ITEM 1BUSINESS
Our Corporate History and Background
We were incorporated as Tecton Corporation, a Nevada corporation, on January 19, 2006, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hemis Corporation. On December 1, 2006, Tecton was spun off as an independent company. On January 2, 2014, we amended our Articles of Incorporation to change our name to Endurance Exploration Group, Inc. As used in this report, the terms we, us, our, Endurance and the Company mean Endurance Exploration Group, Inc. (formerly Tecton Corporation), unless otherwise indicated.
Prior to June 2008, we were engaged in the exploration and acquisition of uranium properties that were either past producers or had been the subject of prior work programs and/or contained historic resources. On or about June 1, 2008, we ceased/discontinued operations of our uranium exploration activities as we sought to restructure and find a suitable business opportunity. We were deemed a shell company, as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, from the discontinuance of operations in 2008 until the filing of our Form 8-K on December 31, 2013, relating to the acquisition of Endurance Exploration Group, LLC, on that date. During our restructuring period from June 2008 until December 31, 2013, we:
·
Elected a new slate of directors and appointed a new management team focused on finding a suitable business opportunity for us;
·
Attempted to reorganize our balance sheet through the US Bankruptcy courts by filing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition, but later withdrew our petition at the request of the court;
·
Brought current our filings with the State of Nevada and our financial reporting and disclosure filings with the SEC;
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·
Effected a reverse 1 for 40 reverse split of our common stock;
·
Amended and restated our Articles of Incorporation to increase the total authorized capital stock to 110,000,000 shares, being comprised of 100,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $.01 per share, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $.001;
·
Paid approximately $292,000 of outstanding debt through the issuance of 12,733,499 newly issued common shares on December 31, 2013; and
·
Entered into a Share Exchange Agreement, on December 31, 2013, to acquire the ownership interests of Endurance Exploration Group, LLC. for 20,550,539 shares of common stock.
Our fiscal year end was changed from January 31 to December 31 in November 2013. Our common stock is quoted on the OTCQB electronic quotation system under the symbol EXPL.
Endurance Exploration Group, LLC
On December 31, 2013, we completed the purchase of 100% of the membership interests of Endurance Exploration Group, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (Endurance LLC), from its members in exchange for 20,550,539 shares of our common stock, valued at $0.0186 per share, based upon the net book value of the assets of Endurance LLC of $381,173 as of December 31, 2013. Micah Eldred, who serves as our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, and Carl Dilley who serves as one of our directors and our Vice President, were the owners of all of the interests in Endurance LLC. Eldred and Dilley were also the beneficial owners of a majority of our common stock at the time. Endurance LLC is now a wholly owned subsidiary of ours, and its operations are now our primary focus.
Endurance Exploration Group, LLC was formed in 2009 to explore, from an operational and financial perspective, the feasibility and potential economic return of recovering historic and modern day shipwreck cargos. Based on the business started by Endurance LLC, we have developed a research methodology with three goals. The first goal is to establish a comprehensive understanding of the larger economic, technological, and social trends that lead to the transport of physical wealth across oceans during different historical periods, along with creating a High Interest list of shipwrecks and their cargos lost across various historical periods. Conflict, accidents, and acts of nature claimed a percentage of all voyages, and many of the shipwrecked vessels are believed to have carried a valuable cargo. The second objective is to identify, from this population of potential shipwreck losses, those shipwrecks that could be legally salvaged and recovered, and the cargos sold, with a positive return on the capital investment required for their location and recovery. The third goal is to move those projects which have the potential to generate positive investment returns into an operational phase with a high, risk-adjusted, chance of success; and, to develop a portfolio of projects in various stages of research, search, survey, and recovery.
To that end, we have evaluated historical shipwreck databases holding in excess of 125,000 entries as well as undertaken contextual and keyword library and archival searches. It is important to note that even these massive repositories of data reflect just a small percentage of the 3,000,000+ shipwrecks the United Nations estimates lay on the ocean floor.
(Source: United Nations Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.)
From these databases and other searches, we have developed an initial High Interest list of approximately 400 shipwrecks. Using criteria including (but not limited to) depth, potential search area, legal concerns, difficulty of excavation and potential value, we further culled the High Interest list to approximately two-dozen targets, the Target List. In order for a shipwreck to qualify for our Target List, and to potentially move forward as an Operational Target (OT) -one that we may consider for the search and survey operation phase- the shipwreck must possess the following criteria:
Known Cargo of Value.
Based upon the historical and archival records, an OT must contain a quantifiable cargo of value. While the historical records may not provide our researchers with an exact present day value of a potential cargo, we must be able to determine a quantifiable range of its estimated value based upon cargo manifests or other archival documents.
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Known Navigational Data
. Our research must provide information that would allow us to establish a geographically definable search and sinking location and, subsequently, an economically feasible search area for any potential target.
Legal Salvage and Clear Path to Title.
Admiralty law, salvage law, and various sovereign nations laws and regulations concerning the search and salvage of historical and modern shipwrecks are complex. Prior to pursuing an OT, we must be able to establish a clear legal path to the title of any potential recovery, and search and recovery must be made in compliance with international laws and regulations or under specific country permissions.
Potential Returns Exceed Risk-Adjusted Cost of Search and Recovery.
