For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2002 as compared to the Six Months Ended June 30, 2001 Trading Operations: The product trading and marketing operations includes purchase and sales of various petroleum products. Sales during the first half of 2002 were for residual inventory of $2,000, compared to product revenues of approximately $4,812,000 with costs of products approximating $4,606,000 during the first half of 2001. Asphalt Operations: We operated our asphalt business for our own account beginning in July 1, 2001. Prior to this time our asphalt operations were included in a joint venture reported under the Equity Method of Accounting. During the first six months of 2002, we recognized $1,665,000 of revenue from the asphalt operations with related costs of $1,810,000. These revenues were generated through the sale of asphalt products and to a lesser degree, asphalt related service fees. There were no asphalt revenues for the first six months of 2001 due to our reporting income under the Equity Method. There were $71,000 of other asphalt related services in the first six months of 2001, with related operating costs of $472,000. Actual asphalt sales volumes decreased 64%, from approximately 26,701 tons in the first six months of 2001 during the joint venture to 9,504 for the first six months of 2002. The decline in sales volume was attributable to reduced asphalt supply availability and our occasional shortage of available capital to purchase adequate quantities of asphalt feedstock. During the first half of 2002, there has been a marked decline in the availability of asphaltic crude oil feedstocks caused by a number of factors, including OPEC reductions in oil exports and political and economic turmoil in Venezuela, a principal supplier of heavy crude oils. In May 2002, we like most other asphalt suppliers, were unable to purchase the quantities and/or qualities of asphalt crude oils and/or asphalt blendstock necessary to satisfy 100% of our contract backlog. On May 23, 2002, we provided force majeure notices to our asphalt customers informing them of this fact and notifying them that due to the unavailability of wholesale asphalt and/or asphalt feedstocks, which is beyond our reasonable control, we were forced to suspend all shipments until further notice. However, as discussed below, we expect this will be a short-term situation and we anticipate resuming asphalt deliveries in the third quarter of this year. At the end of June 2002, there was a backlog of asphalt sales orders of approximately 26,000 tons valued at approximately $3.8 million. Our St. Marks, Florida facility has not been in operation since the last quarter of 1998 due to the high cost of asphalt products since early 1999, the higher demand for the higher margin PG-grade polymerized products in the Louisiana and Texas markets, the lack thereof in the Florida markets, and the additional cost to transport products to St. Marks from Lake Charles. As mentioned above, our plan to re-open and supply St Marks with asphalt to be stored and sold into the Florida market has been delayed. The State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection is in the process of investigating the St. Marks facility for possible site contamination that we believe occurred prior to our purchase of the facility. We do not believe any material liability will result from the investigation and, consequently, have made no provision for it in our financial statements. 15
Refinery Operations: During the first six months of 2002, our refining operation has not been operational. Recorded revenues of approximately $237,000 were primarily from storage fees, compared to $2,474,000 of revenues from refinery operations during the first six months of 2001. Processing fees derived from processing feedstocks for Sargeant commenced in February of 2001 and terminated on July 31, 2001. Our Lake Charles, Louisiana refinery was idle during the first six months of this year but has been maintained in a state of readiness. We incurred approximately $381,000 of operating costs during the first six months of 2002 compared to approximately $2,392,000 for the same period last year. Other Revenues: Other revenues remained approximately the same for the first six months of 2002 as compared to the first six months of 2001. We recognized approximately $76,000 of sublease income in the first six months of both 2001 and 2002. General and Administrative: General and administrative expenses, (“G&A”) increased approximately $709,000 during the first six months of 2002 compared to the same period of 2001. Financing costs included in G&A during the first half of 2002 increased approximately $74,000 primarily due to the prepaid bond costs on convertible debt issued in December 2001 and June 2002. Payroll and employee related costs increased approximately $621,000, principally related to the hiring and related payroll expenses of our new President in September 2001 and from incentive payments to certain employees to remain with us while the refining and asphalt operations remain idle, which payments were made in shares of our common stock. Certain other expenses fluctuated during the first six months of 2002 compared to the same period in 2001 as follows: public relations and trading costs, and corporate and property taxes decreased approximately $60,000 and $88,000 respectively; and professional fees and insurance costs increased approximately $121,000 and $26,000, respectively. Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization: Depreciation, depletion and amortization expense decreased approximately $166,000 during the current period compared to the same period last year primarily due to the impairment of plant assets at December 31, 2001 which reduced our depreciable base for the first half of 2002. Provision for Impairment of Plant Assets: Because of the uncertainties created by the investigation of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection regarding our ability to reopen our St. Marks, Florida facility, we have decided to record an approximate 50% impairment in the carrying value of St. Marks of approximately $752,000. However, we believe that, even if we are unable to utilize a portion or all of our existing location at St. Marks, the remaining equipment, principally the asphalt tanks, truck racks and a portion of the dock, could be usable to initiate asphalt operations elsewhere, which could provide sufficient discounted future cash flows to fully recover the remaining carrying costs. Interest Expense: Interest expense decreased approximately $846,000 during the first six months of 2002 compared to the first six months of 2001. Outstanding interest- bearing debt instruments totaled $16,501,000 at June 30, 2002 compared to $14,523,000 at June 30, 2001 accounted for approximately $72,000 of an increase in interest expense during the first six months of 2002 compared to the first six months of last year. During the first six months of 2001, we restructured $5,787,500 of bridge notes and executed a $3,340,000 convertible debenture incurring a total $1,031,000 of non-cash imputed interest. Non-cash charges of approximately $105,000 were recorded during the first six months of 2002 for financing costs related to our outstanding convertible debentures compared to $1,248,000 of non-cash charges for convertible debentures and preferred stock sales recorded in 2001, a decrease of $1,143,000. Year Ended December 31, 2001 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2000 Trading Operations: The product trading and marketing segment includes the purchasing and sales of various petroleum products derived from the processing agreement with Sargeant. The petroleum product revenues approximated $9,337,000 during the first nine months of 2001 with costs of products approximating $9,084,000. This segment sells and buys crude oil products to and from third parties. It commenced operations during the latter part of the first quarter of 2001 and had sales of over 390,000 barrels of various products during the current period. We did not have any petroleum product sales during 2000. Asphalt Operations: Since 1998, for the most part, we have operated our asphalt business for our own account. However, during the period July 1, 2000 through June 30,2001, the asphalt segment operated under a joint venture structure with Sargeant and we accounted for our interest on the equity method. Consequently, only profits from the joint venture are reflected on our financial statements for that period, not the related revenues and expenses. 16
Consequently, the year ended December 31, 2001 reflects only the revenue and expense from July 1, 2001 through the end of the year. During this period, our asphalt and related revenues approximated $5,435,000 with related costs of $4,852,000 compared to revenues of $2,764, 000 and related costs of $2,319,000 for the period ended December 31, 2000, which reflected only the six months of operation from January 1, 2000 through June 30, 2000, the period preceding the joint venture. Asphalt volumes were greater for the six month period this year compared to the same period last year by 38% due primarily to the exceptionally good weather our market area experienced during the latter part of 2001 compared to the rainy winter/spring weather experienced during the same period in 2000. At December 31, 2001, we had a backlog of asphalt sales orders of approximately 43,000 tons valued at approximately $6.7 million. Our St. Marks, Florida refinery facility has not been in operation since the last quarter of 1998 due to the high cost of asphalt products since early 1999, the higher demand for the higher margin PG-grade polymerized products in the Louisiana and Texas markets, the lack of such products in the St. Marks markets, and the additional cost which would be incurred to transport products to St. Marks from Lake Charles. Operating the St. Marks facility will depend on the future price and availability of petroleum products. The State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection is in the process of investigating the St. Marks facility for possible site contamination which we believe occurred prior to our purchase of the facility. At this time, we do not believe any material liability will result from the investigation and, consequently, have made no provision for same in our financial statements. However, the investigation may hinder our ability to reopen the facility during 2002. Refinery Operations: During 2001, the refinery had revenues of approximately $3,009,000 from processing and rental fees with related operating costs of $3,501,000 compared to approximately $170,000 of revenues and related costs of $1,924,000 for the year 2000. The refinery was inactive during 2000 compared to having been operational for approximately five months during 2001. During 2001 we processed approximately 1,113,000 barrels of crude oil feedstock for third parties compared to approximately 100,000 barrels during 2000. During the third quarter of 2000 we entered into a processing agreement with Sargeant to process their crude oil for a processing fee plus any incremental increases in energy costs. Sargeant did not provide the necessary feedstocks to start processing until the first quarter of 2001 and processed much less crude oil than they agreed to process, so the processing agreement was mutually terminated in July 2001. The high costs to maintain the refining unit while it is not being 