our securities more than if our securities were quoted or listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market or a national exchange.

        Our securities will be traded in the over-the-counter market. It is anticipated that they will be quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board, an NASD-sponsored and operated inter-dealer automated quotation system for equity securities not included in the Nasdaq Stock Market. Quotation of our securities on the OTC Bulletin Board will limit the liquidity and price of our securities more than if our securities were quoted or listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market or a national exchange.

The representative of the underwriters in the offering will not make a market for our securities which could adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.

        Sunrise Securities Corp., the representative of the underwriters in this offering, does not make markets in securities and will not be making a market in our securities. Sunrise Securities Corp. not acting as a market maker for our securities may adversely impact the liquidity of our securities.

If we are deemed to be an investment company, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete a business combination.

        If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, our activities may be restricted, including:

which may make it difficult for us to complete a business combination.

        In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:

We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act of 1940. To this end, the proceeds held in trust may only be invested by the trust agent in "government securities" with specific maturity dates. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, we intend to meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940. If we were deemed to be subject to the act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expense that we have not allotted for.

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Our directors may not be considered "independent" under the policies of the North American Securities Administrators Association, Inc.

        Other than Angeliki Frangou, our chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president, and Vasiliki Papaefthymiou, our secretary and a member of our board of directors, none of our officers or directors own more than 0.4% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Additionally, no salary or other compensation will be paid to our officers or directors for services rendered by them on our behalf prior to or in connection with a business combination. Accordingly, we believe the majority of the members of our board of directors are "independent" as that term is commonly used. However, under the policies of the North American Securities Administrators Association, Inc., because each of our directors own shares of our securities and may receive reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations, state securities administrators could take the position that such individuals are not "independent." If this were the case, they would take the position that we would not have the benefit of independent directors examining the propriety of expenses incurred on our behalf and subject to reimbursement. Additionally, there is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses that could be incurred and there will be no review of the reasonableness of the expenses by anyone other than our board of directors, which would include persons who may seek reimbursement, or a court of competent jurisdiction if such reimbursement is challenged. Although we believe that all actions taken by our directors on our behalf will be in our best interests, whether or not they are deemed to be "independent," we cannot assure you that this will actually be the case. If actions are taken, or expenses are incurred that are actually not in our best interests, it could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations and the price of our stock held by the public stockholders.

Because our initial stockholders' initial equity investment was only $25,000, our offering may be disallowed by state administrators that follow the North American Securities Administrators Association, Inc. Statement of Policy on development stage companies.

        Pursuant to the Statement of Policy Regarding Promoter's Equity Investment promulgated by The North American Securities Administrators Association, Inc., an international organization devoted to investor protection, any state administrator may disallow an offering of a development stage company if the initial equity investment by a company's promoters does not equal a certain percentage of the aggregate public offering price. Our promoters' initial investment of $25,000 is less than the required $4,385,000 minimum amount pursuant to this policy. Accordingly, a state administrator would have the discretion to disallow our offering if it wanted to. We cannot assure you that our offering would not be disallowed pursuant to this policy. Additionally, the initial equity investment made by the initial stockholders may not adequately protect investors.

Risks associated with the shipping industry

If charter rates fluctuate and the shipping industry continues to undergo cyclical turns, it may have a negative impact on our profitability and operations.

        The shipping business, including the dry cargo market, has been cyclical in varying degrees, experiencing fluctuations in charter rates, profitability and, consequently, vessel values. These fluctuations, and the demand for ships, in general, have been influenced by, among other factors:

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Additionally, a significant contraction in demand for imported commodities, such as iron ore or coal, as a result of economic downturns or changes in government policies in certain regional markets could have a material adverse impact on dry cargo freight rates, as well as the demand, in general for vessels. For instance, a downturn in the economy of countries such as China, which has experienced substantial global economic growth during the past few years, could negatively affect the shipping industry. The demand for dry cargo vessels is also greatly affected by the demand for consumer goods and perishable foods, dry bulk commodities and bagged and finished products, all of which are highly dependent on the factors described above, as well as commodity prices, environmental concerns and competition. The supply of shipping capacity is also a function of the delivery of new vessels and the number of older vessels scrapped, in lay-up, converted to other uses, reactivated or removed from active service. Supply may also be affected by maritime transportation and other types of governmental regulation, including that of international authorities. These and other factors may cause a decrease in the demand for the services we may ultimately provide. As a result, the operations of any prospective target business we may ultimately complete a business combination with may be adversely affected.

Changes in the shipping industry may reduce the demand for the types of vessels we seek to acquire or the services we may ultimately provide and thereby reduce our profitability.

        The future demand for vessels in the markets in which we may ultimately operate will be dependent, in large part, upon economic growth in the global economy, seasonal and regional changes in demand and changes to the capacity of the world fleet. Adverse economic, political, social or other negative developments could have a material adverse effect on the business that we may ultimately complete a business combination with. Many of the markets in which dry cargo vessels operate have been characterized by oversupply. This is frequently the result of an overestimated growth in demand for these vessels in the applicable shipping markets. For example, an oversupply of vessels carrying bulk cargo may be due to, among other factors, an overestimation in the demand for imports of bulk commodities like grain, sugar, iron ore or coal. While it is our intention to complete a business combination with a target business that operates in a market that will afford the greatest value for the vessels that we ultimately own and operate, we cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully acquire a business that provides the valuable market that we seek, or that the value of the vessels that we ultimately acquire will maintain their value in any of these markets.

If we experienced a catastrophic loss and our insurance is not adequate to cover such loss, it could have a material adverse affect on our operations.

        The ownership and operation of vessels in international trade is affected by a number of risks, including mechanical failure, personal injury, vessel and cargo loss or damage, business interruption due to political conditions in foreign countries, hostilities, labor strikes, adverse weather conditions and catastrophic marine disaster, including environmental accidents and collisions. All of these risks could result in liability, loss of revenues, increased costs and loss of reputation. We intend to maintain

14



insurance, consistent with industry standards, against these risks on any vessels and other business assets we may acquire upon completion of a business combination. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to adequately insure against all risks, that any particular claim will be paid out of our insurance, or that we will be able to procure adequate insurance coverage at commercially reasonable rates in the future. Our insurers will also require us to pay certain deductible amounts, before they will pay claims, and insurance policies may contain limitations and exclusions, which, although we believe will be standard for the shipping industry, may nevertheless increase our costs and lower our profitability. Additionally, any increase in environmental and other regulations may also result in increased costs for, or the lack of availability of, insurance against the risks of environmental damage, pollution and other claims for damages that may be asserted against us. Our inability to obtain insurance sufficient to cover potential claims or the failure of insurers to pay any significant claims, could have a material adverse effect on our profitability and operations.

We may incur significant costs in complying with environmental, safety and other governmental regulations and our failure to comply with these regulations could result in the imposition of penalties, fines and restrictions on our operations.

        The operation of vessels is subject to extensive and changing environmental protection, safety and other federal, state and local laws, rules, regulations and treaties, compliance with which may entail significant expense, including expenses for ship modifications and changes in operating procedures. We cannot assure you that we will be able to comply with all laws, rules, regulations and treaties following a business combination. If we are unable to adhere to these requirements, it could result in the imposition of penalties and fines against us, and could also result in the imposition of restrictions on our business and operations. Furthermore, the costs of compliance also could have a material adverse effect on our profitability and operations. For a more complete discussion of the government regulations applicable to the shipping industry, please see the section entitled "Proposed Business—Government regulations" below.

If our vessels are arrested by maritime claimants, it could result in the interruption of our business and have an adverse effect on our revenue and profitability.

        Crew members, tort claimants, claimants for breach of certain maritime contracts, vessel mortgagees, suppliers of goods and services to a vessel, shippers of cargo and other persons may be entitled to a maritime lien against a vessel for unsatisfied debts, claims or damages, and in many circumstances a maritime lien holder may enforce its lien by "arresting" a vessel through court processes. Additionally, in certain 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 lien has arisen, but also any "associated" vessel owned or controlled by the legal or beneficial owner of that vessel. If any vessel ultimately owned and operated by us is "arrested", this could result in a material loss of revenues, or require us to pay substantial amounts to have the "arrest" lifted.

If we determine to change domiciles in connection with a business combination, the new jurisdiction's laws will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.

        In connection with a business combination, we may determine to relocate the home jurisdiction of our business from Delaware to a jurisdiction outside of the United States. If we determine to do this, the new jurisdiction's laws will likely govern all of our material agreements. We cannot assure you that the system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction would be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements in a new jurisdiction could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.

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Because some of our directors and officers reside outside of the United States and, after the consummation of a business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located outside of the United States, it may be difficult for investors to enforce their legal rights against such individuals.

        Some of our directors and officers reside outside of the United States and, after the consummation of a business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties of our directors and officers under Federal securities laws.

We may become subject to United States Federal income taxation on our United States source shipping income.

        Due to the nature of the shipping industry, we may complete a business combination with a target business outside of the United States and would then attempt to qualify under Section 883 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, for an exemption from United States federal income tax on substantially all of our shipping income. This exemption may not be available, or may subsequently be lost, if 50% or more of our stock is owned, for more than half the number of days during the taxable year, by persons in the United States. We can give no assurance that the ownership of our stock will permit us to qualify for the Section 883 exemption. If we do not qualify for an exemption pursuant to Section 883, we will be subject to United States federal income tax, likely imposed on a gross basis at 4%, on our United States source shipping income, which constitutes not more than 50% of our gross shipping income. In such a case, our net income and cash flow will be reduced by the amount of such tax.

If we acquire a business that charters vessels on the spot market, it may increase our risk of doing business following the business combination.

        We may complete a business combination with a business that involves the chartering of vessels on a spot charter basis, either on voyage charters or short-term time charters of less than 12 months' duration. Although dependence on spot charters is not unusual in the shipping industry, the spot charter market is highly competitive and spot charter rates are subject to significant fluctuations based upon available charters and the supply of and demand for seaborne shipping capacity. Although our focus on the spot charter market may enable us to benefit from strengthening industry conditions should they occur, to do so we may be required to consistently procure spot charter business. We cannot assure you that spot charters will be available at rates that will be sufficient to enable us to operate our business profitably.

        In addition, our dependence on the spot charter market may result in lower utilization of our vessels and consequently decreased profitability. We cannot assure you that rates in the spot charter market will not decline, that charters in the spot charter market will continue to be available or that our dependence on the spot charter market will not result in generally lower overall utilization or decreased profitability, the occurrence of any of which events could affect our ability to service our debt during these periods.

If we obtain a vessel that is of second-hand or older nature, it could increase our costs and decrease our profitability.

        We believe that competition for employment of second-hand vessels may be intense in the dry cargo market. Additionally, second-hand vessels may carry no warranties from sellers with respect to their condition as compared to warranties from shipyards available for newly-constructed vessels, and may be subject to problems created by the use of their original owners. If we purchase any second-hand

16



vessels, we may incur additional expenditures as a result of these risks, which may reduce our profitability.

