Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

DEBT

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DEBT
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Notes to Financial Statements  
DEBT

NOTE 2 DEBT

The components of debt are presented in the following tables (in thousands):

    

December 31, 

2023

2022

Term Loan:

Principal

$

114,159

$

147,899

Unamortized debt issuance costs

(3,052)

(4,592)

Total

 

111,107

 

143,307

Credit Agreement borrowings

11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes due 2026:

 

 

  

Principal

 

275,000

 

Unamortized debt issuance costs

 

(5,090)

 

Total

 

269,910

 

TVPX Loan:

Principal

11,025

Unamortized discount

(1,294)

Unamortized debt issuance costs

 

(144)

Total

 

9,587

9.75% Senior Second Lien Notes due 2023:

 

 

  

Principal

 

 

552,460

Unamortized debt issuance costs

 

 

(2,330)

Total

 

 

550,130

Total debt, net

390,604

693,437

Less current portion, net

(29,368)

(582,249)

Long-term debt, net

$

361,236

$

111,188

Current Portion of Long-Term Debt, Net

As of December 31, 2023, the current portion of long-term debt of $29.4 million represented principal payments due within one year on the TVPX Loan and Term Loan (defined below), net of current unamortized debt issuance costs.

Maturities of Long-Term Debt

The maturities of the Company’s principal amounts of long-term debt are as follows (in millions):

2024

    

$

31.2

2025

 

28.7

2026

309.3

2027

22.8

2028

8.2

Thereafter

Total

$

400.2

Term Loan

On May 19, 2021, A-I LLC and A-II LLC (collectively, the “Subsidiary Borrowers”), both indirect wholly owned subsidiaries of the Company, entered into a credit agreement (the “Subsidiary Credit Agreement”) providing for a $215.0 million term loan (the “Term Loan”).

At that time, in exchange for the net cash proceeds received by the Subsidiary Borrowers from the Term Loan, the Company assigned to (a) A-I LLC all of its interests in certain oil and gas leasehold interests and associated wells and units located in State of Alabama waters and U.S. federal waters in the offshore Gulf of Mexico, Mobile Bay region (such assets, the “Mobile Bay Properties”) and (b) A-II LLC its interest in certain gathering and processing assets located (i) in State of Alabama waters and U.S. federal waters in the offshore Gulf of Mexico, Mobile Bay region and (ii) onshore near Mobile, Alabama, including offshore gathering pipelines, an onshore oil treating and sweetening facility, an onshore gathering pipeline, and associated assets (such assets, the “Midstream Assets”).

The Term Loan requires quarterly amortization payments and bears interest at a fixed rate of 7.0% per annum. The Term Loan matures on May 19, 2028. The Subsidiary Credit Agreement also requires the Company to enter into certain natural gas swaps and put derivative instruments (see Note 4 – Derivative Financial Instruments).

The Term Loan is non-recourse to the Company and any subsidiaries other than the Subsidiary Borrowers and the subsidiary that owns the equity in the Subsidiary Borrowers (the “Subsidiary Parent”), and is secured by the first lien security interests in the equity of the Subsidiary Borrowers and a first lien mortgage security interest and mortgages on certain assets of the Subsidiary Borrowers (the Mobile Bay Properties, defined below). See Note 5 – Subsidiary Borrowers for additional information.

Credit Agreement

On November 2, 2021, the Company entered into the Ninth Amendment to the Sixth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, which established a short-term $100.0 million first priority lien secured revolving facility with borrowings limited to a borrowing base of $50.0 million (the “Credit Agreement”) provided by Calculus Lending, LLC (“Calculus”), a company affiliated with and controlled by the Company’s CEO, as sole lender under the facility. Additionally, as of November 2, 2021, the Company cash collateralized each of the outstanding letters of credit in the aggregate amount of $4.4 million. Alter Domus (US) LLC was appointed to replace Toronto Dominion (Texas) LLC as administrative agent under the Credit Agreement.

On November 7, 2022, the Company entered into the Eleventh Amendment to the Credit Agreement, which extended the maturity date and Calculus’ commitment to January 3, 2024, and shifted the rate at which outstanding borrowings will accrue interest to a SOFR-based rate.

The Company has since entered into a series of amendments to extend the maturity date on the Credit Agreement, with the most recent being the Fifteenth Amendment to the Credit Agreement, dated as of February 28, 2024, to extend the maturity date from February 29, 2024, to March 28, 2024.

A committee of the independent members of the board of directors reviewed and approved each of these amendments given the CEO’s affiliation with Calculus. See Note 18 – Related Parties for additional information.

As a result of the amendments noted above and related assignments and agreements the primary terms and covenants associated with the Credit Agreement as of December 31, 2023 are as follows:

$100.0 million first priority lien secured revolving credit facility, with borrowings limited to a borrowing base of $50.0 million;
Outstanding borrowings accrue interest at SOFR plus 6.0% per annum and the commitment fee for the unused portion of available borrowing capacity is 3.0% per annum;
The Company’s ratio of First Lien Debt (as such term is defined in the Credit Agreement) outstanding under the Credit Agreement on the last day of the most recent quarter to EBITDAX (as such term is defined in the Credit Agreement) for the trailing four quarters must not be greater than 2.50 to 1.00;
The Company’s ratio of Total Proved PV-10 to First Lien Debt (as such terms are defined in the Credit Agreement) as of the last day of any fiscal quarter must be equal to or greater than 2.00 to 1.00;
The ratio of the Company and its restricted subsidiaries’ consolidated current assets to consolidated current liabilities (subject in each case to certain exceptions and adjustments as set forth in the Credit Agreement) at the last day of any fiscal quarter must be greater than or equal to 1.00 to 1.00;
As of the last day of any fiscal quarter, the Company and its restricted subsidiaries on a consolidated basis must pass a “Stress Test” to determine whether certain future net revenues from the Company’s and its restricted subsidiaries’ and certain joint ventures’ oil and gas properties included in the collateral are sufficient to satisfy the aggregate first lien indebtedness under the Credit Agreement assuming the Borrowing Base is 100% funded or fully utilized; and
Certain related party transactions are required to meet certain arm’s length criteria; except in each case as specifically permitted or excluded from the covenant under the Credit Agreement.