100% utilized significantly contributed to the high operating costs we experienced in 2001 and 2000. We are currently negotiating a new agreement with a different party, under which we would maximize the utilization of the refining and asphalt facilities in Lake Charles during the second quarter of 2002. However, we cannot assure you that we will enter into an agreement with that or any other party. Year Ended December 31, 2000 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 1999 Trading Operations: We had no trading operations prior to February 2001. Asphalt Operations: During 2000, we had asphalt revenues of $2,586,000, exclusive of any joint venture revenues, compared to revenues of approximately $7,621,000 during 1999. Costs of sales related to these revenues were approximately $3,000,000 and $8,486,000, respectively. Other asphalt related revenues in 2000 were $179,000 with related costs of $206,000 compared to $4,000 of other asphalt revenues and costs of $59,000 for 1999. These revenues and costs are primarily related to providing asphalt transportation and services for third parties. The decrease in asphalt revenues is due to our accounting for the joint venture on the equity method. Joint venture asphalt revenues were approximately $3,972,000 with related costs of $3,857,000. The joint venture feedstocks to fulfill our backlog contractual obligations with a reasonably priced product. During the first two quarters of 2000 we had been fulfilling certain of our 1999 asphalt contracts with asphalt inventory that had been purchased at higher 2000 asphalt spot market prices than asphalt market prices had been at the time the contracts were entered into. As a result, we were committed to selling low-priced conventional asphalt at a loss or at break-even throughout most of 1999 and early 2000. With this supply of asphalt, we were able to supply these 1999 contracts with lower cost asphalt and mitigate some of the effects of the market variances. We mitigated some of the effects of these market variances by use of escalation provisions in our asphalt sales contracts, which now enable us to increase our contracted sales price by 5% per quarter if our feedstock prices rise to certain levels. Refinery Operations The refinery had only $21,000 of light end sales in 2000 compared to approximately $513,000 in 1999. Except for a 50,000 barrel test run in November related to our processing agreement with Sargeant, the refinery did not process any crude oil in 2000 due to the shortage of crude oil and our capital constraints during the year. In connection with the processing agreement with Sargeant, the refinery processed a test batch of product for Sargeant and recorded revenues of $149,500 related to the processing. Initial processing was to commence in November but was delayed by Sargeant in procuring its feedstock until February of 2001, at which time the refinery began processing at initial rates of 10,500 to 12,000 barrels per day. We have not operated our terminal in St. Marks Florida since 1998, but incurred approximately $65,000 of maintenance and security costs during the year 2000 compared to $96,000 in 1999. Due to the increased costs and the subsequent decrease in supply of product brought on by the increase in world oil prices, we determined that it would be more economically feasible to direct our sales efforts and strategy to the high demand, high quality and high margin asphalt in the Louisiana and Texas markets rather than shipping lower margin conventional asphalt for sale into the St. Marks, Florida market. 17
Oil and Gas Production ActivityWe have had no oil and gas production activity since February 1997. Other IncomeYear Ended December 31, 2001 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2000 Other income increased in 2001 compare to 2000 by approximately $162,000. The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in interest income for the year of $125,000 due to having more funds on deposit during 2001 compared to 2000. Sub-lease income increase by $39,000 in 2001 compared to 2000. Sub-lease income in 2001 reflected revenues for twelve months compared to nine months for the year 2000. Year Ended December 31, 2000 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 1999 Other income decreased in 2000 by approximately $49,000 compared to 1999. The decrease is a result of less interest income derived from fewer funds on deposit during 2000 compared to 1999. During 2000 we entered into a partial sub-lease of space at our New York office and recognized rental income of $114,000 during the year which we did not have in 1999. The sub-lease is a result of our continued efforts to reduce its general and administrative costs during the year 2000. A decrease in 2000 of approximately $56,000 is attributable to recognition of a forgiveness of debt recorded in 1999 and none for 2000. General and AdministrativeYear Ended December 31, 2001 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2000 Total general and administrative expenses decreased by approximately $1,953,000, or 29%, in 2001 compared to 2000. Several items contributed to this years significant decrease. During 2001 we were able to negotiate an adjustment related to property taxes assessed on the refinery plant and equipment for the year 2001 and 2000, which amounted to a $682,000 decrease in the total tax assessment. Also, in 1998 we reserved and recorded a provision for bad debt expense of approximately $1,500,000 related to the default of MIP on the note related to the sale of the Colombian and Peru oil and gas properties, as previously discussed. Due to subsequent payments made by MIP, the reserve was reduced by approximately $708,000 at the end of this year. The majority of the bond cost related