Prior to moving a shipwreck from our Target List to an Operational Target, we evaluate a large number of factors to determine the potential search and recovery costs, and the risks associated with such search and recovery. Items considered include: a targets location and likely depth, its location from the nearest operational port, the complexity and costs of potential search and salvage, legal issues to title, and many other factors; and, we develop an initial search plan and budget for each potential project. We recognize the high risk, yet potentially high rewards, of our business; and, we realize that we will not be successful finding or salvaging every project we undertake. Therefore, prior to moving any project onto the Operational Target list, we take a risk-adjusted approach to the potential returns that a project can provide; and we determine if, on a risk-adjusted basis, the potential target is economically feasible and appropriate to add to our portfolio of Operational Targets.
We are involved in a project located in international waters off the coast of North Carolina that has now reached operational status. In April 2017, in a joint venture called Swordfish Partners, together with Deep Blue Exploration, LLC, a Tennessee limited liability company, we conducted side-scan and other survey activities of what we believe to be the remnants of the
Steamship Pulaski
. In June 2017, Sailfish Partners was appointed substitute custodian of the hull fragments recovered from the wreck site, and all future artifacts recovered, subject to conservation and safekeeping arrangements deemed sufficient by the Court. (See Current & Ongoing Projects.)
Project code-named
Connaught
has also reached operational status. In October 2014, we announced the discovery of the steamship
Connaught
, previously identified only as Project
Sailfish.
For project
Connaught
, we have surveyed over 700 square miles in the Western Atlantic Ocean in search of a sunken passenger liner carrying a substantial cargo of gold coinage. In addition to this manifest cargo, we also expect to find additional valuables among the personal stores of the ships passengers. In July 2015, we were granted exclusive salvage rights by the U.S. Federal Courts.
(See Current & Ongoing Projects.)
For pre-operational project
Black Marlin,
in November 2013, Endurance LLC entered into a contract with the sovereign government of an island nation in the Indian Ocean. The contract provided us with a three-year period in which to operate within the territorial waters of the nation with full permission to survey for and recover the
Black Marlin
and her silver cargo. Net proceeds of our recovery efforts, after payment of the costs to transport, store and insure any recovered items, will be split between us (75%) and the island government (25%). This contract also allows for other potentially valuable targets of opportunity within the territorial waters of this nation. We are currently pursuing an option to extend the existing contract. (See Current & Ongoing Projects
.)
We believe this survey and recovery capability combined with our proprietary research will allow us to conduct approximately two deep-water surveys per yearly weather window, should we have sufficient capital to undertake such operational surveys.
Description of Key Equipment
In 2011, Endurance LLC began purchasing key equipment for operations. Our equipment purchases have included a 100-foot survey vessel, tethered side-scan sonar units, and two light work-class and inspection Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV), Shackleton 1 and Squirt.
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Survey Ship
Our 100-foot survey ship was refurbished to include a sonar winch and the latest in electronics and side-scan sonar survey equipment. Depending on the timeframe, circumstances and our other commitments, we may use this ship or charter another vessel of similar or greater capability.
Sidescan Sonar
Side-scan sonar is currently the industry-standard search methodology used for oceanic search operations. An unmanned side-scan sonar unit, or towfish, is towed behind a manned surface vessel at a pre-set altitude above the seafloor. The sonar unit sends out a ping or sound-wave to acoustically map terrain, natural obstructions, and man-made objects, including shipwrecks and jettison cargo. To engage in search operations, we have purchased side-scan sonar systems. Our dual-frequency systems may be set for a range of velocities, search widths, and resolutions for both area mapping and high-resolution target prosecution up to 2,000 meters in depth. Our system is compatible with third-party hardware and software systems and meets IHO & NOAA survey specifications. Beyond shipwreck surveys, the system is also capable of cable and pipeline surveys, channel conditioning, geophysical surveys, mine countermeasures, and search and recovery operations.
Our sonar systems are a flexible platform from both a hardware and software standpoint, and may continue to be upgraded with industry-standard, off-the-shelf sensor packages.
Potential shipwreck targets found by sonar will be catalogued, evaluated, and eventually visually prosecuted using the
Shackleton
1
or
Squirt
ROV systems or other systems chartered or rented for inspection and recovery missions.
ROV Shackleton 1 and Squirt
The Remotely-Operated Vehicle (ROV) system
Shackleton
1 is a light work-class ROV. This system is comprised of underwater lighting, still and motion picture cameras and a single robotic manipulator arm. Initially designed for mid-water industrial applications, the ROV has been redesigned for shipwreck search, identification, and cargo recovery operations. Beyond shipwreck operations, the system is also capable of cable and pipeline inspection and repair, geophysical sampling and search and recovery operations. ROV systems Shackleton 1 and Squirt are currently in disassembled condition for storage following a scheduled overhaul and will be reassembled prior to any operational requirements.
Employees
We have four corporate officers. Each officer is also an officer of other entities and not full time employees of our Company. A list of our officers and the average number of hours per week each officer expects to devote to our affairs are as follows:
·
Micah Eldred, Director, President and CEO, 20 hours per week
·
Carl Dilley, Director and Vice President, 10 hours per week
·
Christine Zitman, Director, Secretary, Treasurer and CFO, 20 hours per week
·
Robert S. Darbee, Vice President of Shareholder Communications, 10 hours per week
Other Employees and Contractors
We utilize contract personnel for vessel operations during our survey periods, and intend to continue to use contract technicians to perform marine survey and recovery operations in the future. From time to time, we have or intend to hire other contractors, subcontractors, and consultants to perform specific services. One individual who joined our Board of Directors in January 2014 is engaged by us as an independent contractor. (See Executive Compensation
―
Compensation Paid to Mr. Saint Amour.
