FORM
6-K
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Report
of Foreign Private Issuer
Pursuant
to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of
the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For
the month of February 2009
Commission
File Number
TOP
SHIPS INC.
(Translation
of registrant’s name into English)
1
VAS. SOFIAS & MEG.
ALEXANDROU
STREET
151
24, MAROUSSI
ATHENS,
GREECE
(Address
of principal executive offices)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under
cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form
20-F [ X ] Form 40-F
[ ]
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted
by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ___
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted
by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)7: ___
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in
this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant
to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Yes
[ ] No [ X ]
If
“Yes” is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in
connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): ________.
INFORMATION
CONTAINED IN THIS FORM 6-K REPORT
Attached to this report on Form 6-K
as Exhibit 1 is the press release issued by Top Ships Inc. (the “Company”) on
February 19, 2009, announcing that it has taken delivery of its
first newbuilding product/chemical tanker. This report on Form 6-K is
hereby incorporated by reference into the Company’s Registration Statement on
Form F-3 filed July 3, 2008 (Registration No. 333-152150).
EXHIBIT
1
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NEWS RELEASE for February
19, 2009
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Contact:
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Michael
Mason (investors)
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Allen
& Caron Inc
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212
691 8087
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michaelm@allencaron.com
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TOP
SHIPS ANNOUNCES DELIVERY OF ITS FIRST NEWBUILDING VESSEL
ATHENS,
GREECE (February 19, 2009) … TOP Ships Inc. (NasdaqGS:TOPS) announced today that
it has taken delivery of the M/T “MISS MARILENA” from SPP Plant &
Shipbuilding Co., Ltd of the Republic of Korea.
The
“MISS MARILENA” is the first of six 50,000 dwt product / chemical tankers to be
delivered within the first and second quarter of 2009. The “MISS MARILENA” has
entered into a bareboat time-charter employment for a period of 10 years at a
daily rate of $14,400.
About TOP Ships
Inc.
TOP Ships Inc., formerly known as TOP
Tankers Inc., is an international provider of worldwide seaborne crude oil and
petroleum products and drybulk transportation services. The Company
operates a combined tanker and drybulk fleet as follows:
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·
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A
fleet of eight double-hull handymax tankers, with a total carrying
capacity of approximately 0.4 million dwt, of which 50% are sister ships.
All of the Company’s handymaxes are on time charter contracts with an
average term of one year with all of the time charters including profit
sharing agreements above their base
rates.
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·
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Five
newbuilding product tankers, which are expected to be delivered in the
first half of 2009. All the expected newbuildings have fixed rate bareboat
employment agreements for periods between seven and ten
years.
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·
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A
fleet of five drybulk vessels with a total carrying capacity of
approximately 0.3 million dwt. All of the Company’s drybulk vessels have
fixed rate employment contracts for an average period of 25
months.
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Forward Looking
Statement
Certain
statements and information included in this release constitute “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of the Federal Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. The Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for
forward-looking statements in order to encourage companies to provide
prospective information about their business. Forward-looking
statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial
performance and may include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals,
strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other
statements, which are other than statements of historical
facts.
The Company
desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary
statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words “believe,”
“anticipate,” “intends,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “plan,” “potential,”
“will,” “may,” “should,” “expect,” “pending” and similar expressions identify
forward-looking statements.
Important
factors that, in our view, could affect the matters discussed in these
forward-looking statements include, general market conditions, including
fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in the demand for our
vessels, offers that may be received from third parties, potential liability
from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political
conditions, and other factors. Please see our filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and
uncertainties.
#
# # #
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized.
TOP
SHIPS INC.
(registrant)
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Dated: February
19, 2009
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By:
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/s/
Evangelos J. Pistiolis
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Evangelos
J. Pistiolis
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Chief
Executive
Officer
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SK 23116 0001
967347