to financing during 2000 were written off in the year 2000 and bond costs related to financing in 2001 decreased $245,000 compared to 2000. Another area contributing to the large decrease in 2001 was the decrease in public relations and trading costs of approximately $223,000 under 2000 costs. Certain other expenses decreased during 2001 compared to 2000: travel expenses, professional fees and sales commissions decreased approximately $131,000, $77,000, and $58,000, respectively. Certain other expenses increased during 2001 compared to 2000: General insurance expenses, general office expenses, and environmental cleanup and assessments increased approximately $40,000, $19,000, and $117,000, respectively. The Company continually strives to reduce its general and administrative expenses. Year Ended December 31, 2000 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 1999 Total general and administrative expenses increased by approximately $409,000 or 6%, in 2000 compared to 1999. The Company has made a significant effort to decrease our general and administrative expenses. Payroll and certain other employee related expenses during 2000 have been reduced by $129,000 compared to 1999. Public relations costs, dues and subscriptions, sales commissions were reduced, compared to 1999, by $234,000, $21,000, and $102,000, respectively. Certain expenses have increased during 2000 compared to 1999 because of our increased activities, such as travel expenses, and professional fees, having increased $139,000 and $26,000, respectively. Certain other costs, which we have limited control over have increased, such as corporate franchise and property taxes, having increased $346,000 over the same costs in 1999. 18
Depreciation, Depletion and AmortizationYear Ended December 31, 2001 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2000 Depreciation, depletion and amortization increased approximately $120,000 in 2001 compared to 2000 due to adjustments in depreciation rates and values throughout the year. Year Ended December 31, 2000 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 1999 Depreciation, depletion, amortization and provision for impairment increased approximately $12,661,000 in 2000 compared to the same period in 1999. Depreciation in 2000 reflects the increased depreciation of our $18.6 million dollar asphalt and related equipment construction project at the Lake Charles refinery that commenced in 1996 and was completed in December of 1998. This new addition doubled the carrying value of the Lake Charles refinery and accounted for the 100% increase in these expenditures. Provision for Impairment of Oil and Gas PropertiesYear Ended December 31, 2001 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2000 The net total costs recorded for License 953 equal $14.7 million before impairment, through the end of 2001, including approximately $6 million in identifiable seismic costs which we believe has a market value which could exceed its cost. However, since we have utilized a portion of this seismic data to evaluate certain acreage within the License and have completed the evaluation of a majority of the License acreage without identifying any related proven oil and/or gas reserves, we believe it is appropriate to impair the related seismic data costs and the non-seismic property costs associated with these unsuccessful evaluations. Therefore, we have recorded an impairment to the net total costs recorded for License 953 of $10.7 million for the year ended 2001. At December 31, 2000 we recorded an impairment of $12.5 million for License 953. Year Ended December 31, 2000 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 1999 In March 2001, we completed the re-entry and testing of the Begesh No. 1 oil well on License 953 in Kazakhstan and concluded that the well’s upper Jurassic zones were not capable of producing economic quantities of crude oil. At this time, we believe we have sufficiently tested the Jurassic and Eocene structures present in License 953, which were the most likely candidates for recoverable oil reserves from reasonably shallow levels. After extensive testing and geological and geophysical research and study, we believe that any significant volumes of economically recoverable oil and gas may be found in the deep, untested, carboniferous structures, which are estimated to equate to approximately 40% of the total unevaluated acreage remaining on License 953. Therefore an impairment provision of $12,546,000 was recognized on our Kazakhstan oil and gas properties held on License # 953. We evaluated the costs recorded on this License and calculated that approximately 60% of the costs of the project had been impaired. There was no impairment recorded against License 953 for the year ended 1999 or any year prior to that. Provision for Impairment of Plant AssetsYear Ended December 31, 2001 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2000 Because of the inconsistent pattern in which we have utilized the Lake Charles facilities since the termination of the lease with Gold Line, primarily caused by the short-term nature of the contracts we have entered into during that period, it is difficult to determine with any certainty if we can fully recover the existing carrying value of the facilities. Although we are currently having discussions that could result in multi-year contracts which would maximize the utilization of these assets which could result in sufficient undiscounted future cash flows to fully recover these carrying costs, at this time, we cannot assure you that we will consummate agreements that will achieve that result. In addition, although the continuation and growth of our asphalt business may justify retaining a good portion of the existing carrying value of approximately $29 million, at this time, we cannot assure the full recovery of these costs. Consequently, we have decided to record an impairment of approximately $9.2 million of the plant assets at the Lake Charles facilities for the year ended 2001. There was no impairment recorded for the year ended 2000. Year Ended December 31, 2000 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 1999 There was no provision for impairment of plant assets in the years prior to 2001. 19
