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Commitments and Contingencies
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies

NOTE H – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Legal Proceedings

The Company may be subject to a variety of other claims and suits that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of business. We are currently not a party to any pending litigation.

 

Trends and Uncertainties

Our 2014 business plan requires us to generate new cash inflows during 2014 to effectively allow us to perform our planned projects. We plan to generate new cash inflows through the monetization of shipwreck cargo and/or our equity stakes in seabed mineral companies, financings, syndications or other partnership opportunities. One or more of the planned shipwreck or mining project monetizations, financings, syndications or partnership opportunities may not be realized to the extent needed which may require us to curtail our desired business plan until we generate additional cash. We can offer no assurance any of our planned projects will be successful in providing additional cash during 2014. We have experienced several years of net losses. Our capacity to generate net income or positive cash flows for the remainder of 2014 or the following twelve months is dependent upon our success in recovering and monetizing shipwrecks, monetizing our interests in mineral exploration entities, generating income from shipwreck or mineral exploration charters or generating income from other project or asset based financing. In 2014, we are seeking to monetize a portion of our stake in our mineral exploration shareholdings, recover and monetize cargo from the SS Central America, and generate cash inflows from other projects and opportunities. If cash inflow is not sufficient to meet our desired projected business plan requirements, we will be required to follow our contingency business plan which is based on curtailed expenses and requires less cash inflows. We may also have to revert to capital raises that include equity and/or convertible debt to allow us to continue as a going concern. Our consolidated non-restricted cash balance at September 30, 2014 was $3.7 million which is insufficient to support operations through the end of the year. While we have been successful in generating cash inflows and raising the necessary funds in the past, there can be no assurance that we can continue to do so in 2014 or the following twelve months. We have been the target of repeated attacks by third parties seeking to drive down our stock price. These attacks are primarily organized by certain short sellers seeking to distort the truth and thereby profit from the decline of our company’s share price (“short and distort”). These attacks have taken the form of public false statements, misrepresentations, and scare tactics in unregulated internet media channels, but have also taken the form of both direct and indirect attempts to disrupt our business by seeking to negatively influence our business partners and business ventures. These attacks have had a consequence on the company’s share price, on our various business deals, and on our ability to secure certain financing alternatives. Although our share price is currently trading at a value greater than $1.00, it has recently traded below $1.00 and if it were to drop back below $1.00 and remain there for 30 consecutive trading days and 180 consecutive days or more without being cured, this could result in a de-listing of the stock from the NASDAQ Capital Market.