”
We also recently entered into an Independent Salvage Agreement with Blue Water Ventures International, Inc., (
“
Blue Water
”
) whereby Blue Water will conduct contract salvage operations on the Company
’
s recently announced shipwreck project located in international waters off the coast of North Carolina, as further described in Current and Ongoing Projects.
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Project Operations
Research
During the Colonial period (1500-1850), the world economy was highly dependent on the physical transportation of bullion coinage, precious metals, and high-value non-ferrous metals. A small percentage of shipping during this period was lost to storm, fire, acts of war, natural disasters and other causes, both known and unknown. The administration of this economic system required state-level bureaucratic oversight and record-keeping. Many of these historic records are available in publications, libraries, archives and digitized formats in depositories around the world. Though many records have been lost to time, enough remain to create in-depth, credible project profiles for potential excavation targets.
To that end, we have created a series of regional and period-specific databases from which to compare, evaluate, and select potential targets for research, discovery and eventual excavation and recovery.
The graphics below are a visual representation of selected world regions containing our High Interest database of shipwrecks and their approximate location and time of sinking.
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Before search or recovery operations may begin, we seek to understand every factor necessary to mount a recovery operation with a high probability of success.
These factors include, but are not limited to:
·
The historical context of the shipwreck, including political forces, technological developments, important contextual persons and events and the public reaction to the loss.
·
Any images of the shipwreck, including still photography, motion pictures, drawing, paintings, recreations, and/or models.
·
A complete sinking timeline, including as much information as possible on weather patterns, departure date/time, intended course, course corrections, witness/observer statements. This includes any statement, fact or event material in any way to the sinking.
·
A proposed search area with a high-probability of success, including an evaluation of all factors listed in the Sinking Timeline as well as any territorial boundaries or environmental factors.
·
An Identification Guide, enabling rapid qualification or rejection of potential targets based on sonar and visual imagery, thus limiting expensive ship time on station.
·
Cargo evaluation, evaluating the historical records on the targets cargo and potential modern-day value.
·
Any encumbering factors, including territorial ownership of waters, insurance claims, potential cargo claims, and sovereign rights. We will not begin a project without a legal path to possession.
·
All of the above information is gleaned from publications, libraries, archives and digitized medium. Development of further projects is a continuous, ongoing process.
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Search
Most operational projects begin with a sonar search phase. We have outfitted our vessel with state-of-the-art sonar systems, an industry standard for underwater search operations. Our vessel tows the sonar systems to map the seafloor and search for targets. Potential targets are then selected from the sonar imagery using a combination of computerized post-processing and expert evaluation. While some shipwreck targets may be positively identified using high-resolution sonar system, others may need visual identification using an underwater camera ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) system or an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle).
Recovery
Once a target is positively identified, excavation and recovery operations will begin using our Shackleton 1 light-work class ROV system, or other chartered ROV systems. Shackleton 1 can document the site using sonar, still and motion-picture imagery. It will then be used for any necessary excavation, as well as coinage, bullion and/or other recovery operations.
Post-Recovery Conservation
Coinage, precious metals, and non-ferrous metals typically require a minimum amount of post-recovery conservation. In order to preserve the value of the recovered cargo, we plan to have an on-site facility capable of properly storing and transporting all recovered coinage, precious metals and non-ferrous metals to definitive and final conservation and storage prior to sale.
Sales
We intend to recover coinage and bullion precious metals, including but not limited to gold and silver. We believe that bullion metals, numismatically-graded coinage, and non-graded coinage have significant value in the collector market. We intend to sell to existing independent coin dealers as well as directly to the collector and consumer market through the internet.
Current & Ongoing Projects
Project Steamship Pulaski Off the Coast of North Carolina
The
Steamship Pulaski
was built by the Savannah and Charleston Steam Packet Company to safely and quickly carry cargo and passengers from Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, to Baltimore, Maryland. On her last voyage, on the night of June 14, 1838, after she left Charleston for Baltimore with many prominent passengers, including a congressman, the starboard boiler exploded and the vessel was lost. Of the approximately 150 passengers and 37 crew members, there were only 59 survivors. The remaining crew and passengers, together with the passenger valuables, estimated at $150,000 face value at the time of loss, sank with the ship.
Project Steamship Pulaski Current Status
Effective January 9, 2017, we, through a newly-formed, wholly-owned subsidiary, EXPL Swordfish, LLC, entered into a joint-venture agreement with Deep Blue Exploration, LLC (Marex). The joint venture between EXPL Swordfish and Marex is referred to as Swordfish Partners.
Pursuant to the Agreement, Marex has contributed to the joint venture certain shipwreck research files, sonar and other subsea survey data, navigational data, artifacts, and assistance relating to a number of shipwreck and suspected shipwreck targets located in international waters off the Southeast coast of the United States. We have agreed to further survey and inspect the shipwreck and suspected shipwreck targets, and if deemed appropriate, take actions necessary to salvage the shipwreck targets.
The economic terms of the Agreement call for us to provide the funding for the further inspection, salvage, and operations of the joint venture. Any revenues from the joint venture will be split 90% first to us and 10% to Marex until we receive two times our costs and investments returned, and then a 60% split to us and a 40% split to Marex of the revenue from the project off the coast of North Carolina. Any future revenue from future salvage activities will be split 50/50, after 2 times the costs are paid to us.
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The joint venture is expected to terminate in two years, unless extended by mutual agreement between the parties.