InterestImputed interest of approximately $1,248,000, $705,000 and $3,044,000 was incurred in the years ended December 31, 2001, 2000 and 1999, respectively, and was related to the presumed incremental yield our investors may derive from the discounted conversion rate of debt instruments issued by us during these years. Management believes that the related amount of interest recorded by us is not necessarily the true cost to us of the instruments we issued and that it may be reasonable to conclude that the fair value of the common stock into which these securities may be converted was less than such stock’s quoted market price at the date the convertible securities were issued (considering factors such as the period for which sale of the stock is restricted, which in some cases was as long as six months, large block factors, lack of a sufficiently active market into which the stock can be quickly sold, and time value). However, generally accepted accounting principles require that the “intrinsic value” of the conversion feature at the date of issuance should be accounted for and that such incremental yield should be measured based on the stock’s quoted market price at the date of issuance, regardless if such yield is assured. We expense and also capitalize certain other costs associated with the offering and sale of debentures. Capitalized costs are amortized as interest expense over the life of the related debt instrument. These costs include the accounting for common stock warrants issued with and related to certain convertible debentures, commissions paid, and certain legal expenses Year Ended December 31, 2001 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2000 Interest expense decreased approximately $1,116,000 for the year 2001 compared to 2000. During 2001 we incurred approximately $747,000 of interest on debentures and short-term and trade notes outstanding during 2001 compared to $1,872,000 of interest incurred in 2000. We incurred approximately $1,248,000 of non-cash imputed interest and approximately $179,000 of non-cash interest related to warrants and stock issued in connection with debentures. Year Ended December 31, 2000 compared to the Year Ended December 31, 1999 Interest expense for 2000 decreased by $3,211,000 to $3,290,000, compared to $6,501,000 in 1999. During 2000 we incurred approximately $1,872,000 of interest on debentures and short-term and trade notes outstanding during 2000. We incurred $705,000 of non-cash imputed interest, and approximately $713,000 of non-cash interest, both related to warrants and stock issued in connection with debentures. Liquidity and Capital Resources During the six months ended June 30, 2002, we used a net amount of approximately $2,063,000 for operations, which reflects approximately $2,024,000 of non-cash provisions. Approximately $1,387,000 was provided by decreases in accounts receivable and asphalt blendstock inventories, $262,000 was used to increase prepayments and $497,000 was provided from an increase in accounts payable and accrued liabilities. Additional uses of cash during the period included additions to oil and gas properties and refinery property and equipment of $297,000. Cash for operations was provided by a decrease in other long-term assets of $759,000 and by proceeds from the increase in short-term and long-term debt of approximately $1,893,000. Cash was offset by cash used to decrease notes payable and notes payable-officers by approximately $376,000. In an effort to minimize our exposure to the potential future risks of receiving full payment of the debenture from Mercantile International Petroleum, Inc. for partial payment from the sale of our South American assets in 1997, during the first quarter of this year, we agreed to reduce the principal and interest balances due on the debenture of approximately $2.6 million to $1.5 million if Mercantile would pay us $1.2 million before March 15, 2002 and $300,000 on or before December 31, 2003. Mercantile agreed and paid the first two installments of $1.2 million in the first quarter this year. In the event the third payment is not made on or before the respective due date, the required payment will double. Interest accrues monthly on the $300,000 final payment at an 11.5% annual rate and is to be paid to us in cash each month beginning March 15, 2002. Mercantile has made timely payments of interest due since this date. We continue to have discussions with potential partners regarding a sale and/or farm out of some of our 100% working interest in License 1551 Shagyrly gas field in Kazakhstan. Any proceeds that may be derived from the possible sale or farm-out of a portion of our oil and gas concessions in Kazakhstan will be utilized to repay debt, fund the development of our License 1551 gas field, the minimum work program at our License 953, and for general corporate uses. 20