        While it will be our business strategy to sell or retire our vessels before they are considered older vessels, under shipping standards, in the rare case where we continue to own and operate a vessel for a longer period, we could be faced with the additional expenditures necessary to maintain a vessel in good operating condition as the age of a vessel increases. Moreover, port-state authorities in certain jurisdictions may demand that repairs be made to this type of vessel before allowing it to berth at or depart a particular port, even though that vessel may be in class and in compliance with all relevant international maritime conventions. Should any of these types of problems or changes develop, income may be lost if a vessel goes off-hire and additional unforeseen and unbudgeted expenses may be incurred. If we choose to maintain any of our vessels past the age that we have planned, we cannot assure you that market conditions will justify expenditures with respect to any of the foregoing or enable us to operate these vessels profitably.

Management services relating to our vessels may be performed by management companies that are affiliates of our officers and directors which could result in potential conflicts of interest.

        If we complete a business combination, we anticipate engaging the services of one or more management companies to provide technical and management services, relating to the operation of our vessels. Based on the prior business practices of our management, it is likely that these management services will be performed by management companies that are controlled by one or more of our officers or directors. Under management agreements with these management companies, it is anticipated that the management companies will act as our fleet's technical managers and perform all commercial management functions. The management companies may receive fees and commissions on gross revenue received by us in respect of each vessel managed, a commission on the gross sale or purchase price of vessels which we purchase or sell, and a commission on all insurance placed. We anticipate that that the terms of the management agreements with these affiliated management companies will be at least as favorable to us as we can obtain from unaffiliated third party management companies, but cannot assure you that this will be true with respect to every management agreement into which we enter. The relationships between our officers and directors and the applicable management companies may give rise to conflicts of interest between us on the one hand and the management companies on the other. In addition, some of our officers and directors also may hold senior management positions with one or more of these management companies. In light of their positions, these individuals may experience conflicts of interest in selecting between our interests and those of the applicable management companies.

Because certain financial information will be required to be provided to our stockholders in connection with a proposed business combination, prospective target businesses or vessels may be limited.

        In order to seek stockholder approval of a business combination with an operating business in the shipping industry, the proposed target business will be required to have certain financial statements which are prepared in accordance with, or which can be reconciled to, U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and audited in accordance with the standards of the United States Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. Alternatively, in order to seek stockholder approval of a business combination with one or more vessels, such vessels may be required to provide certain other financial information as may be called for by applicable law. To the extent that the required financial statements or information cannot be prepared or obtained, we will not be able to complete a business combination with such entities. Accordingly, these financial information requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses or vessels which we may acquire.

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Use of Proceeds

        We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering will be as set forth in the following table:

 
  Without Over- Allotment Option
  Over-Allotment Option Exercised
 
Gross proceeds   $ 171,000,000.00   $ 196,650,000.00  

Offering expenses(1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
  Underwriting discount (6% of gross proceeds)     10,260,000.00     11,799,000.00  
  Underwriting non-accountable expense allowance (1% of gross proceeds)     1,710,000.00     1,710,000.00  
  Legal fees and expenses (including blue sky services and expenses)     270,000.00     270,000.00  
  Miscellaneous expenses     8,058.52     8,058.52  
  Printing and engraving expenses     50,000.00     50,000.00  
  Accounting fees and expenses     25,000.00     25,000.00  
  SEC registration fee     66,441.48     66,441.48  
  NASD registration fee     30,500.00     30,500.00  

Net proceeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
  Held in trust     156,465,000.00     180,576,000.00  
  Not held in trust     2,115,000.00     2,115,000.00  
   
 
 
    Total net proceeds   $ 158,580,000.00   $ 182,691,000.00  
   
 
 
Use of net proceeds not held in trust              
Legal, accounting and other expenses attendant to the due diligence investigations, structuring and negotiation of a business combination   $ 180,000     (8.5 )%
Payment for administrative services and support ($5,500 per month for 18 months)     99,000     (4.7 )%
Due diligence of prospective target businesses     50,000     (2.4 )%
Legal and accounting fees relating to SEC reporting obligations     40,000     (1.9 )%
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses, D&O insurance and reserves     1,746,000     (82.5 )%
   
 
 
    Total   $ 2,115,000.00     (100.0 )%
   
 
 

(1)
A portion of the offering expenses have been paid from the funds we received from Ms. Frangou described below. These funds will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering not being placed in trust upon consummation of this offering.

        $156,465,000, or $180,576,000 if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full, of net proceeds will be placed in a trust account at JPMorgan Chase NY Bank maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, New York, New York, as trustee. The proceeds will not be released from the trust fund until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or our liquidation. The proceeds held in the trust fund may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete a business combination. Any amounts not paid as consideration to the sellers of the target business may be used to finance operations of the target business or to effect other acquisitions, as determined by our board of directors at that time.

        We have agreed to pay SCORY LLC d/b/a The Intelligent Office, an unaffiliated third party, approximately $1,500 per month for office space and certain other additional services and have agreed to pay other currently unidentified unaffiliated third parties for general and administrative services

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including secretarial support. We have agreed to pay up to a maximum of $5,500 for all of the foregoing services. None of our initial stockholders, including our officers and directors, has, or will have, any affiliation with these third parties. Upon completion of a business combination or our liquidation, we will no longer be required to pay this monthly fee.

        We intend to use the excess working capital (approximately $1,746,000) for director and officer liability insurance premiums (approximately $60,000), with the balance of $1,686,000 being held in reserve in the event due diligence, legal, accounting and other expenses of structuring and negotiating business combinations exceed our estimates, as well as for reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our existing stockholders in connection with activities on our behalf as described below. We believe that the excess working capital will be sufficient to cover the foregoing expenses and reimbursement costs.

        To the extent that our capital stock is used in whole or in part as consideration to effect a business combination, the proceeds held in the trust fund as well as any other net proceeds not expended will be used to finance the operations of the target business.

        Angeliki Frangou, our chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president, has advanced to us a total of approximately $230,000 which was used to pay a portion of the expenses of this offering referenced in the line items above for SEC registration fee, NASD registration fee and legal fees and expenses. The loans will be payable without interest on the earlier of September 23, 2005 or the consummation of this offering. The loans will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering not being placed in trust.

        The net proceeds of this offering not held in the trust fund and not immediately required for the purposes set forth above will be invested only in United States "government securities," defined as any Treasury Bill issued by the United States having a maturity of one hundred and eighty days or less so that we are not deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act. The interest income derived from investment of these net proceeds during this period will be used to defray our general and administrative expenses, as well as costs relating to compliance with securities laws and regulations, including associated professional fees, until a business combination is completed.

        We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, we will have sufficient available funds to operate for at least the next 18 months, assuming that a business combination is not consummated during that time.

        No compensation of any kind (including finder's and consulting fees) will be paid to any of our existing stockholders, or any of their affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the consummation of the business combination. However, our existing stockholders will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Since the role of present management after a business combination is uncertain, we have no ability to determine what remuneration, if any, will be paid to those persons after a business combination.

        A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust fund (including interest earned on his, her or its portion of the trust fund) only in the event of our liquidation upon our failure to complete a business combination or if that public stockholder were to seek to convert such shares into cash in connection with a business combination which the public stockholder voted against and which we actually consummate. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust fund.

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Dilution

        The difference between the public offering price per share of common stock, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of common stock which may be converted into cash), by the number of outstanding shares of our common stock.

        At September 30, 2004, our net tangible book value was a deficiency of $96,452, or approximately $(.01) per share of common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 28,500,000 shares of common stock included in the units, and the deduction of underwriting discounts and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of 5,697,150 shares of common stock which may be converted into cash) at September 30, 2004 would have been $127,326,194 or $4.25 per share, representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $4.26 per share to the existing stockholders and an immediate dilution of $1.75 per share or 29% to new investors not exercising their conversion rights.

        The following table illustrates the dilution to the new investors on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units:

Public offering price       $ 6.00
  Net tangible book value before this offering   (.01 )    
  Increase attributable to new investors   4.26      
   
     
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering         4.25
       
Dilution to new investors       $ 1.75
       

        Our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering has been reduced by approximately $31,277,354 because if we effect a business combination, the conversion rights to the public stockholders may result in the conversion into cash of up to approximately 19.99% of the aggregate number of the shares sold in this offering at a per-share conversion price equal to the amount in the trust fund calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the proposed business combination, inclusive of any interest, divided by the number of shares sold in this offering.

        The following table sets forth information with respect to our existing stockholders and the new investors:

 
  Shares Purchased
  Total Consideration
   
 
  Average
Price
Per Share

 
  Number
  Percentage
  Amount
  Percentage
Existing stockholders   7,125,000   20.0 % $ 25,000   0.0146 % $ 0.004
New investors   28,500,000   80.0 % $ 171,000,000   99.9854 % $ 6.00
   
 
 
 
     
    35,625,000   100.0 % $ 171,025,000   100.0 %    
   
 
 
 
     

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Capitalization

        The following table sets forth our capitalization at September 30, 2004 and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our units and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of our units:

 
  September 30, 2004
 
 
  Actual
  As
Adjusted

 
Common stock, $.0001 par value, -0- and 5,697,150 shares which are subject to possible conversion, shares at conversion value   $   $ 31,277,354  
   
 
 
Stockholders' equity:              
  Preferred stock, $.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding   $      
   
 
 
  Common stock, $.0001 par value, 120,000,000 shares authorized; 7,125,000 shares issued and outstanding; 29,927,850 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 5,697,150 shares subject to possible conversion), as adjusted     713     2,993  
  Additional paid-in capital     24,287     127,324,653  
  Deficit accumulated during the development stage     (1,452 )   (1,452 )
   
 
 
    Total stockholders' equity     23,548     127,326,194  
   
 
 
    Total capitalization   $ 23,548   $ 158,603,548  
   
 
 

        If we consummate a business combination, the conversion rights afforded to our public stockholders may result in the conversion into cash of up to approximately 19.99% of the aggregate number of shares sold in this offering at a per-share conversion price equal to the amount in the trust fund, inclusive of any interest thereon, as of two business days prior to the proposed consummation of a business combination divided by the number of shares sold in this offering.

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Management's Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

        We were formed on September 17, 2004, to serve as a vehicle to acquire one or more vessels or an operating business in the shipping industry through a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition or other similar business combination. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of this offering, our capital stock, debt or a combination of cash, capital stock and debt, in effecting a business combination. The issuance of additional shares of our capital stock:

        Similarly, if we issued debt securities, it could result in:

        We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our entire activity since inception has been to prepare for our proposed fundraising through an offering of our equity securities.