Availability under the Credit Agreement is subject to redetermination of the borrowing base that may be requested at the discretion of either the lender or the Company in accordance with the Credit Agreement. Any redetermination by the lender to change the borrowing base will result in a similar change in the availability under the Credit Agreement. The borrowing base was reconfirmed at $50.0 million in October 2023. The Credit Agreement is secured by a first priority lien on substantially all of the Company’s and its guarantor subsidiaries’ assets, excluding those assets of the Subsidiary Borrowers.

As of December 31, 2023, there were no borrowings outstanding under the Credit Agreement and no borrowings had been incurred under the Credit Agreement during 2023.

11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes due 2026

On January 27, 2023, the Company issued at par $275.0 million in aggregate principal amount of its 11.75% Senior Second Lien Notes (the “11.75% Notes”) under an indenture dated January 27, 2023 (the “Indenture”). The 11.75% Notes mature on February 1, 2026 and interest is payable in arrears on February 1 and August 1.

The 11.75% Notes are secured by second-priority liens on the same collateral that is secured under the Credit Agreement, which does not include the Mobile Bay Properties and the related Midstream Assets. The estimated annual effective interest rate on the 11.75% Notes is 12.6%, which includes amortization of debt issuance costs.

Prior to August 1, 2024, the Company may redeem all or any portion of the 11.75% Notes at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes outstanding plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the

redemption date, plus the “Applicable Premium” (as defined in the Indenture). In addition, prior to August 1, 2024, the Company may, at its option, on one or more occasions redeem up to 35% of the aggregate original principal amount of the 11.75% Notes in an amount not greater than the net cash proceeds from certain equity offerings at a redemption price of 111.75% of the principal amount of the outstanding plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date.

On and after August 1, 2024, the Company may redeem the 11.75% Notes, in whole or in part, at redemption prices (expressed as percentages of the principal amount thereof) equal to 105.875% for the 12-month period beginning August 1, 2024, and 100.000% on August 1, 2025 and thereafter, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the redemption date. The 11.75% Notes are guaranteed by the Guarantors.

The 11.75% Notes contain covenants that limit or prohibit the Company’s ability and the ability of certain of its subsidiaries to: (i) make investments; (ii) incur additional indebtedness or issue certain types of preferred stock; (iii) create certain liens; (iv) sell assets; (v) enter into agreements that restrict dividends or other payments from the Company’s subsidiaries to the Company; (vi) consolidate, merge or transfer all or substantially all of the assets of the Company; (vii) engage in transactions with affiliates; (viii) pay dividends or make other distributions on capital stock or subordinated indebtedness; and (ix) create subsidiaries that would not be restricted by the covenants of the Indenture. These covenants are subject to important exceptions and qualifications set forth in the Indenture. In addition, most of the above-described covenants will terminate if both S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc., and Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. assign the 11.75% Notes an investment grade rating and no default exists with respect to the 11.75% Notes.

TVPX Loan

On May 15, 2023, the Company acquired a corporate aircraft from a company affiliated with and controlled by the Company’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and President, Tracy W. Krohn. The terms of the transactions were reviewed and approved by the Audit Committee of the Company’s board of directors. See Note 18 – Related Parties.

The purchase price of the aircraft was $19.1 million, which was paid using $9.0 million of the Company’s cash on hand and through the assumption of an approximately $11.8 million amortizing loan (the “TVPX Loan”), not in its individual capacity but as owner trustee of the trust which holds title to the aircraft, a wholly owned indirect subsidiary of the Company, as the borrower.

The TVPX Loan bears a fixed interest rate of 2.49% per annum for a term of 41 months and requires monthly amortization payments of $91.7 thousand plus accrued interest, and a balloon payment of $8.0 million at the end of the loan term. The TVPX Loan is guaranteed by the Company on an unsecured basis. At the date of assumption, the Company determined that the fair market value of the TVPX Loan was $10.1 million using current market rates.

The aircraft was purchased as part of a series of transactions pursuant to which the Company restructured the compensation for its Named Executive Officers. Prior to the Company’s purchase of the aircraft, the Company used the aircraft for business purposes, and the CEO also used the aircraft for personal purposes. Both the Company’s use for business purposes and the CEO’s use for personal purposes were paid for by the Company pursuant to the CEO’s prior employment agreement. In connection with the Company’s efforts to reduce overall executive compensation, including perquisite compensation Mr. Krohn was receiving for personal use of the aircraft, on April 20, 2023, the Company entered into an amendment to the employment agreement with the CEO which requires that the Company be reimbursed for personal use of the aircraft in accordance with the Company’s aircraft use policy.

Redemption of 9.75% Senior Second Lien Notes due 2023

On February 8, 2023, the Company redeemed all of the $552.5 million of aggregate principal outstanding of the 9.75% Senior Second Lien Notes (the “9.75% Notes”) at a redemption price of 100.0%, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date. The Company used the net proceeds from the issuance of the 11.75% Notes and cash on hand to fund the redemption.

Covenants

As of December 31, 2023 and for all presented measurement periods, the Company was in compliance with all applicable covenants of the Credit Agreement and the Indenture.