In August 2000, our American International Petroleum Kazakhstan subsidiary sold an aggregate of $450,000 principal amount of its 12% promissory notes, payable upon demand, to certain of our officers and directors and to an individual investor. We used these proceeds to initiate the preliminary reentry work at our Begesh oil well in License 953 in Kazakhstan, which reentry was completed in the first quarter of 2001 and resulted in no economically recoverable oil. As of June 30, 2002, we had an aggregate outstanding principal balance remaining on these notes of $100,000. We received formal approval of our request for an extension of the exploration contract at 953 from the Kazakhstan Government for an additional year through November 2002, however, at this time, we plan to apply for a three year extension of the License which would be directed at evaluating the gas potential in the eastern portion of the License near Shagyrly Shomyshty. However, we have no assurance that this request will be granted. If it is not, License 953 will lapse. We have decided to delay the initial phase of development drilling at Shagyrly Shomyshty, estimated to cost approximately $3.8 million, until a gas sales contract is obtained to sell the related natural gas production. We continue to have discussions with potential purchasers and marketers regarding the purchase of our gas, however, political and organizational changes within Kazakhstan and Russia have resulted in substantial delays and uncertainty relative to our ability to consummate such a contract. We cannot assure that a gas contract will be signed or that we will be successful with the initial phase of the drilling program, both of which are prerequisites to the initiation of full field development of Shagyrly Shomyshty. We have had discussions with various potential partners, financing entities, suppliers and export credit agencies regarding their participation in the development of this project. The majority of the development financing for License 1551 is expected to be derived from project finance. In March 2002, we sold an aggregate of $240,000 of 14% notes to our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer George Faris, which were all outstanding at August 1, 2002 and are payable upon demand. We believe the terms of the loans were as favorable to us as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated party. The proceeds were used primarily to service our asphalt contract backlog. In order to provide additional working capital to supplement the cash flow derived from our asphalt operations, on December 19, 2001, we sold a one-year, $1.25 million principal amount, 14% note to Global Capital Funding Group, L.P., secured by a mortgage on our St. Marks, Florida refinery. Interest is payable quarterly in cash or, at our option, in shares of our common stock. We expect to repay this note from the proceeds we derive from the agreements discussed below. However, we may be required to refinance this debt if we are unable to repay it timely, but there is no assurance we will be successful in doing so. In addition, in January 2002, we reached an agreement with Global to extend the outstanding aggregate principal balance of all our outstanding convertible debentures to Global, totaling $8.6 million, due in full in April 2002, to February 1, 2007. This agreement enabled us to approach sources of capital to fund our operations without the immediate burden of having to repay these debentures in the near future. If the entire outstanding $13,383,138 principal amount of our convertible debentures is converted at an assumed conversion price of $0.07 per share, the number of outstanding shares of common stock will increase by 234,949,533 shares to a total outstanding of 434,307,881 shares. Since we have only 300,000,000 shares authorized, we would need to increase the number of authorized shares available. If we are unable to do so, our lenders may declare the debentures to be immediately due and payable and may proceed to enforce their rights in the collateral securing the payment of the debentures. We have been in discussions with various financial entities regarding a line of credit to support our refining and asphalt businesses. We obtained a $1.8 million credit facility that will primarily be utilized to support our asphalt operations. This facility is collateralized by and limited to the aggregate value of the accounts receivable and inventory of our asphalt subsidiary, American International Asphalt, Inc. However, this credit facility alone is not sufficient to support both our asphalt operations and our corporate cash requirements. On June 18, 2002, we sold a $1.9 million nine-month term 12% secured note due March 18, 2003 to Global Strategic Investment Fund Limited. Interest is payable at maturity in cash or, at our option, in shares of our common stock. It is secured by our asphalt barge, all of the shares of American International Refinery, Inc., and St. Marks Refinery, Inc., and 85% of the shares of American International Petroleum Kazakhstan. This collateral was also provided to secure all other outstanding obligations we have to GCA or any of GCA’s affiliates. The net proceeds of approximately $1.8 million is being utilized to pay some short-term obligations and to support our working capital needs. Through June 30, 2002, all of our executives and certain management personnel have deferred up to six payrolls each, providing an aggregate of $344,000 in additional cash flow to support our operations. These amounts are expected to be paid over time as cash flows permit. In July 2000, we entered into an annually renewable one-year joint venture with Sargeant to service our then-existing asphalt supply obligations and expand our asphalt business. The joint venture agreement provided for Sargeant to supply and finance the feedstocks required and Sargeant reimbursed us for the majority of our direct operating costs. Each party generally received 50% of the profits generated from the joint venture’s asphalt operations. The joint venture purchased asphaltic by-products produced from the processing agreement, mentioned above, and