        We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of the units, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $2,160,000, including $1,710,000 evidencing the underwriters' non-accountable expense allowance of 1% of the gross proceeds, and underwriting discounts of approximately $10,260,000 (or $11,799,000 if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be approximately $158,580,000 (or $182,691,000 if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $156,465,000, or $180,576,000 if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be held in trust and the remaining $2,115,000 in either case will not be held in trust. We will use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering to acquire a target business, including identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, selecting the target business, and structuring, negotiating and consummating the business combination. To the extent that our capital stock is used in whole or in part as consideration to effect a business combination, the proceeds held in the trust fund as well as any other net proceeds not expended will be used to finance the operations of the target business. We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust fund will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months, assuming that a business combination is not consummated during that time. Over this time period, we anticipate approximately $180,000 of expenses for legal, accounting and other expenses attendant to the due diligence investigations, structuring and negotiating of a business combination, $99,000 for administrative services and support payable to unaffiliated third parties (up to $5,500 per month for

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18 months), $50,000 of expenses for the due diligence and investigation of a target business, $40,000 of expenses in legal and accounting fees relating to our SEC reporting obligations and $1,746,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses and reserves, including approximately $60,000 for director and officer liability insurance premiums. We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, we may need to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities if such funds are required to consummate a business combination that is presented to us. We would only consummate such a fund raising simultaneously with the consummation of a business combination.

        As of September 23, 2004, Ms. Frangou has advanced a total of approximately $230,000 to us, on a non-interest bearing basis, for payment of offering expenses on our behalf. The loans will be payable without interest on the earlier of September 23, 2005 or the consummation of this offering. The loans will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering not being placed in trust.

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Proposed Business

Introduction

        We are a recently organized Delaware blank check company formed to serve as a vehicle for the acquisition of one or more vessels or an operating business in the shipping industry.

        The international maritime shipping industry provides the most practicable and cost-effective means of transporting large volumes of many essential wet and dry cargoes. The wet markets involve the transportation of crude oil, refined petroleum cargoes and liquid chemicals while the dry markets, which we intend to focus on, involve the transportation of dry bulk and general cargoes. Dry bulk and general cargoes include, among other products, coal, steel products, forest products, agricultural products, construction materials and heavy equipment, machinery and spare parts. Total demand for vessels that transport dry bulk and general cargoes has steadily increased as the world's economy and international trade have grown. Accordingly, we believe this represents the most attractive segment of the international maritime shipping industry for us in which to attempt to complete a business combination.

        The types of dry bulk vessels that we will seek to acquire or operate are generally categorized according to their size and the total weight that the vessel can carry when loaded to a defined load line as follows:

        The demand for each of these types of vessels is determined according to the type of cargoes they can hold and the external factors that affect each type of cargo, as well as the relative supply of such vessels on the worldwide market. For instance, larger vessels generally carry fewer types of cargo and are therefore affected by fluctuations in demand among a smaller number of products. Alternatively, smaller vessels, such as handysize vessels, generally transport a wider variety of cargoes and therefore have a more diversified demand. Demand for each type of vessel can be increased as a result of scrapping of older vessels and the lack of newly built ones. In determining which type of vessels to acquire, our management will weigh these and other factors in order to attempt to acquire the most productive and profitable vessels or business available.

Government regulations

        Government regulation significantly affects the ownership and operation of vessels including international conventions, national, state and local laws and regulations in force in the countries in which vessels may operate or are registered.

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        A variety of governmental and private entities subject vessels to both scheduled and unscheduled inspections. These entities include the local port authorities (U.S. Coast Guard, harbor master or equivalent), classification societies, flag state administration (country of registry) and charterers, particularly terminal operators. Certain of these entities require vessel owners to obtain permits, licenses and certificates for the operation of their vessels. Failure to maintain necessary permits or approvals could require a vessel owner to incur substantial costs or temporarily suspend operation of one or more of its vessels.

        We believe that the heightened level of environmental and quality concerns among insurance underwriters, regulators and charterers is leading to greater inspection and safety requirements on all vessels and may accelerate the scrapping of older vessels throughout the industry. Increasing environmental concerns have created a demand for vessels that conform to the stricter environmental standards. Vessel owners are required to maintain operating standards for all vessels that will emphasize operational safety, quality maintenance, continuous training of officers and crews and compliance with United States and international regulations. Because these laws and regulations are frequently changed and may impose increasingly stricter requirements, we cannot predict the ultimate cost of complying with these requirements, or the impact of these requirements on our proposed business.

        The International Maritime Organization ("IMO") has negotiated international conventions that impose liability for oil pollution in international waters and a signatory's territorial waters. In September 1997, the IMO adopted Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, which was ratified on May 18, 2004, and will become effective on May 19, 2005. Annex VI sets limits on sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from ship exhausts and prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone depleting substances, such as chlorofluorocarbons. Annex VI also includes a global cap on the sulfur content of fuel oil and allows for special areas to be established with more stringent controls on sulfur emissions. Annex VI and new conventions, laws and regulations that may be adopted, in the future, could adversely affect our ability to manage vessels we acquire or operate.

        Under the International Safety Management Code ("ISM Code"), promulgated by the IMO, the party with operational control of a vessel is required to develop an extensive safety management system that includes, among other things, the adoption of a safety and environmental protection policy setting forth instructions and procedures for operating its vessels safely and describing procedures for responding to emergencies.

        The ISM Code requires that vessel operators obtain a safety management certificate for each vessel they operate. This certificate evidences compliance by a vessel's management with code requirements for a safety management system. No vessel can obtain a certificate unless its manager has been awarded a document of compliance, issued by the respective flag state for the vessel, under the ISM Code.

        Noncompliance with the ISM Code and other IMO regulations may subject a ship owner to increased liability, may lead to decreases in available insurance coverage for affected vessels and may result in the denial of access to, or detention in, some ports. For example, the United States Coast Guard and European Union authorities have indicated that vessels not in compliance with the ISM Code will be prohibited from trading in ports in the United States and European Union.

        Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, there have been a variety of initiatives intended to enhance vessel security. On November 25, 2002, the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 ("MTSA") came into effect. To implement certain portions of the MTSA, in July 2003, the United States Coast Guard issued regulations requiring the implementation of certain security requirements

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aboard vessels operating in waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Similarly, in December 2002, amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea ("SOLAS") created a new chapter of the convention dealing specifically with maritime security. The new chapter went into effect on July 1, 2004 and imposes various detailed security obligations on vessels and port authorities, most of which are contained in the newly created International Ship and Port Facilities Security ("ISPS") Code. Among the various requirements are:


        The United States Coast Guard regulations, intended to align with international maritime security standards, exempt non-U.S. vessels from MTSA vessel security measures provided such vessels have on board, by July 1, 2004, a valid International Ship Security Certificate ("ISSC") that attests to the vessel's compliance with SOLAS security requirements and the ISPS Code.

        Every seagoing vessel must be "classed" by a classification society. The classification society certifies that the vessel is "in class," signifying that the vessel has been built and maintained in accordance with the rules of the classification society and complies with applicable rules and regulations of the vessel's country of registry and the international conventions of which that country is a member. In addition, where surveys are required by international conventions and corresponding laws and ordinances of a flag state, the classification society will undertake them on application or by official order, acting on behalf of the authorities concerned.

        The classification society also undertakes on request other surveys and checks that are required by regulations and requirements of the flag state. These surveys are subject to agreements made in each individual case or to the regulations of the country concerned.

        For maintenance of the class, regular and extraordinary surveys of hull, machinery, including the electrical plant, and any special equipment classed are required to be performed as follows:

        Annual Surveys:    For seagoing ships, annual surveys are conducted for the hull and the machinery, including the electrical plant, and where applicable for special equipment classed, at intervals of 12 months from the date of commencement of the class period indicated in the certificate.

        Intermediate Surveys:    Extended annual surveys are referred to as intermediate surveys and typically are conducted two and one-half years after commissioning and each class renewal. Intermediate surveys may be carried out on the occasion of the second or third annual survey.

        Class Renewal Surveys:    Class renewal surveys, also known as special surveys, are carried out for the ship's hull, machinery, including the electrical plant, and for any special equipment classed, at the intervals indicated by the character of classification for the hull. At the special survey, the vessel is thoroughly examined, including audio-gauging to determine the thickness of the steel structures. Should the thickness be found to be less than class requirements, the classification society would prescribe steel renewals. The classification society may grant a one-year grace period for completion of the special survey. Substantial amounts of money may have to be spent for steel renewals to pass a special survey if the vessel experiences excessive wear and tear. In lieu of the special survey every four or five years, depending on whether a grace period was granted, a ship owner has the option of arranging with the classification society for the vessel's hull or machinery to be on a continuous survey cycle, in which every part of the vessel would be surveyed within a five-year cycle.

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        At an owner's application, the surveys required for class renewal may be split according to an agreed schedule to extend over the entire period of class. This process is referred to as continuous class renewal.

        All areas subject to survey as defined by the classification society are required to be surveyed at least once per class period, unless shorter intervals between surveys are prescribed elsewhere. The period between two subsequent surveys of each area must not exceed five years.

        Most vessels are also dry-docked every 30 to 36 months for inspection of the underwater parts and for repairs related to inspections. If any defects are found, the classification surveyor will issue a "recommendation" which must be rectified by the ship owner within prescribed time limits.

        Most insurance underwriters make it a condition for insurance coverage that a vessel be certified as "in class" by a classification society which is a member of the International Association of Classification Societies. All new and second-hand vessels that we will purchase will be certified prior to their delivery to us. If the vessel is not certified on the date of closing, we do not intend to take delivery of the vessel.

Effecting a business combination

        We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any substantive commercial business for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of this offering, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these in effecting a business combination. Although substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering are intended to be generally applied toward effecting a business combination as described in this prospectus, the proceeds are not otherwise being designated for any more specific purposes. Accordingly, prospective investors will invest in us without an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any one or more business combinations. A business combination may involve the acquisition of, or merger with, a company which does not need substantial additional capital but which desires to establish a public trading market for its shares, while avoiding what it may deem to be adverse consequences of undertaking a public offering itself. These include time delays, significant expense, loss of voting control and compliance with various Federal and state securities laws. In the alternative, we may seek to consummate a business combination with a company that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth. While we may seek to effect business combinations with more than one target business, we will probably have the ability, as a result of our limited resources, to effect only a single business combination or to acquire a limited number of vessels.

        To date, we have not selected any target business on which to concentrate our search for a business combination. Subject to the limitations that a target business have a fair market value of at least 80% of our net assets at the time of the acquisition, as described below in more detail, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. Accordingly, there is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete a business combination. To the extent we effect a business combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its early stage of development or growth, including entities without established records of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business and operations of financially unstable and early stage or potential emerging growth companies. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.