In April 2017, as part of a joint venture, Swordfish Partners, we conducted side-scan and other survey activities of what we believe to be the remnants of the
Steamship Pulaski,
an early 1800s passenger steamship located in international waters off the coast of North Carolina.
On May 4, 2017, Swordfish Partners filed a legal action in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division, (the Court) under case number 8:17-CV-01043, against an Defendant Unknown, Abandoned and Sunken Steamship, its apparel, tackle, appurtenances and cargo in international waters. The coordinates were filed under seal; however, the complaint states the vessel is lying at a depth of over 100 feet and approximately 40 miles East of Wilmington, North Carolina.
On May 31, 2017 the Clerk of the Court issued a Warrant of Arrest against said vessel and her cargo, directing the United States Marshal to take custody of the vessel, her apparel, tackle and appurtenances, and her cargo and to retain custody of the same pending further order of this Court.
On June 12, 2017, the Court appointed Swordfish Partners substitute custodian of the hull fragments recovered from the Wreck Site, and all future artifacts recovered from the Wreck Site, subject to conservation and safekeeping arrangements deemed sufficient by the Court.
In July 2017, Swordfish Partners entered into an Independent Salvager Agreement with Blue Water Ventures International, Inc., (Blue Water) whereby Blue Water agreed to conduct contract salvage operations on the Companys recently announced shipwreck project located in international waters off the coast of North Carolina. The Independent Salvager Agreement provides for Blue Water to receive one half of EXPL Swordfishs reimbursed costs and one half of the distributable value to EXPL Swordfish of all salvaged objects. The salvage efforts off the coast of North Carolina have been underway since December 2017, and will continue throughout 2018, and possibly into 2019.
The cost of recovering the cargo of what we believe to be the
Steamship Pulaski
is estimated to be approximately $300,000 - $500,000. Salvage operations began in December 2017, are currently underway, and are expected to continue throughout 2018 and into early 2019. To date we have recovered dozens of silver and gold coins, dishware, and components of the vessel.
We need additional working capital to conduct these surveys and to recover the cargo of this steamship. There can be no assurances that we will be successful in securing additional working capital and therefore cannot represent we will ever be in a position to complete the recovery of cargo of what we believe to be the
Steamship Pulaski
.
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Project Connaught Research Summary
The
Connaught
was a steam-powered packet ship, part of a fast and indispensable transatlantic communication link, the perfect vessel to rapidly ferry mails and passengers between Britain and the United States. Large for her time, she was a side-wheel steamer constructed almost entirely of iron.
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On her last voyage in 1860, the
Connaught
left Great Britain, bound for the United States. She carried several dozen first-class passengers, more than 400 steerage passengers and a full crew of nearly 130. The
Connaught
also disembarked with a cargo of gold coins, and the Captain assumed an uneventful voyage.
According to reports, when heavy seas set in, the
Connaught
began to roll heavily. Though the initial problem was temporarily fixed, 12 hours later, the same roll started again. Making matters worse, fire broke out. Buckets and pumps were manned, but the water rose rapidly and extinguished the furnaces, rendering the ship immobile. The fire quickly spread, driving the passengers above decks.
The purser and two men attempted to rescue the gold shipment, but were driven back by the smoke and flames. A nearby ship came to the rescue, bravely maneuvering close to the
Connaught
and running a line between the two to facilitate transfers of passengers. Per age-old protocol, the Captain was the last man off the ship. Virtually nothing was saved. Nearly every trunk and stitch of clothing was lost, including all of the money of the first-class passengers. Early the next morning, a passing ship fell in with the
Connaught,
shadowing the stricken vessel through her final hours. The burning
Connaught
exploded and sank by the stern, leaving only an overturned lifeboat, light portions of the decking and a few trunks. The passing ship spent an hour recovering debris, dutifully recorded the sinking position, and then sailed on to New York.
Historic image of Steamship
Connaught
Source: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
Project Connaught Current Status
In October 2014, we positively identified the location of Project Sailfish, the Steamship
Connaught
through sonar imagery and video footage. In July 2015, we were granted exclusive salvage rights by the U.S. Federal Courts. We returned to the site of the
Connaught
to begin salvage efforts, and retrieved the first artifacts from the debris field.
Our salvage operations were temporarily hampered by the discovery of a mass of man-made debris and large commercial fishing nets concentrated around the aft section of the wreck. We have determined the appropriate equipment and methodology to clear these obstacles, and intend to return to the wreck site with these new tools as soon as practical.
Given the task list and the short weather window that we can work in the North Atlantic, we intend to resume our salvage operations as soon as practical. The cost of recovering the cargo of the
Connaught
is estimated to be $1,000,000 to $1,500,000.
We need additional working capital to recover the cargo of the
Connaught
. There can be no assurances that we will be successful in securing additional working capital and therefore cannot represent we will ever be in position to recover the cargo of the
Connaught.
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High-resolution sonar image of the steamship
Connaught.
The ship lies upright in approximately 1,000 ft. of water off of the New England Coast.
Source: Endurance Exploration Group, Inc. August 2015
A recovered Chinaware logo of the Atlantic Royal Mail Steam Navigation Company, Ltd., colloquially known to passengers and the public as the Galway Line and owner of the
Connaught
. The artifact was recovered from the wreck site in August, 2015.
.
Source: Endurance Exploration Group, Inc. August 2015
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Underwater view of shipwreck
Connaught
debris field, including 1860s bottles.
Source: Endurance Exploration Group, Inc. August 2015
Underwater view of shipwreck
Connaught
ribs and hull plates.