also purchased wholesale asphalt from third parties to utilize as feedstock for blending and polymer enhancement. It sold primarily higher-margin polymerized asphalt products, which asphalts approximated 61% of its asphalt sales. We had various discussions with Sargeant in an attempt to negotiate an extension of the joint venture under more favorable terms. However, the parties could not agree on new terms and mutually agreed not to renew the joint venture beyond its original term of June 30, 2001. In addition, they also agreed that, except for approximately 3,600 tons, all deliveries of asphalt from the asphalt backlog existing on June 30, 2001 of 69,000 tons would be our responsibility to service and that we would bear the entire risk of profit and loss on these contracts. There were some areas of disagreement with Sargeant related to the winding up of the joint venture and, consequently, the final accounting was delayed until July 2002, when these issues were resolved and the joint venture was finally wound up. During the term of the joint venture, it sold approximately $8 million worth of asphalt and made a profit of approximately $1.2 million. 21
We have operated our asphalt business on our own since June 30, 2001 and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. However, this requires us to bear the entire risk of the resultant profit or loss and to purchase and self-finance our feedstock supplies, which may result in higher cost of goods sold than we experienced in the Sargeant joint venture. During the first half of 2002, there has been a marked decline in the availability of asphaltic crude oil feedstocks caused by a number of factors, including OPEC reductions in oil exports and political and economic turmoil in Venezuela, a principal supplier of heavy crude oils. In May 2002, we like most other asphalt suppliers, were unable to purchase the quantities and/or qualities of asphalt crude oils and/or asphalt blendstock necessary to satisfy 100% of our contract backlog. On May 23, 2002, we provided force majeure notices to our asphalt customers informing them of this fact and notifying them that due to the unavailability of wholesale asphalt and/or asphalt feedstocks, which is beyond our reasonable control, we were forced to suspend all shipments until further notice. We are unable at this time to quantify the liability, if any, which may occur in connection with this action. We expect this situation to be a short-term occurrence and anticipate resuming our asphalt deliveries during the third quarter this year. However, there can be no assurance this will occur. We have maintained our Lake Charles refinery in a state of readiness since the termination of the Sargeant processing agreement at the end of July last year because we have been having discussions with a number of companies regarding the full utilization of the processing and asphalt facilities. However, in order to conserve cash, we have reduced our refining staff to a minimum pending a new processing agreement or the attainment of sufficient financing to support our own refining operations. However, as discussed below, we expect to implement processing in September this year. Our business is subject to environmental risks. Extensive national and/or local environmental laws and regulations in both the United States and Kazakhstan affect nearly all of our operations. These laws and regulations set various standards regulating certain aspects of health and environmental quality, provide for penalties and other liabilities for the violation of such standards and establish in certain circumstances obligations to remediate current and former facilities and off-site locations. We may incur substantial financial obligations in connection with environmental compliance. We are occasionally subject to non-recurring environmental costs. The annual cost incurred in connection with these assessments varies from year to year, depending upon our activities in that year. The costs of such environmental impact assessments were not material in 2001, but may be in the future. The State of Florida Department of Environmental Protection is in the process of investigating the St. Marks, Florida facility for possible site contamination that we believe occurred prior to our purchase of the facility. At this time, we do not believe any material liability will result from the investigation and, consequently, have made no provision for same in our financial statements. However, there can be no assurance material liability will not result and the investigation may restrict our ability to reopen the facility during 2002 or thereafter. St. Marks recently reached an agreement with the DEP regarding the disposition of petroleum product tankage at the facility. The facility is undergoing the first steps of remediation by the DEP for the clean up of petroleum contamination at the site. We have been presented with documentation recently made available by the DEP that the site contains levels of dioxin contamination heretofore unknown by either the DEP or us. We have relinquished our rights to storage tanks and equipment in the area identified by the DEP as containing dioxin above regulatory levels. This decision will allow the DEP to continue remediation activities unimpeded. We have maintained our commitment to act in good faith to assist the DEP in the clean up of the site. We have no knowledge of activities at the facility that could have caused dioxin contamination, and believe that such conditions predated St. Marks’ acquisition of the facility in late 1992. St. Marks received a specific waiver of liability from the DEP for preexisting conditions prior to its acquisition, and is currently seeking confirmation of the validity of that waiver in Wakulla County, Florida circuit court. Although we believe it is unlikely, there is a possibility that the Courts could rule that this waiver is invalid, in which case St. Marks could be jointly and severally liable for all cleanup costs at the site and for any damages incurred by individuals exposed to the contaminants there. We are insured for such occurrences, however, our policies are limited as to the amounts of certain coverages and may be insufficient to fully reimburse our losses. If the difference is material, we may be forced to discontinue operations and/or seek court protection. 22