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        We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, venture capital funds, private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds, management buyout funds and other members of the financial community, who may present solicited or unsolicited proposals. Our officers and directors as well as their affiliates may also bring to our attention target business candidates. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms in the future, in which event we may pay a finder's fee or other compensation. In no event, however, will we pay any of our existing officers, directors or stockholders or any entity with which they are affiliated any finder's fee or other compensation for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the consummation of a business combination.

        Subject to the requirement that our initial business combination must be with a target business with a fair market value that is at least 80% of our net assets at the time of such acquisition, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target business. In evaluating a prospective target business, our management will consider, among other factors, the following:

        These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular business combination will be based, to the extent relevant, on the above factors as well as other considerations deemed relevant by our management in effecting a business combination consistent with our business objective. In evaluating a prospective target business, we will conduct an extensive due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management, where applicable, and inspection of facilities, as well as review of financial and other information which will be made available to us.

        The time and costs required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete the business combination cannot presently be ascertained with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which a business combination is not ultimately completed will result in a loss to us and reduce the amount of capital available to otherwise complete a business combination. However, we will not pay any finders or

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consulting fees to our existing stockholders, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to or in connection with a business combination.

        The initial target business that we acquire must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of our net assets at the time of such acquisition. The fair market value of such business will be determined by our board of directors based upon standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as actual and potential sales, earnings and cash flow and book value. If our board is not able to independently determine that the target business has a sufficient fair market value, we will obtain an opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm which is a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Since any opinion, if obtained, would merely state that fair market value meets the 80% of net assets threshold, it is not anticipated that copies of such opinion would be distributed to our stockholders, although copies will be provided to stockholders who request it. We will not be required to obtain an opinion from an investment banking firm as to the fair market value if our board of directors independently determines that the target business has sufficient fair market value.

        While we may seek to effect business combinations with more than one target business, our initial business combination must be with a target business which satisfies the minimum valuation standard at the time of such acquisition, as discussed above. Consequently, it is probable that we will have the ability to effect only a single business combination or to acquire a limited number of vessels. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be entirely dependent upon the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations of entities operating in multiple industries or multiple areas of a single industry, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses. By consummating a business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:


Additionally, since our business combination may entail the simultaneous acquisitions of several vessels or operating business at the same time and may be with different sellers, we will need to convince such sellers to agree that the purchase of their vessels or closely related businesses is contingent upon the simultaneous closings of the other acquisitions.

        Although we expect most of our management and other key personnel, particularly our chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president, to remain associated with us following a business combination, we may employ other personnel following the business combination. Although we intend to closely scrutinize such individuals, we cannot assure you that our assessment will prove to be correct. In addition, we cannot assure you that new members that join our management following a business combination will have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to help manage a public company.

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        Prior to the completion of a business combination, we will submit the transaction to our stockholders for approval, even if the nature of the acquisition is such as would not ordinarily require stockholder approval under applicable state law. In connection with seeking stockholder approval of a business combination, we will furnish our stockholders with proxy solicitation materials prepared in accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which, among other matters, will include a description of the operations of the target business and certain required financial information regarding the business.

        In connection with the vote required for any business combination, all of our existing stockholders, including all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote their respective shares of common stock owned by them immediately prior to this offering in accordance with the majority of the shares of common stock voted by the public stockholders. This voting arrangement shall not apply to shares included in units purchased in this offering or purchased following this offering in the open market by any of our existing stockholders, officers and directors. We will proceed with the business combination only if a majority of the shares of common stock voted by the public stockholders are voted in favor of the business combination and public stockholders owning less than 20% of the shares sold in this offering exercise their conversion rights.

        At the time we seek stockholder approval of any business combination, we will offer each public stockholder the right to have such stockholder's shares of common stock converted to cash if the stockholder votes against the business combination and the business combination is approved and completed. The actual per-share conversion price will be equal to the amount in the trust fund, inclusive of any interest (calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the proposed business combination), divided by the number of shares sold in this offering. Without taking into any account interest earned on the trust fund, the initial per-share conversion price would be $5.49, or $0.51 less than the per-unit offering price of $6.00. An eligible stockholder may request conversion at any time after the mailing to our stockholders of the proxy statement and prior to the vote taken with respect to a proposed business combination at a meeting held for that purpose, but the request will not be granted unless the stockholder votes against the business combination and the business combination is approved and completed. Any request for conversion, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date of the meeting. It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to stockholders entitled to convert their shares who elect conversion will be distributed promptly after completion of a business combination. Public stockholders who convert their stock into their share of the trust fund still have the right to exercise the warrants that they received as part of the units. We will not complete any business combination if public stockholders, owning 20% or more of the shares sold in this offering, exercise their conversion rights.

        If we do not complete a business combination within 12 months after the consummation of this offering, or within 18 months if the extension criteria described below have been satisfied, we will be dissolved and will distribute to all of our public stockholders, in proportion to their respective equity interests, an aggregate sum equal to the amount in the trust fund, inclusive of any interest, plus any remaining net assets. Our existing stockholders have waived their rights to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to shares of common stock owned by them immediately prior to this offering. There will be no distribution from the trust fund with respect to our warrants.

        If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust fund, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust fund, the initial

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per-share liquidation price would be $5.49, or $0.51 less than the per-unit offering price of $6.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust fund could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which could be prior to the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share liquidation price will not be less than $5.49, plus interest, due to claims of creditors. Angeliki Frangou, our chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president, has agreed pursuant to agreements with us and Sunrise Capital Corp. that, if we distribute the proceeds held in trust to our public stockholders, she will be personally liable to pay debts and obligations to vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or products sold to us in excess of the net proceeds of this offering not held in the trust account. We cannot assure you, however, that Ms. Frangou would be able to satisfy those obligations.

        If we enter into either a letter of intent, an agreement in principle or a definitive agreement to complete a business combination prior to the expiration of 12 months after the consummation of this offering, but are unable to complete the business combination within the 12-month period, then we will have an additional six months in which to complete the business combination contemplated by the letter of intent, agreement in principle or definitive agreement. If we are unable to do so by the expiration of the 18-month period from the consummation of this offering, we will then liquidate. Upon notice from us, the trustee of the trust fund will commence liquidating the investments constituting the trust fund and will turn over the proceeds to our transfer agent for distribution to our public stockholders. We anticipate that our instruction to the trustee would be given promptly after the expiration of the applicable 12-month or 18-month period.

        Our public stockholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust fund only in the event of our liquidation or if the stockholders seek to convert their respective shares into cash upon a business combination which the stockholder voted against and which is actually completed by us. In no other circumstances shall a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust fund.

Competition

        In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than us and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Further:

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Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. Our management believes, however, that our status as a public entity and potential access to the United States public equity markets may give us a competitive advantage over privately-held entities having a similar business objective as us in acquiring a target business with significant growth potential on favorable terms.

        If we succeed in effecting a business combination, there will be, in all likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the target business. We cannot assure you that, subsequent to a business combination, we will have the resources or ability to compete effectively.

Facilities

        We maintain our executive offices at 1225 Franklin Avenue, Suite 325, Garden City, New York. The cost for this space provided by SCORY LLC d/b/a The Intelligent Office is approximately $1,500 per month and includes certain other additional services provided by SCORY LLC and is included in the total $5,500 per-month fee we may pay for general and administrative services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.

Employees

        We have three officers, two of whom are also members of our board of directors. These individuals are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week and intend to devote only as much time as they deem necessary to our affairs. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on the availability of suitable target businesses to investigate, although we expect Ms. Frangou, our chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president, to devote an average of approximately ten hours per week to our business. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the consummation of a business combination.

Periodic Reporting and Financial Information

        We have registered our units, common stock and warrants under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual and quarterly reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent accountants.

        We will not acquire an operating business in the shipping industry if audited financial statements based on United States generally accepted accounting principles cannot be obtained for such target business. Alternatively, we will not acquire a vessel or vessels if the financial information called for by applicable law cannot be obtained for such vessels. Additionally, our management will provide stockholders with the foregoing financial information as part of the proxy solicitation materials sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing each specific target business or vessel or vessels we seek to acquire. Our management believes that the requirement of having available financial information for the target business or vessel or vessels may limit the pool of potential target businesses or vessels available for acquisition.

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Comparison to offerings of blank check companies

        The following table compares and contrasts the terms of our offering and the terms of an offering of blank check companies under Rule 419 promulgated by the SEC assuming that the gross proceeds, underwriting discounts and underwriting expenses for the Rule 419 offering are the same as this offering and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the terms of a Rule 419 offering will apply to this offering.

 
  Terms of Our Offering
  Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Escrow of offering proceeds   $156,465,000 of the net offering proceeds will be deposited into a trust account at JPMorgan Chase NY Bank maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company.   $143,127,000 of the offering proceeds would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account.

Investment of net proceeds

 

The $156,465,000 of net offering proceeds held in trust will only be invested in U.S. "government securities," defined as any Treasury Bill issued by the United States having a maturity of one hundred and eighty days or less.

 

Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act of 1940 or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States.

Limitation on Fair Value or Net Assets of Target Business

 

  
The initial target business that we acquire must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of our net assets at the time of such acquisition.

 

  
We would be restricted from acquiring a target business unless the fair value of such business or net assets to be acquired represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds.
         

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Trading of securities issued

 

The units may commence trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin to trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless Sunrise Securities Corp. informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, provided we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K, which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the proceeds of this offering, including any proceeds we receive from the exercise of the over-allotment option, if such option is exercised prior to the filing of the Form 8-K.

 

No trading of the units or the underlying common stock and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account.

Exercise of the warrants

 

The warrants cannot be exercised until the later of the completion of a business combination or one year from the date of this prospectus and, accordingly, will only be exercised after the trust fund has been terminated and distributed.

 

The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account.
         

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Election to remain an investor

 

We will give our stockholders the opportunity to vote on the business combination. In connection with seeking stockholder approval, we will send each stockholder a proxy statement containing information required by the SEC. A stockholder following the procedures described in this prospectus is given the right to convert his or her shares into his or her pro rata share of the trust fund. However, a stockholder who does not follow these procedures or a stockholder who does not take any action would not be entitled to the return of any funds.

 

A prospectus containing information required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company, in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of the post-effective amendment, to decide whether he or she elects to remain a stockholder of the company or require the return of his or her investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account would automatically be returned to the stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all of the deposited funds in the escrow account must be returned to all investors and none of the securities will be issued.

Business combination deadline

 

A business combination must occur within 12 months after the consummation of this offering or within 18 months after the consummation of this offering if a letter of intent or definitive agreement relating to a prospective business combination was entered into prior to the end of the 12-month period.

 

If an acquisition has not been consummated within 18 months after the effective date of the initial registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account would be returned to investors.