Source: Endurance Exploration Group, Inc. August 2015
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Project Black Marlin- Research Summary
In the end of the 17th century, the world economy was fueled by the Spanish silver mines of the Americas, and the European demand for Asian drugs, spices, commodities, and teas. This trade was based on the exchange of precious metals for goods, and silver was the only European payment acceptable to Asian trading partners.
The
Black Marlin
was one such vessel engaged in this trade. She was an English East Indiaman, more than 700 tons, three decks high and armed with many cannons. In addition to the silver coin expected by Asian merchants, she also carried lace, golden fabric, beaver fur, tobacco, wine, cloth and iron nails.
The shipping routes of the time took the English ship to the Indian Ocean for resupply in the middle of her long voyage to the East. According to reports, unknown to her Captain and crew, nearby European enemy ships were hunting for English shipping. They discovered the
Black Marlin
was in the area and sailed to intercept. The European enemy ships approached the English ship under a false flag and prepared to attack.
The trap set and ready to attack, the Europeans demanded the surrender of the English vessel. Instead of surrendering, the English captain counterattacked, and the vessels began to exchange heavy cannon fire, beginning a pitched fight that would continue over many hours. In a last-ditch effort to escape, the English ship unfurled her sails and attempted to sail away. The Europeans quickly caught up and soon the English ship was disabled and unable to continue fighting.
Rather than surrender, the Captain of the English ship set his own vessel on fire, escaping in a small boat with a chosen group of men while allowing his own ship and abandoned sailors to burn. The fire reached the gunpowder storage, and the English ship burned vigorously and sank, taking with her a rich cargo of silver.
We believe this shipwreck lies at a depth of between 500 to 3000 meters of water.
Woodcut graphic depicting the sinking of
Black Marlin
Source:
“
A Sea Fight in 1690. (1893) Tuapeka Times, Rōrahi XXV.
”
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Project
“
Black Marlin
”
–
Current Status
In November 2013, Endurance LLC entered into a contract with the sovereign government of an island nation in the Indian Ocean. The contract provided us with a three-year period in which to operate within the territorial waters of the nation with full permission to survey for the location and recover the
Black Marlin
and her silver cargo. We are currently pursuing an option to extend the existing contract, however, there can be no assurances that we will be granted an extension. Net proceeds of our recovery efforts, after payment of the costs to recover, transport, store and insure any recovered items, will be split between us (75%) and the island government (25%). We need additional working capital to undertake the search for the
Black Marlin.
There can be no assurances that we will be successful in securing additional working capital and therefore cannot represent we will ever be in position to search for, or recover, the
Black Marlin.
By selecting
Black Marlin
as our third project and since the
Black Marlin
was reported to have been lost within 12 nautical miles of land, it was necessary, in the ordinary course of our business, to seek permission of the coastal state to work in their territorial waters. We are not under any obligation to undertake this project and if, at any time, events in the area or our continuing research revealed a lost shipwreck that is a more logical choice to undertake as our third project, we will make that change in project priorities.
Project Black Marlin Targets of Opportunity Wahoo and Dolphin
As part of discussions pertaining to project
Black Marlin,
we have learned of two shallow-water targets of opportunity within the same territorial waters as the
Black Marlin.
Believed to be English East Indiaman, these wrecks (code-named Dolphin and Wahoo) remain unidentified at this time. Until these wrecks are identified, it will not be possible to generate any estimate on the potential value, if any.
Patents, trademarks, licenses, franchises and concession
Currently, we neither own nor rely on any patents, trademarks, licenses, or franchises. We were granted a concession for shipwreck search and recovery in the territorial waters of an East African island nation by the government of that nation. The contract provided us with a three-year period in which to operate within the territorial waters of the nation with full permission to survey for and recover the
Black Marlin
and her silver cargo. We are currently pursuing an option to extend the existing contract as it has recently expired. See Our Business
―
Current & Ongoing Projects
―
‘
Black Marlin
’
―
Current Status.
”
Competition
There are a number of competing entities engaged in aquatic research, survey, inspection and the various aspects of the shipwreck salvage business. One or more of these competing entities may locate and recover a shipwreck that we intend to locate and recover. In addition, these competing entities may be better capitalized and may have greater resources to devote to their pursuit of shipwreck salvage.
Governmental and Environmental Regulation
We are subject to local, state, and national taxation. Additionally, our operations are subject to a variety of national, federal, state, local and international laws. In particular, the legal, political, or civil initiatives of countries, international governing bodies and/or other maritime jurisdictions may restrict our operations and prevent or cause us to suspend or abort particular searches or salvage operations.
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Project Steamship Pulaski Government or environmental regulations that may restrict our operations.
We believe that the target site identified as the Unknown, Abandoned and Sunken Steamship, its apparel, tackle, appurtenances and cargo in court documents we filed with the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida under case number 8:17-CV-01043, is the
Steamship Pulaski
. That shipwreck is located approximately 40 miles off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina, in international waters off the coast of the United States of America (U.S.). As referenced above, although the U.S. has not ratified the LOS, we elected to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States Federal Courts by filing an admiralty action on May 4, 2017. On May 31, 2017, the Clerk of the Court issued a Warrant of Arrest against said vessel and her cargo, directing the United States Marshal to take custody of the vessel, her apparel, tackle and appurtenances, and her cargo and to retain custody of the same pending further order of this Court. On June 12, 2017, the Court appointed Swordfish Partners substitute custodian of the hull fragments recovered from the Wreck Site, and all future artifacts recovered from the Wreck Site, subject to conservation and safekeeping arrangements deemed sufficient by the Court.