We are awaiting notification from the DEP as to when thorough contamination testing of the asphalt distribution area will commence. A final determination regarding the status for asphalt distribution activities at the facility shall be made upon receipt of DEP documentation by St. Marks of the test results of that area. We continue to work with the DEP in order to maintain the portion of the facility to be utilized for asphalt distribution. The storage tankage associated with the asphalt distribution area is exempt from state regulation, and is in compliance with applicable United States Coast Guard regulations. However, the presence of dioxins on the facility, regardless of the source and liability, is likely to prevent our ability to utilize the site for our future asphalt operations in Florida. Consequently, unless we can locate a site on the facility property that is free of dioxins and the DEP authorizes our use of such a site, we will be forced to locate another site for our asphalt distribution in Florida and the neighboring states. This could result in substantial capital requirements that we may not be able to provide and, consequently, we may not be able to conduct our business there as originally planned. We are not currently aware of any other anticipated nonrecurring environmental costs. However, because of the uncertainties created by the DEP actions discussed below, management had discussions with our auditors and audit committee members regarding the possible need to impair some or all of the recorded costs at St. Marks. After due consideration, we decided to record an impairment of $752,000, which represents approximately 50% of the recorded cost of St. Marks. We recently signed a six-month term agreement with an independent refiner whereby, beginning around September 1, 2002, we will process a minimum of 1.8 million barrels of light Louisiana sweet crude oil through the atmospheric distillation unit at our Lake Charles, Louisiana refinery for a throughput fee. The agreement requires the refiner to make a $350,000 cash deposit of prepaid processing fees, which will be amortized on a pro rata basis during approximately the first three months of the agreement. In addition, they will issue on our behalf a $2 million irrevocable Standby Letter of Credit to guarantee payment of the processing fees. We also gave the refiner a one-year Right of First Refusal to purchase our Lakes Charles, Louisiana refinery. The refiner plans to retain approximately 40% of the resultant processed products. We plan to purchase and market the remainder to various third party purchasers, which are plentiful in the Lake Charles area. We have signed a related Sales and Purchase Agreement to govern these purchases and sales, the term of which runs concurrently with the processing agreement. The aggregate cash flows we expect to derive from these transactions are anticipated to provide a significant portion of all of our operative cash flow needs during the next six months. Thereafter, we expect to renew the processing agreement for a longer term, replace it with another agreement, or increase our processing capabilities at the Lake Charles facility to allow us to simultaneously process through both the atmospheric unit and the vacuum distillation unit for our own account or for third parties. We have been approached by companies who have expressed a desire to process through our refinery and provide capital for the facility expansion necessary to enable this dual processing structure. We have been having discussions with sources of financing to support our asphalt business. Although there can be no certainty, we do believe we are close to consummating agreements to provide us with funds and guarantees necessary to implement asphalt operations. We plan to derive the remainder of our cash flow requirements from our asphalt operations, which we expect to resume in third quarter this year, if we can secure adequate financing and adequate supplies of asphalt feedstock. If not, we will need to curtail our operations to a level that can be supported only by the processing operations discussed above. Market RiskWe are exposed to various types of market risk in the normal course of business, including the impact of interest rate changes and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. We do not employ risk management strategies, such as derivatives or various interest rate and currency swaps, to mitigate these risks. Foreign Exchange Risk We are subject to risk from changes in foreign exchange rates for our international operations, which use a foreign currency as their functional currency and are translated to U.S. dollars. We have not experienced any significant gains or losses from such events. Interest Rate Risk We are exposed to interest rate risk from our various financing activities. The following table provides information, by maturity date, about our interest rate sensitive financial instruments, which are fixed rate debt obligations. The fair value of financial instruments closely approximates the carrying values of the instruments. 23
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