Release of funds

 

The proceeds held in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the completion of a business combination or our liquidation upon our failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

 

The proceeds held in the escrow account would not be released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

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Management

Directors and Executive Officers

        Our current directors and executive officers are as follows:

Name

  Age
  Position

Angeliki Frangou   39   Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President
Dragan Topalovich   68   Vice President
Vasiliki Papaefthymiou   35   Secretary and Director
Spyridon Magoulas   50   Director
John Stratakis   39   Director
Julian David Brynteson   37   Director

        Angeliki Frangou has been our chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president since our inception. Ms. Frangou has been the chief executive officer of Maritime Enterprises Management S.A., a company located in Piraeus, Greece, that specializes in the management of dry cargo vessels of various types and sizes, since she founded the company in October 2001. From 1990 to October 2001, Ms. Frangou was the chief executive officer of Franser Shipping S.A., a company that was located in Piraeus, Greece, and was also engaged in the management of dry cargo vessels. Prior to her employment with Franser Shipping, Ms. Frangou was an analyst on the trading floor of Republic National Bank of New York, from 1987 to 1989. Ms. Frangou has also been a member of the board of directors of Emporiki Bank of Greece, the second largest retail bank in Greece, since April 2004. Ms. Frangou is a member of the Mediterranean Committee of China Classification Society and a member of the Hellenic and Black Sea Committee of Bureau Veritas. Ms. Frangou received a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from Fairleigh Dickinson University (summa cum laude) and a masters degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University.

        Dragan Topalovich has been a vice president of ours since our inception. Mr. Topalovich has been the president of Franser Brokerage Ltd., a New York chartering firm, since 1990. From 1973 to 1990, Mr. Topalovich served as an independent chartering broker in New York City for several commodity and ship management companies based in the United States and Western Europe. Mr. Topalovich is a graduate of Belgrade's Business Academy and University of Economics, where he majored in foreign trade, ocean transportation and fundamentals of international law. Mr. Topalovich also has attended a five-year intensive training program in international forwarding, customs and port procedures, management and contracting of ocean-going ships in worldwide trade.

        Vasiliki Papaefthymiou has been our secretary and a member of our board of directors since our inception. Ms. Papaefthymiou has served as general counsel for Maritime Enterprises since October 2001, where she has advised that company on shipping, corporate and finance legal matters. Ms. Papaefthymiou provided similar services as general counsel to Franser Shipping from October 1991 to September 2001. Ms. Papaefthymiou received an undergraduate degree from the Law School of the University of Athens and a masters degree in Maritime Law from Southampton University in the United Kingdom. Ms. Papaefthymiou is also admitted to practice before the Bar in Athens, Greece.

        Spyridon Magoulas has been a member of our board of directors since our inception. Mr. Magoulas is the co-founder and director of Doric Shipbrokers S.A., a chartering firm in the dry cargo vessel business based in Piraeus, Greece, and has served as the managing director of that company since its formation in 1994. From 1982 to 1993, Mr. Magoulas was a chartering director and shipbroker for Nicholas G. Moundreas Shipping S.A., a company located in Piraeus, Greece, and from 1980 to 1982, Mr. Magoulas served in the same positions at Orion and Global Chartering Inc. in New York. Mr. Magoulas also is a member of the Association of Ship Brokers and Agents in the United States. Mr. Magoulas received a bachelors degree in economics (honors) from the City University of New York, New York, a masters degree in transportation management from the Maritime College in

36



New York and a masters degree in political economy the New School for Social Research in New York, New York.

        John Stratakis has been a member of our board of directors since our inception. Since 1994, Mr. Stratakis has been a partner with the law firm of Poles, Tublin, Stratakis, Gonzalez & Weichert, LLP, in New York, New York, where he specializes in all aspects of marine finance and admiralty law, real estate, trusts and estates and general corporate law. From 1992 to 1993, Mr. Stratakis was an associate attorney with Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker, in New York, New York. Mr. Stratakis also has been a director and the Treasurer of the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce in New York since 2000. Mr. Stratakis received a bachelor of arts (summa cum laude) from Trinity College and a juris doctor degree from Washington College of Law-American University. Mr. Stratakis is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and in the courts of the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.

        Julian David Brynteson has been a member of our board of directors since our inception. Mr. Brynteson has been employed in various capacities with Braemar Seascope Ltd., a London Stock Exchange-listed company and a leading worldwide shipbroker, since 1987, acting as a director since 1991, a partner in 1993 and a director in the sale and purchase department in March 2001. Braemar Seascope is the survivor of the merger between Braemar Shipbrokers Ltd. and Seascope Shipping Ltd. Mr. Brynteson has sea-going experience as trainee ship officer with Denholms, an owner and agent of cruise ships, located in Glasgow, Scotland, from October 1985 to March 1986, and from April 1986 to February 1987 was employed as a trainee dry-cargo broker with P+O Australia in its Melbourne, Australia offices. Mr. Brynteson received a degree in english literature, modern history and business studies from Haywards Heath College, West Sussex, England.

        Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class serving a three-year term. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of John Stratakis, will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Julian David Brynteson and Spyridon Magoulas, will expire at the second annual meeting. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Angeliki Frangou and Visiliki Papaefthymiou, will expire at the third annual meeting.

        These individuals will play a key role in identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, selecting the target business, and structuring, negotiating and consummating its acquisition. None of these individuals has been a principal of or affiliated with a public company or blank check company that executed a business plan similar to our business plan and none of these individuals is currently affiliated with such an entity. However, we believe that the skills and expertise of these individuals, their collective access to acquisition opportunities and ideas, their contacts, and their transaction expertise should enable them to successfully identify and effect an acquisition although we cannot assure you that they will, in fact, be able to do so.

Executive Compensation

        No executive officer has received any cash compensation for services rendered. No compensation of any kind, including finder's and consulting fees, will be paid to any of our existing stockholders, including our officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with a business combination. However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. There is no limit on the amount of these out-of-pocket expenses and there will be no review of the reasonableness of the expenses by anyone other than our board of directors, which includes persons who may seek reimbursement, or a court of competent jurisdiction if such reimbursement is challenged. If all of our directors are not deemed "independent," we will not have the benefit of independent directors examining the propriety of expenses incurred on our behalf and subject to reimbursement.

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Conflicts of Interest

        Potential investors should be aware of the following potential conflicts of interest:

        In general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:

        Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. In addition, conflicts of interest may arise when our board evaluates a particular business opportunity with respect to the above-listed criteria. We cannot assure you that any of the above mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.

        In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple corporate affiliations, each of our officers and directors has agreed in principle, until the earlier of a business combination, our liquidation or such time as he ceases to be an officer or director, to present to us for our consideration, prior to presentation to any other entity, any business opportunity which may reasonably be required to be presented to us under Delaware law, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary obligations they might have.

        In connection with the vote required for any business combination, all of our existing stockholders, including all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote their respective shares of common stock which were owned prior to this offering in accordance with the vote of the public stockholders owning a majority of the shares of our common stock sold in this offering. In addition, they have agreed to waive their respective rights to participate in any liquidation distribution occuring upon our failure to consummate a business combination but only with respect to those shares of common stock acquired by them prior to this offering.

        To further minimize potential conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate a business combination with an entity which is affiliated with any of our existing stockholders unless we obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that the business combination is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view.

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Principal Stockholders

        The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of November 29, 2004, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our common stock included in the units offered by this prospectus (assuming no purchase of units in this offering), by:

        Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them.

 
   
  Approximate Percentage
of Outstanding Common Stock

 
 
  Amount and
Nature of
Beneficial
Ownership

 
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)

  Before
Offering

  After
Offering

 
Angeliki Frangou   6,705,882   94.1 % 18.8 %
Vasiliki Papaefthymiou   352,059   4.9 % *  
Spyridon Magoulas   25,147   *   *  
Julian David Brynteson   25,147   *   *  
John Stratakis   16,765   *   *  
Dragan Topalovich   0   0   0  
All directors and executive officers as a group (6 individuals)   7,125,000   100.0 % 20.0 %

(1)
Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is 1225 Franklin Avenue, Suite 325, Garden City, New York 11530.

        Angeliki Frangou has indicated that she or an affiliate of her's plans on purchasing up to $20 million of units in the offering. However, she is not obligated to do so and we do not have any agreements or arrangements with her requiring her to purchase such securities. None of our other existing shareholders, officers and directors has indicated to us that he or she intends to purchase units in the offering. Assuming these securities are not purchased, immediately after this offering, our existing stockholders, which include all of our officers and directors, collectively, will beneficially own 20% of the then issued and outstanding shares of our common stock. Because of this ownership block, these stockholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions other than approval of a business combination.

        All of the shares of our common stock outstanding prior to the date of this prospectus will be placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent, until the earliest of:


        During the escrow period, the holders of these shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except to their spouses and children or trusts established for their benefit, but will retain all

39


other rights as our stockholders, including, without limitation, the right to vote their shares of common stock and the right to receive cash dividends, if declared. If dividends are declared and payable in shares of common stock, such dividends will also be placed in escrow. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate, none of our existing stockholders will receive any portion of the liquidation proceeds with respect to common stock owned by them prior to the date of this prospectus.

        Angeliki Frangou has agreed with Sunrise Securities Corp. that after this offering is completed and within the first forty trading days after separate trading of the warrants has commenced, she or certain of her affiliates or designees will collectively purchase up to 5,000,000 warrants in the public marketplace at prices not to exceed $0.70 per warrant. She has further agreed that any warrants purchased by her or her affiliates or designees will not be sold or transferred until the completion of a business combination. The warrants may trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless Sunrise Securities Corp. determines that an earlier date is acceptable. In no event will Sunrise Securities Corp. allow separate trading of the common stock and warrants until we file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the proceeds of this offering including any proceeds we receive from the exercise of the over-allotment option if such option is exercised prior to our filing of the Form 8-K. Purchases of warrants demonstrate confidence in our ultimate ability to effect a business combination because the warrants will expire worthless if we are unable to consummate a business combination.

        Ms. Frangou may be deemed to be our "parent" and "promoter," as these terms are defined under the Federal securities laws.


Certain Transactions

        In September 2004, we issued 4,250,000 shares of our common stock to the individuals set forth below for $25,000 in cash, at an average purchase price of approximately $0.006 per share, as follows:

Name

  Number of Shares
  Relationship to Us
Angeliki Frangou   4,000,000   Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President
Vasiliki Papaefthymiou   210,000   Secretary and Director
Spyridon Magoulas   15,000   Director
Julian David Brynteson   15,000   Director
John Stratakis   10,000   Director

        On November 29, 2004, our board of directors authorized a stock dividend of approximately 0.676 shares of common stock for each outstanding share of common stock, effectively lowering the purchase price to approximately $0.004 per share.