We, our partners and contractors, expect to conduct salvage operations within the guidelines of the ISC. We take into account complying with the ISC when estimating costs for the
Steamship Pulaski
salvaging operations.
Project Connaught Government or environmental regulations that may restrict our operations.
We believe that the target site identified as
Connaught
is the wreck of the
Connaught,
a paddlewheel steamer that sank in October 1860. That shipwreck is located approximately 125 miles off the coast of the United States of America (U.S.). While the U.S. has not ratified the LOS, this location is recognized under U.S. law as being in international waters. We elected to submit to the jurisdiction of the United States Federal Courts by filing a case in admiralty on October 3, 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The process of adjudicating ownership and claims, including our request for a salvage claim or, in the alternative, title to the ship and its cargo, will proceed in the U.S. District Court pursuant to U.S. admiralty law. The right to salvage a privately own vessel is not subject to approval of the U.S. courts or any government agency. Once a party has submitted themselves to the jurisdiction of the U.S. federal courts, the court can determine the ownership rights to the cargo salvaged and the amount of a salvage award according to precedent cases ruled upon by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The United States Coast Guard undertakes marine environmental protection in U.S. waters pursuant to Volume IX of its Marine Environmental Protection Marine Safety Manual COMDTINST M16000.14. As specified in Chapter 1 on page 16, the U.S. Coast Guard also looks to the International Convention on Salvage for guidance on salvage operations even though the U.S. has not ratified that treaty. We and our contractors expect to conduct salvage operations within the guidelines of the ICS. The Company and its contractors take into account complying with the ISC when estimating costs for the
Connaught
cargo recovery operations.
Project Black Marlin Government or environmental regulations that may restrict our operations.
The island nation has signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (the LOS). In this capacity and in keeping with the provisions of the LOS, the island nation asserts jurisdiction over its territorial waters, defined by the LOS as 12 nautical miles, 22.2 kilometers, or 13.1 miles from the low water mark of the coastal state. Based upon our historical research, we believe the
Black Marlin
sank within the territorial waters of the island nation. While the island nation is not a signatory to nor has it ratified the International Convention on Salvage (ICS), we and our contractors operate in accordance the provisions of the ICS. Those provisions state generally, that in undertaking salvage a salvage company shall exercise due care in order to minimizing damage to the environment. Damage to the environment is defined by the Treaty under Article 1 (d) as follows: Damage to the environment means substantial physical damage to human health or to marine life or resources in coastal or inland waters or areas adjacent thereto, caused by pollution, contamination, fire, explosion, or similar major incidents. We and our contractors take into account complying with the ISC when estimating costs for the
Black Marlin
cargo recovery operations. The island country has no written laws or regulations with respect to salvage operations in general and has placed no additional restrictions on our operations when and if we begin operations to locate and recover the
Black Marlins
cargo.
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ITEM 1A.RISK FACTORS
Risks Related to Our Overall Business Operations
If we fail to develop or maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. As a result, current and potential stockholders could lose confidence in our financial reporting, which would harm our business and the trading price of our common stock.
Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports, prevent fraud and operate successfully as a public company. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results would be harmed. We cannot be certain that our efforts to develop and maintain our internal controls will be successful, that we will be able to maintain adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future or that we will be able to comply with our obligations under Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002. Any failure to develop or maintain effective internal controls, or difficulties encountered in implementing or improving our internal controls, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Ineffective internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which would likely have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock.
Because of the speculative nature of our operations, there is substantial risk that no commercially exploitable cargo will be found and our business will fail.
While we have been in business since 2006 and have located what we believe to be viable shipwrecks, we have not yet been able to recover any valuables from those wrecks. Thus, potential investors have no way to evaluate the likelihood that we will be successful in our efforts to monetize lost shipwrecks. You should be aware of the difficulties normally encountered by similar companies and the high rate of failure of such enterprises. The search for shipwrecks as a business is inherently risky. We may not be able to recover valuables from shipwrecks and then monetize those assets to have a commercially viable enterprise. In such a case, we may be unable to continue operations, and you could lose your entire investment.
We have a limited operating history with a history of losses and expect losses to continue for the foreseeable future.
We have yet to establish any history of profitable operations. We have not generated any revenues since January 19, 2006 (inception) and do not anticipate that we will generate revenues which will be sufficient to sustain our operations in the near future. Unless and until we are able to generate revenues, we will continue to sustain losses.
There is doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern due to recurring losses from operations and insufficient cash resources to meet our business objectives, all of which means that we may not be able to continue operations.
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. Our consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2017, and 2016, reflect net losses of $377,232 and $378,640 respectively. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time.
In light of the acquisition of the membership interests of Endurance Exploration Group, LLC on December 31, 2013, and since both entities were under common control, the comparative financial statements are presented as if the previously separated entities were combined. We are currently evaluating acquisitions and other business opportunities. Our continuation as a going concern is dependent upon our ability to recover and monetize valuable shipwreck cargoes and to secure investment capital from future funding opportunities. No assurance can be given that we will be successful in these efforts.
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Changes in our business strategy or restructuring of our businesses may increase our costs or otherwise affect the profitability of our businesses.
As changes in our business environment occur, we may need to adjust our business strategy to meet these changes or we may otherwise find it necessary to restructure our operations or assets. When these changes or events occur, we may incur costs to change our business strategy and may need to write down the value of assets. In any of these events our costs may increase, and we may have significant charges associated with the write-down of assets.
We will continue to experience losses from planned operations.
We have experienced a net loss in every fiscal year since our inception. Even if we do generate operating income in the future, subsequent developments in our industry, business or cost structure, or events such as uninsured or underinsured losses or litigation may cause us to experience operating losses. We may not become profitable in the future.
We are subject to macroeconomic and other factors beyond our control as well as the business, financial, operating and other risks of developing companies, all of which may adversely affect our financial results and growth.
Macroeconomic and other factors beyond our control as well as the business, financial, operating and other risks of a shell company can adversely affect us. These factors include:
·
changes and volatility in general economic conditions, including the severity and duration of any downturn in the U.S. and financial markets;
·
war, civil unrest, terrorist activities or threats and heightened travel security measures instituted in response to these events;
·
outbreaks of pandemic or contagious diseases;
·
climate change and resource scarcity, such as water and energy scarcity;
·
natural or man-made disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados, hurricanes, floods, oil spills and nuclear incidents;
·
domestic and international political and geo-political conditions;
·
changes in taxes and governmental regulations that influence or set wages, prices, interest rates or construction and maintenance procedures and costs;
·
the costs and administrative burdens associated with compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
·
changes in operating costs, including, but not limited to, energy, benefits, insurance and unanticipated costs resulting from force majeure events; and
·
the lack of availability, or increase in the cost, of capital for us.
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We may seek to expand through acquisitions of and investments in other businesses or through business alliances. These acquisitions and investment activities may be unsuccessful or divert our managements attention.
We intend to consider strategic and complementary acquisitions of and investments in other businesses or other assets. Furthermore, we may pursue these opportunities in alliance with existing businesses. In many cases, we will be competing for these opportunities with third parties that may have substantially greater financial resources than we do. Acquisitions or investments in businesses, or assets, as well as these alliances, are subject to risks that could affect our business, including risks related to:
·
issuing shares of stock that could dilute the interests of our existing stockholders;
·
spending cash and incurring debt;
·
assuming contingent liabilities; and
·
creating additional expenses.
We may not be able to identify opportunities or complete transactions on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or that we will actually realize any anticipated benefits from such acquisitions, investments, or alliances. Similarly, we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain financing for acquisitions or investments on attractive terms or at all, or that the ability to obtain financing will not be restricted by the terms of a revolving credit facility or other indebtedness we may incur.
The success of any such acquisitions or investments will also depend, in part, on our ability to integrate the acquisition or investment with our existing operations. We may experience difficulty with integrating acquired businesses, or other assets, including difficulties relating to:
·
coordinating sales, distribution and marketing functions;
·
integrating technology information systems; and
·
preserving the important licensing, distribution, marketing, customer, labor, and other relationships of the acquired assets.
In addition, any such acquisitions, investments, or alliances could demand significant attention from our management that would otherwise be available for our regular business operations, which could harm our business.
We may be unsuccessful in raising the necessary capital to fund operations and capital expenditures.
Our ability to generate cash flow is dependent upon our ability to find, excavate, and monetize the cargo of shipwrecks. We cannot guarantee that the sales of the recovered cargo and/or related products and other available cash sources will generate sufficient cash flow to meet our overall cash requirements. If cash flow is not sufficient to meet our business requirements, we will be required to raise additional capital through other financing activities. Success in raising necessary funds is not guaranteed.
We depend on key personnel and face competition in hiring and retaining qualified personnel.
Key management and operational personnel may be difficult to replace. We do not have any employment or noncompetition agreements with our key personnel. We may not be able to recruit or retain qualified employees in the future, which could affect our business.
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Our background research and data-gathering may prove unreliable.
The success of any marine salvage project is highly dependent on background research and data. Background research and data-gathering may prove to be imprecise, misleading, incomplete, and/or unreliable. This data and research is further affected by the interpretation process due to factors such as analyst misinterpretations, erroneous calculations, and/or translation errors.
Operations may be hindered by natural hazards and weather patterns.
Marine salvage operations are inherently technologically challenging and may be delayed, suspended or aborted due to weather, sea conditions, or other natural hazards. Operations may be dependent on both predictable and unpredictable seasonal weather cycles. We may not be able to logistically begin, continue, or complete operations during favorable weather conditions. Both predictable and unpredictable weather events, including but not limited to storms, cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons and tsunamis, may delay, suspend, or cause us to abort particular salvage operations.
We may discover a commercially exploitable shipwreck cargo but be unable to successfully recover the cargo.
If our search program is successful in discovering a commercially exploitable cargo, we may require additional funds in order to advance operations into commercial recovery. In such an event, we may be unable to obtain the funds, equipment, and/or personnel in order to continue operations, and we may be unable to generate revenues.
We may be unable to establish or maintain rights to recovered objects.
Persons and entities other than us may claim title to the shipwrecks and/or valuable cargo that we may recover. Even if we are successful in locating and recovering shipwrecks and/or valuable cargo, we cannot assure we will be able to establish our rights to property recovered if challenged by governmental entities, prior owners, or other attempted salvors claiming an interest therein. In such an event we could spend a great deal of time and money on a shipwreck project, and receive no salvage claim or revenue for our work. Our shipwrecks may be in controlled water where the policies and laws of a certain government may change abruptly, thereby impacting our ability to operate in those zones.