        The holders of the majority of these shares will be entitled to make up to two demands that we register these shares pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the date of this prospectus. The holders of the majority of these shares may elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after the date on which these shares of common stock are released from escrow, which, except in limited circumstances, is not before three years from the date of this prospectus. In addition, these stockholders have certain "piggy-back" registration rights on registration statements filed subsequent to the date on which these shares of common stock are released from escrow. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

        Angeliki Frangou has advanced a total of approximately $230,000 to us as of the date of this prospectus to cover expenses related to this offering. The loans will be payable without interest on the earlier of September 23, 2005 or the consummation of this offering. We intend to repay these loans from the proceeds of this offering not being placed in trust.

        We will reimburse our officers and directors for any reasonable out-of-pocket business expenses incurred by them in connection with certain activities on our behalf such as identifying and

40


investigating possible target businesses and business combinations. There is no limit on the amount of accountable out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us, which will be reviewed only by our board or a court of competent jurisdiction if such reimbursement is challenged.

        Other than the reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses payable to our officers and directors, no compensation or fees of any kind, including finders and consulting fees, will be paid to any of our existing stockholders, officers or directors who owned our common stock prior to this offering, or to any of their respective affiliates for services rendered to us prior to or with respect to the business combination.

        All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates, including loans by our officers and directors, will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable than are available from unaffiliated third parties and such transactions or loans, including any forgiveness of loans, will require prior approval in each instance by a majority of our uninterested "independent" directors (to the extent we have any) or the members of our board who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel.


Description of Securities

General

        We are authorized to issue 120,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $.0001, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $.0001. As of the date of this prospectus, 7,125,000 shares of common stock are outstanding, held by five recordholders. No shares of preferred stock are currently outstanding.

Units

        Each unit consists of one share of common stock and two warrants. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of common stock. The common stock and warrants will begin to trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless Sunrise Securities Corp. informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, provided that in no event may the common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes this audited balance sheet upon the consummation of this offering. The audited balance sheet will reflect proceeds we receive from the exercise of the over-allotment option, if the over-allotment option is exercised prior to the filing of the Form 8-K.

Common stock

        Our stockholders are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. In connection with the vote required for any business combination, all of our existing stockholders, including all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote their respective shares of common stock owned by them immediately prior to this offering in accordance with the public stockholders. This voting arrangement shall not apply to shares included in units purchased in this offering or purchased following this offering in the open market by any of our existing stockholders, officers and directors. Additionally, our existing stockholders, officers and directors will vote all of their shares in any manner they determine, in their sole discretion, with respect to any other items that come before a vote of our stockholders.

        We will proceed with the business combination only if a majority of the shares of common stock voted by the public stockholders are voted in favor of the business combination and public stockholders owning less than 20% of the shares sold in this offering exercise their conversion rights discussed below.

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        Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the election of directors can elect all of the directors.

        If we are forced to liquidate prior to a business combination, our public stockholders are entitled to share ratably in the trust fund, inclusive of any interest, and any net assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities. Our existing stockholders have agreed to waive their rights to share in any distribution with respect to common stock owned by them prior to the offering if we are forced to liquidate.

        Our stockholders have no conversion, preemptive or other subscription rights and there are no sinking fund or redemption provisions applicable to the common stock, except that public stockholders have the right to have their shares of common stock converted to cash equal to their pro rata share of the trust fund if they vote against the business combination and the business combination is approved and completed. Public stockholders who convert their stock into their share of the trust fund still have the right to exercise the warrants that they received as part of the units.

Preferred stock

        Our certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of 1,000,000 shares of blank check preferred stock with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our board of directors. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering. Accordingly, our board of directors is empowered, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights which could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of common stock, although the underwriting agreement prohibits us, prior to a business combination, from issuing preferred stock which participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust fund, or which votes as a class with the common stock on a business combination. We may issue some or all of the preferred stock to effect a business combination. In addition, the preferred stock could be utilized as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of us. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future.

Warrants

        No warrants are currently outstanding. Each warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of our common stock at a price of $5.00 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of:

        The warrants will expire four years from the date of this prospectus at 5:00 p.m., New York City time.

        We may call the warrants for redemption, with Sunrise Securities Corp.'s prior consent,

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        The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants.

        The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable on exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of common stock at a price below their respective exercise prices.

        The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price, by certified check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of common stock. After the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.

        No warrants will be exercisable unless at the time of exercise a prospectus relating to common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is current and the common stock has been registered or qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to meet these conditions and use our best efforts to maintain a current prospectus relating to common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. The warrants may be deprived of any value and the market for the warrants may be limited if the prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon the exercise of the warrants is not current or if the common stock is not qualified or exempt from qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders of the warrants reside.

        No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round up to the nearest whole number the number of shares of common stock to be issued to the warrant holder.

Dividends

        We have not paid any dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay dividends prior to the completion of a business combination. The payment of dividends in the future will be contingent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of a business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our then board of directors. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future.

Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent

        The transfer agent for our securities and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 17 Battery Place, New York, New York 10004.

Shares Eligible for Future Sale

        Immediately after this offering, we will have 35,625,000 shares of common stock outstanding, or 39,900,000 shares if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full. Of these shares, the 28,500,000 shares sold in this offering, or 32,775,000 shares if the over-allotment option is exercised, will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any

43



shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the remaining 7,125,000 shares are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering. None of those will be eligible for sale under Rule 144 prior to September 23, 2005. Notwithstanding this, all of those shares have been placed in escrow and will not be transferable for a period of three years from the date of this prospectus and will only be released prior to that date subject to certain limited exceptions.

        In general, under Rule 144 as currently in effect, a person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock for at least one year would be entitled to sell within any three-month period a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of either of the following:

        Sales under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.

        Under Rule 144(k), a person who is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of or at any time during the three months preceding a sale, and who has beneficially owned the restricted shares proposed to be sold for at least two years, including the holding period of any prior owner other than an affiliate, is entitled to sell their shares without complying with the manner of sale, public information, volume limitation or notice provisions of Rule 144.

        The Securities and Exchange Commission has taken the position that promoters or affiliates of a blank check company and their transferees, both before and after a business combination, would act as an "underwriter" under the Securities Act when reselling the securities of a blank check company. Accordingly, the Securities and Exchange Commission believes that those securities can be resold only through a registered offering and that Rule 144 would not be available for those resale transactions despite technical compliance with the requirements of Rule 144.

        The holders of our 7,125,000 issued and outstanding shares of common stock on the date of this prospectus will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. The holders of the majority of these shares are entitled to make up to two demands that we register these shares. The holders of the majority of these shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after the date on which these shares of common stock are released from escrow. In addition, these stockholders have certain "piggy-back" registration rights on registration statements filed subsequent to the date on which these shares of common stock are released from escrow. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

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Underwriting

        In accordance with the terms and conditions contained in the underwriting agreement, we have agreed to sell to each of the underwriters named below, and each of the underwriters, for which Sunrise Securities Corp. is acting as representative, have severally, and not jointly, agreed to purchase on a firm commitment basis the number of units offered in this offering set forth opposite their respective names below:

Underwriters

  Number of Units
Sunrise Securities Corp.    

Total

 

 
   

        A copy of the underwriting agreement has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

State Blue Sky Information

        We will offer and sell the units to retail customers only in Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New York and Rhode Island. In New York and Hawaii, we have relied on exemptions from the state registration requirements for transactions between an issuer and an underwriter involving a firm-commitment underwritten offering. In the other states, we have applied to have the units registered for sale and will not sell the units in these states until such registration is effective (including in Colorado, pursuant to 11-51-302(6) of the Colorado Revised Statutes).

        If you are not an institutional investor, you may purchase our securities in this offering only in the jurisdictions described directly above. Institutional investors in every state except in Idaho and South Dakota may purchase the units in this offering pursuant to exemptions provided to such entities under the Blue Sky laws of various states. The definition of an "institutional investor" varies from state to state but generally includes financial institutions, broker-dealers, banks, insurance companies and other qualified entities.

        Under the National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, the resale of the units, from and after the effective date, and the common stock and warrants comprising the units, once they become separately transferable, are exempt from state registration requirements because we will file periodic and annual reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. However, states are permitted to require notice filings and collect fees with regard to these transactions and a state may suspend the offer and sale of securities within such state if any such required filing is not made or fee is not paid. Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin do not presently require any notice filings or fee payments. Delaware, the District of Columbia, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Vermont permit the resale of the units, and the common stock and warrants comprising the units, once they become separately transferable, if the proper notice filings have been made and fees paid. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not determined in which, if any, of these states we will submit the required filings or pay the required fee. Additionally, if any of these states that has not yet adopted a statute relating to the National Securities Markets Improvement Act adopts such a statute in the future requiring a filing or fee or if any state amends its existing statutes with respect to its requirements, we would need to comply with those new requirements in order for the securities to continue to be eligible for resale in those jurisdictions.

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        Despite the exemption from state registration provided by the National Securities Markets Improvement Act, described above, the following states, regardless of whether they require a filing to be made or fee to be paid, have advised us that they do not recognize this act as a basis for exempting the registration of resales in their states of securities issued in blank check offerings: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming. We do not intend to register the resale of the securities sold in this offering in these states.

        However, we believe that the units, from and after the effective date, and the common stock and warrants comprising the units, once they become separately transferable, will be eligible for sale on a secondary market basis in each of the following states, without any notice filings or fee payments, based upon the availability of another applicable exemption from the state's registration requirements:

        Idaho and South Dakota have informed us that they do not permit the resale in their states of securities issued in blank check offerings, without exception. We will amend this prospectus for the purpose of disclosing additional states, if any, which advise us that our securities will be eligible for secondary trading without registration.

Pricing of Securities

        We have been advised by the representative that the underwriters propose to offer the units to the public at the initial offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. They may allow some dealers concessions not in excess of $            per unit and the dealers may reallow a concession not in excess of $            per unit to other dealers.

        Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the representative. Factors considered in determining the prices and terms of the units, including the common stock and warrants underlying the units, include:

However, although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities for an operating company in a particular industry since the underwriters are unable to compare our financial results and prospects with those of public companies operating in the same industry.

Over-Allotment Option

        We have also granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable during the 45-day period commencing on the date of this prospectus, to purchase from us at the offering price, less underwriting discounts, up to an aggregate of 4,275,000 additional units for the sole purpose of covering over-allotments, if any. The over- allotment option will only be used to cover the net syndicate short position resulting from the initial distribution. The underwriters may exercise that option if the underwriters sell more units than the total number set forth in the table above. If any units underlying the option are purchased, the underwriters will severally purchase shares in approximately the same proportion as set forth in the table above.

46


Commissions and Discounts

        The following table shows the public offering price, underwriting discount to be paid by us to the underwriters and the proceeds, before expenses, to us. This information assumes either no exercise or full exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option.

 
  Per unit
  Without option
  With option
Public offering price   $ 6.00   $ 171,000,000   $ 196,650,000
Discount   $ 0.36   $ 10,260,000   $ 11,799,000
Non-accountable Expense Allowance(1)   $ 0.06   $ 1,710,000   $ 1,710,000
Proceeds before expenses(2)   $ 5.58   $ 159,030,000   $ 183,141,000

(1)
The non-accountable expense allowance is not payable with respect to the units sold upon exercise of the underwriters' over-allotment option.