The profitability of our operations is directly related to the market price of metals and the numismatic coin market. The market prices of metals and the numismatic coin market fluctuate significantly and are affected by a number of factors beyond our control, including, but not limited to, the rate of inflation, the exchange rate of the dollar to other currencies, interest rates, global economic and political conditions, and the collectors market. Price fluctuations in the metals and numismatic market from the conception of a potential target to the conclusion of operations can significantly affect profitability. We may begin one or more operations at a time when the price of metals or numismatic coins make operations economically feasible and subsequently incur losses due to market decreases. Adverse fluctuations in the metals or numismatic market may force us to curtail or cease our business operations.
We face significant competition from better-established competitors
We compete with other interests possessing greater financial resources and technical facilities than we do in connection with the discovery and excavation of shipwrecks.
We may not have sufficient insurance coverage
Our business could be impaired by the occurrence of uninsured or underinsured events. We have obtained and plan to maintain insurance policies to protect us against certain, but not all, risks related to our operations. This insurance is to be maintained in amounts that Management believes are reasonable depending upon the circumstances surrounding each identified risk. For some risks, Management may elect not to have insurance because of the high premiums associated with insuring those risks or for various other reasons. In other cases, insurance may not be available. Occurrence of events for which we are not insured or underinsured may affect our cash flow and overall profitability.
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Risks Related to Ownership of Our Securities
The market price of our common stock can be volatile, leading to the possibility of its value being depressed at a time when you are able to sell your holdings.
The market price of our common stock is highly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to a number of factors that are beyond our control, including, but not limited to:
·
variations in our revenues and operating expenses;
·
actual or anticipated changes in the estimates of our operating results or changes in stock market analyst recommendations regarding our common stock, other comparable companies or our industry generally;
·
market conditions in our industry, the industries of our customers and the economy as a whole;
·
actual or expected changes in our growth rates or our competitors growth rates;
·
developments in the financial markets and worldwide or regional economies;
·
announcements of innovations or new products or services by us or our competitors;
·
announcements by the government relating to regulations that govern our industry;
·
sales of our common stock or other securities by us or in the open market; and
·
changes in the market valuations of other comparable companies.
In addition, if the stock market in general experiences loss of investor confidence, the trading price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, financial condition or operating results. The trading price of our shares of common stock might also decline in reaction to events that affect other companies in our industry, even if these events do not directly affect us. Each of these factors, among others, could harm the value of your investment. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market, securities class-action litigation has often been instituted against companies. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and diversion of managements attention and resources, which could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results, and financial condition.
Our common stock is illiquid and subject to price volatility unrelated to our operations.
If a liquid market for our common stock does develop, its market price could fluctuate substantially due to a variety of factors, including market perception of our ability to achieve our planned growth, quarterly operating results of other companies in the same industry, trading volume in our common stock, changes in general conditions in the economy and the financial markets or other developments affecting us or our competitors. In addition, the stock market itself is subject to extreme price and volume fluctuations. This volatility has had a significant effect on the market price of securities issued by many companies for reasons unrelated to their operating performance and could have the same effect on our common stock.
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We are subject to penny stock regulations and restrictions and you may have difficulty selling shares of our common stock, even when legally eligible to do so.
The SEC has adopted regulations which generally define so-called penny stocks to be an equity security that has a market price less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exemptions. As our common stock is a penny stock, it is subject to Rule 15g-9 under the Exchange Act, the so called Penny Stock Rule. This rule imposes additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers that sell such securities to persons other than established customers and accredited investors (generally, individuals with a net worth in excess of $1,000,000 or annual incomes exceeding $200,000, or $300,000 together with their spouses). For transactions covered by the Penny Stock Rule, a broker-dealer must make a special suitability determination for the purchaser and have received the purchasers written consent to the transaction prior to sale. As a result, this rule may affect the ability of broker-dealers to sell our securities and may affect the ability of purchasers to sell any of our securities in the secondary market.
For any transaction involving a penny stock, unless exempt, the rules require delivery, prior to any transaction in a penny stock, of a disclosure schedule prepared by the SEC relating to the penny stock market. Disclosure is also required to be made about sales commissions payable to both the broker-dealer and the registered representative and current quotations for the securities. Finally, monthly statements are required to be sent disclosing recent price information for the penny stock held in the account and information on the limited market in penny stock.
A large number of shares may be eligible for future sale and may depress our stock price.
We may be required, under terms of future financing arrangements, to offer a large number of common shares to the public, or to register for sale by future private investors a large number of shares sold in private sales to them.
Sales of substantial amounts of common stock, or a perception that such sales could occur, and the existence of options or warrants to purchase shares of common stock at prices that may be below the then-current market price of our common stock, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of our equity securities, either of which would decrease the value of any earlier investment in our common stock.
Our management, Micah Eldred and Carl Dilley, own a significant majority of our voting shares and their interests may differ from those of our other shareholders.
Micah Eldred and Carl Dilley, and their affiliated entities, own approximately 42.79% and 21.79% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock, respectively, and they will have significant influence over the outcome of matters that require shareholder approval, including election of directors and, accordingly, over our business and corporate matters. They may exercise their voting rights in ways that they believe is in their best interests, which may conflict with the interest of our other shareholders.
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on shares of our common stock and we are not likely to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
We intend to retain any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business. We do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future but will review this policy as circumstances dictate. Should we decide in the future to do so, as a holding company, our ability to pay dividends and meet other obligations depends upon the receipt of dividends or other payments from our operating subsidiaries. In addition, our operating subsidiaries, from time to time, may be subject to restrictions on their ability to make distributions to us, including restrictions on the conversion of local currency into U.S. dollars or other hard currency and other regulatory restrictions.
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