(2)
The offering expenses are estimated at $450,000.

Warrant Solicitation Fee

        We have engaged Sunrise Securities Corp., the representative of the underwriters, on a non-exclusive basis, as our agent for the solicitation of the exercise of the warrants. To the extent not inconsistent with the guidelines of the NASD and the rules and regulations of the SEC, we have agreed to pay the representative for bona fide services rendered a commission equal to 5% of the exercise price for each warrant exercised more than one year after the date of this prospectus if the exercise was solicited by the underwriters. In addition to soliciting, either orally or in writing, the exercise of the warrants, the representative's services may also include disseminating information, either orally or in writing, to warrant holders about us or the market for our securities, and assisting in the processing of the exercise of the warrants. No compensation will be paid to the representative upon the exercise of the warrants if:

Regulatory Restrictions on Purchase of Securities

        Rules of the SEC may limit the ability of the underwriters to bid for or purchase our securities before the distribution of the securities is completed. However, the underwriters may engage in the following activities in accordance with the rules:

47


        Stabilization and syndicate covering transactions may cause the price of the securities to be higher than they would be in the absence of these transactions. The imposition of a penalty bid might also have an effect on the prices of the securities if it discourages resales of the securities.

        Neither we nor the underwriters makes any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the prices of the securities. These transactions may occur on the OTC Bulletin Board, in the over-the-counter market or on any trading market. If any of these transactions are commenced, they may be discontinued without notice at any time.

Other Terms

        We have granted the representative the right to have its designee present at all meetings of our board of directors for a period of five years from the date of this prospectus. The designee will be entitled to the same notices and communications sent by us to our directors and to attend directors' meetings, but will not have voting rights. The representative has not named a designee as of the date of this prospectus.

        Although they are not obligated to do so, any of the underwriters may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital, as needs may arise in the future, but there are no preliminary agreements or understandings between any of the underwriters and any potential targets. We are not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, but if we do, we may pay the underwriters a finder's fee that would be determined at that time in an arm's length negotiation where the terms would be fair and reasonable to each of the interested parties; provided that no agreement will be entered into and no fee will be paid prior to the one year anniversary of the date of this prospectus.

Indemnification

        We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against some liabilities, including civil liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in this respect.


Legal Matters

        The validity of the securities offered in this prospectus are being passed upon for us by Gusrae, Kaplan & Bruno, PLLC, New York, New York. Healy & Baillie, LLP, New York, New York, is acting as counsel for the issuer relating to maritime law. Graubard Miller, New York, New York, is acting as counsel for the underwriters in this offering.


Experts

        The financial statements included in this prospectus and in the registration statement have been audited by Goldstein Golub Kessler LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, to the extent and for the period set forth in their report appearing elsewhere in this prospectus and in the registration statement. The financial statements and the report of Goldstein Golub Kessler LLP are included in reliance upon their report given upon the authority of Goldstein Golub Kessler LLP as experts in auditing and accounting.

48




Where You Can Find Additional Information

        We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1, which includes exhibits, schedules and amendments, under the Securities Act, with respect to this offering of our securities. Although this prospectus, which forms a part of the registration statement, contains all material information included in the registration statement, parts of the registration statement have been omitted as permitted by rules and regulations of the SEC. We refer you to the registration statement and its exhibits for further information about us, our securities and this offering. The registration statement and its exhibits, as well as our other reports filed with the SEC, can be inspected and copied at the SEC's public reference room at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549-1004. The public may obtain information about the operation of the public reference room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains a web site at http://www.sec.gov which contains the Form S-1 and other reports, proxy and information statements and information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC.

49



International Shipping Enterprises, Inc.

(a corporation in the development stage)

Index to Financial Statements

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm   F-2

Financial statements

 

 
  Balance Sheet   F-3
  Statement of Operations   F-4
  Statement of Stockholders' Equity   F-5
  Statement of Cash Flows   F-6
  Notes to Financial Statements   F-7 - F-10

F-1



REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Directors and Shareholders
International Shipping Enterprises, Inc.

        We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of International Shipping Enterprises, Inc. (a corporation in the development stage) as of September 30, 2004, and the related statements of operations, stockholders' equity and cash flows for the period September 17, 2004 (inception) to September 30, 2004. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit.

        We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

        In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of International Shipping Enterprises, Inc. as of September 30, 2004, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period September 17, 2004 (inception) to September 30, 2004 in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles.

Goldstein Golub Kessler LLP
New York, New York

October 11, 2004 except for the fifth paragraph of Note 1, as to which the date is November 9, 2004,
and Note 7 as to which the date is November 29, 2004

F-2



International Shipping Enterprises, Inc.

(a corporation in the development stage)

Balance Sheet

 
  September 30,
2004

 
ASSETS        

Current assets

 

 

 

 
  Cash   $ 129,905  
  Prepaid expenses and other current assets     3,275  
   
 

Total Current assets

 

 

133,180

 
   
 
Deferred offering costs   $ 120,000  
   
 
Total assets   $ 253,180  
   
 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

Accrued expenses

 

$

465

 

Notes payable, stockholder

 

 

229,167

 
   
 
Total liabilities     229,632  
   
 
Commitment        

Stockholders' equity

 

 

 

 
  Preferred stock, $.0001 par value        
    Authorized 1,000,000 shares; none issued        
  Common stock, $.0001 par value        
    Authorized 120,000,000 shares        
    Issued and outstanding 7,125,000 shares     713  
  Additional paid-in capital     24,287  
  Deficit accumulated during the development stage     (1,452 )
   
 
Total stockholders' equity     23,548  
   
 
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity   $ 253,180  
   
 

See Notes to Financial Statements.

F-3



International Shipping Enterprises, Inc.

(a corporation in the development stage)

Statement of Operations

For the period from September 17, 2004 (inception) to September 30, 2004

Formation and operating costs   $ 1,452  
   
 
Net loss for the period   $ (1,452 )
   
 

Weighted average shares outstanding

 

 

7,125,000

 
   
 
Net loss per share   $ .00  
   
 

See Notes to Financial Statements.

F-4



International Shipping Enterprises, Inc.

(a corporation in the development stage)

Statement of Stockholders' Equity

For the period from September 17, 2004 (inception) to September 30, 2004

 
   
   
   
  Deficit
Accumulated
During the
Development
Stage

   
 
 
  Common Stock
   
   
 
 
  Addition
paid-in
capital

  Stockholders'
Equity

 
 
  Shares
  Amount
 
Common shares issued September 23, 2004 at $.00588 per share   4,250,000   $ 425   $ 24,575         $ 25,000  
Effect of Stock dividend (see Note 7)   2,875,000     288     (288 )          
Net Loss                   $ (1,452 )   (1,452 )
   
 
 
 
 
 
Balance at September 30, 2004   7,125,000   $ 713   $ 24,287   $ (1,452 ) $ 23,548  
   
 
 
 
 
 

See Notes to Financial Statements.

F-5



International Shipping Enterprises, Inc.

(a corporation in the development stage)

For the period from September 17, 2004 (inception) to September 30, 2004

Cash flow from operating activities        
  Net loss   $ (1,452 )
  Increase in prepaid rent     (3,275 )
  Increase in accrued expenses     465  
   
 
Net cash used in operating activities     (4,262 )
   
 
Cash flows from financing activities        
  Proceeds from note payable, stockholder     229,167  
  Proceeds from sale of shares of common stock     25,000  
  Payment of costs of the proposed public offering     (120,000 )
   
 
Net cash provided by financing activities     134,167  
   
 
Net increase in cash and cash at end of period   $ 129,905  
   
 

See Notes to Financial Statements

F-6



International Shipping Enterprises, Inc.

(a corporation in the development stage)

Notes to Financial Statements

1.   Organization and Business Operations   International Shipping Enterprises, Inc. ("Company") was incorporated in Delaware on September 17, 2004 as a blank check company, the objective of which is to acquire one or more vessels or an operating business in the shipping industry.

 

 

 

 

At September 30, 2004, the Company had not yet commenced any operations. All activity through September 30, 2004 relates to the Company's formation and the proposed public offering described below. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year-end.

 

 

 

 

The Company's ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed public offering ("Proposed Offering") which is discussed in Note 2. The Company's management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of this Proposed Offering, although substantially all of the net proceeds of this Proposed Offering are intended to be generally applied toward consummating a business combination with (or acquisition of) one or more vessels or an operating business in the shipping industry ("Business Combination"). Furthermore, there is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination. Upon the closing of the Proposed Offering, at least ninety percent (90%) of the net proceeds, after payment of certain amounts to the underwriter, will be held in a trust account ("Trust Fund") and invested in government securities until the earlier of (i) the consummation of its first Business Combination or (ii) liquidation of the Company. The remaining net proceeds (not held in the Trust Fund) may be used to pay for business, legal and accounting due diligence on prospective acquisitions and continuing general and administrative expenses. The Company, after signing a definitive agreement for the acquisition of a target business, will submit such transaction for stockholder approval. In the event that stockholders owning 20% or more of the shares sold in the Offering vote against the Business Combination and exercise their conversion rights described below, the Business Combination will not be consummated. All of the Company's stockholders prior to the Proposed Offering, including all of the officers and directors of the Company ("Initial Stockholders"), have agreed to vote their 7,125,000 founding shares of common stock in accordance with the vote of the majority in interest of all other stockholders of the Company ("Public Stockholders") with respect to any Business Combination. After consummation of a Business Combination, these voting safeguards will no longer be applicable.
         

F-7



 

 

 

 

With respect to a Business Combination which is approved and consummated, any Public Stockholder who voted against the Business Combination may demand that the Company convert his shares. The per share conversion price will equal the amount in the Trust Fund, calculated as of two business days prior to the proposed Business Combination, divided by the number of shares of common stock held by Public Stockholders at the consummation of the Proposed Offering. Accordingly, Public Stockholders holding approximately 19.99% of the aggregate number of shares owned by all Public Stockholders may seek conversion of their shares in the event of a Business Combination. Such Public Stockholders are entitled to receive their per share interest in the Trust Fund computed without regard to the shares held by Initial Stockholders.

 

 

 

 

The Company's Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, provides for mandatory liquidation of the Company in the event that the Company does not consummate a Business Combination within 12 months from the date of the consummation of the Proposed Offering, or 18 months from the consummation of the Proposed Offering if certain extension criteria have been satisfied. In the event of liquidation, it is likely that the per share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Fund assets) will be less than the initial public offering price per share in the Proposed Offering (assuming no value is attributed to the Warrants contained in the Units to be offered in the Proposed Offering discussed in Note 2).

 

 

 

 

Deferred income taxes are provided for the differences between the bases of assets and liabilities for financial reporting and income tax purposes. A valuation allowance is established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

 

 

 

 

The Company recorded a deferred income tax asset for the tax effect of net operating loss carryforwards and temporary differences, aggregating approximately $500. In recognition of the uncertainty regarding the ultimate amount of income tax benefits to be derived, the Company has recorded a full valuation allowance at September 30, 2004.

 

 

 

 

The effective tax rate differs from the statutory rate of 34% due to the increase in the valuation allowance.

 

 

 

 

Loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period.
         

F-8



 

 

 

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

 

 

 

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards if currently adopted would have a material effect on the accompanying financial statements.

2.

 

Proposed Offering

 

The Proposed Offering calls for the Company to offer for public sale up to 28,500,000 units ("Units"). Each Unit consists of one share of the Company's common stock, $.0001 par value, and two Redeemable Common Stock Purchase Warrants ("Warrants"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase from the Company one share of common stock at an exercise price of $5.00 commencing the later of the completion of a business combination with a target business or one year from the effective date of the Proposed Offering and expiring four years from the effective date of the Proposed Offering. The Warrants will be redeemable, upon written consent of the representative of the underwriters, at a price of $.01 per Warrant upon 30 days notice after the Warrants become exercisable, only in the event that the last sale price of the common stock is at least $8.50 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period ending on the third day prior to date on which notice of redemption is given and only if the weekly trading volume of our common stock has been at least 800,000 shares for each of the two calendar weeks prior to the date on which notice of redemption is given.

3.

 

Deferred Registration Costs

 

Deferred offering costs consist principally of legal and underwriting fees incurred through the balance sheet date that are related to the Proposed Offering and that will be charged to capital upon the receipt of the capital raised.

4.

 

Note Payable, Stockholder

 

The Company issued a $225,000 unsecured promissory note to an Initial Stockholder, who is also an officer, on September 23, 2004. The Initial Stockholder also advanced an additional $4,167 to us. The loans are non-interest bearing and are payable on the earlier of September 23, 2005 or the consummation of the Proposed Offering. Due to the short-term nature of the note, the fair value of the note approximates its carrying amount.
         

F-9



5.

 

Commitment

 

The Company presently occupies office space from, and has certain office and secretarial services made available to it by, unaffiliated third parties, as may be required by the Company from time to time. The Company has agreed to pay a total fee of approximately $1,500 per month for office space through December 15, 2004 and, under its agreement with its underwriters, is permitted to pay up to an aggregate of $5,500 per month for the office space and all such services on an ongoing basis. Amounts charged to operations under the current agreement amounted to $892 for the period ended September 30, 2004.

6.

 

Preferred Stock

 

The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors.

7.

 

Subsequent Event

 

On November 29, 2004, the Company's Board of Directors authorized a stock dividend of approximately 0.676 shares of common stock for each outstanding share of common stock. All references in the accompanying financial statements to the number of shares of stock have been retroactively restated to reflect this transaction. In addition, on November 29, 2004, the Company's Board of Directors increased the number of authorized shares of common stock to 120,000,000.

F-10




        Until                        , 2005, all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers' obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

        No dealer, salesperson or any other person is authorized to give any information or make any representations in connection with this offering other than those contained in this prospectus and, if given or made, the information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by us. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security other than the securities offered by this prospectus, or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities by anyone in any jurisdiction in which the offer or solicitation is not authorized or is unlawful.

$171,000,000

International Shipping Enterprises, Inc.

28,500,000 Units


PROSPECTUS


Sunrise Securities Corp.

                        , 2004





PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

        The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions and the Representative's non-accountable expense allowance) will be as follows:

 
   
 
Initial Trustees' fee   $ 1,000.00 (1)
SEC Registration Fee     66,441.48  
NASD filing fee     30,500.00  
Accounting fees and expenses     25,000.00  
Printing and engraving expenses     50,000.00  
Directors & Officers liability insurance premiums     60,000.00 (2)
Legal fees and expenses     220,000.00  
Blue sky services and expenses     50,000.00  
Miscellaneous     7,058.52 (3)
   
 
  Total   $ 510,000.00  

(1)
In addition to the initial acceptance fee that is charged by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee, the registrant will be required to pay to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company annual fees of $3,000 for acting as trustee, $4,800 for acting as transfer agent of the registrant's common stock, $2,400 for acting as warrant agent for the registrant's warrants and $1,800 for acting as escrow agent.

(2)
This amount represents the approximate amount of Director and Officer liability insurance premiums the registrant anticipates paying following the consummation of its initial public offering and until it consummates a business combination.

(3)
This amount represents additional expenses that may be incurred by the Company in connection with the offering over and above those specifically listed above, including distribution and mailing costs.

Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

        Our certificate of incorporation provides that all directors, officers, employees and agents of the registrant shall be entitled to be indemnified by us to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law.

        Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law concerning indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents is set forth below.

        "Section 145. Indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents; insurance.

        (a)   A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person's conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not,


of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the person's conduct was unlawful.

        (b)   A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys' fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

        (c)   To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys' fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.

        (d)   Any indemnification under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the stockholders.

        (e)   Expenses (including attorneys' fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys' fees) incurred by former directors and officers or other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate.

        (f)    The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person's official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office.

        (g)   A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint

II-2



venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person's status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this section.

        (h)   For purposes of this section, references to "the corporation" shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.

        (i)    For purposes of this section, references to "other enterprises" shall include employee benefit plans; references to "fines" shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to "serving at the request of the corporation" shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner "not opposed to the best interests of the corporation" as referred to in this section.

        (j)    The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

        (k)   The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporation's obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys' fees)."

        Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

        Paragraph B of Article Eighth of our certificate of incorporation provides:

        "The Corporation, to the full extent permitted by Section 145 of the GCL, as amended from time to time, shall indemnify all persons whom it may indemnify pursuant thereto. Expenses (including attorneys' fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which such officer or director may be entitled to indemnification hereunder shall be paid by the Corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to

II-3


repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized hereby."

        Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, we have agreed to indemnify the Underwriter and the Underwriter has agreed to indemnify us against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.

Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.

        (a)   During the past three years, we sold the following shares of common stock without registration under the Securities Act:

Stockholders

  Number of Shares
Angeliki Frangou   4,000,000

Vasiliki Papaefthymiou

 

210,000

Spyridon Magoulas

 

15,000

Julian David Brynteson

 

15,000

John Stratakis

 

10,000

        Such shares were issued on September 23, 2004 in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(2) of the Securities Act as they were sold to sophisticated, wealthy individuals. The shares issued to the individuals and entities above were sold for an aggregate offering price of $25,000 at an average purchase price of approximately $0.006 per share. On November 29, 2004, our Board of Directors authorized a stock dividend of approximately 0.676 shares of common stock for each outstanding share of common stock, effectively lowering the purchase price to approximately $0.004 per share. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.

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Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

        (a)   The following exhibits are filed as part of this Registration Statement:

Exhibit No.

  Description

1.1   Form of Underwriting Agreement.
1.2   Form of Selected Dealers Agreement.
3.1   Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.
3.2   By-laws.**
4.1   Specimen Unit Certificate.**
4.2   Specimen Common Stock Certificate.**
4.3   Specimen Warrant Certificate.**
4.4   Form of Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.
5.1   Opinion of Gusrae, Kaplan & Bruno, PLLC.
10.1   Letter Agreement among the Registrant, Sunrise Securities Corp. and Angeliki Frangou.
10.2   Letter Agreement among the Registrant, Sunrise Securities Corp. and Vasiliki Papaefthymiou.
10.3   Letter Agreement among the Registrant, Sunrise Securities Corp. and Spyridon Magoulas.
10.4   Letter Agreement among the Registrant, Sunrise Securities Corp. and Julian David Brynteson.
10.5   Letter Agreement among the Registrant, Sunrise Securities Corp. and John Stratakis.
10.6   Letter Agreement among the Registrant, Sunrise Securities Corp. and Dragan Topalovich.
10.7   Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.
10.8   Form of Stock Escrow Agreement between the Registrant, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Initial Stockholders.
10.9   Office Service Agreement between SCORY LLC d/b/a The Intelligent Office and Registrant dated September 14, 2004.**
10.10   Promissory Note, dated September 23, 2004, issued to Angeliki Frangou in the amount of $225,000.**
10.11   Promissory Note, dated September 15, 2004, issued to Angeliki Frangou in the amount of $4,167.**
10.12   Form of Registration Rights Agreement among the Registrant and the Initial Stockholders.**
10.13   Warrant Purchase Agreement between Angeliki Frangou and Sunrise Securities Corp.
23.1   Consent of Goldstein Golub Kessler LLP.
23.2   Consent of Gusrae, Kaplan & Bruno, PLLC (included in Exhibit 5.1).
23.3   Consent of Healy and Baillie LLP
24   Power of Attorney.**

**
Previously filed

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Item 17. Undertakings.

        (a)   The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

        (b)   The undersigned hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

        (c)   Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

        (d)   The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

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II-7



SIGNATURE

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of New York, State of New York, on the 29th day of November, 2004.

    INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING ENTERPRISES, INC.

 

 

By:

/s/  
ANGELIKI FRANGOU      
Angeliki Frangou
Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President (Principal Executive Officer)

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Name
  Position
  Date

 

 

 

 

 
/s/  ANGELIKI FRANGOU      
Angeliki Frangou
  Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President (Principal executive and financial and accounting officer)   November 29, 2004

/s/  
VASILIKI PAPAEFTHYMIOU*      
Vasiliki Papaefthymiou

 

Secretary and Director

 

November 29, 2004

/s/  
SPYRIDON MAGOULAS*      
Spyridon Magoulas

 

Director

 

November 29, 2004

/s/  
JULIAN DAVID BRYNTESON*      
Julian David Brynteson

 

Director

 

November 29, 2004

/s/  
JOHN STRATAKIS*      
John Stratakis

 

Director

 

November 29, 2004
*
By Angeliki Frangou, Power of Attorney

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QuickLinks

Table Of Contents
Prospectus Summary
Summary Financial Data
Risk Factors
Use of Proceeds
Dilution
Capitalization
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Proposed Business
Management
Principal Stockholders
Certain Transactions
Description of Securities
Underwriting
Legal Matters
Experts
Where You Can Find Additional Information
International Shipping Enterprises, Inc. (a corporation in the development stage) Index to Financial Statements
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
International Shipping Enterprises, Inc. (a corporation in the development stage) Balance Sheet
International Shipping Enterprises, Inc. (a corporation in the development stage) Statement of Operations
International Shipping Enterprises, Inc. (a corporation in the development stage) Statement of Stockholders' Equity
International Shipping Enterprises, Inc. (a corporation in the development stage)
International Shipping Enterprises, Inc. (a corporation in the development stage) Notes to Financial Statements
PART II INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
SIGNATURE