UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 
FORM 6-K
 
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR
15d-16 UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
For the month of December, 2023
 
Commission File Number: 001-41413
 
UNITED MARITIME CORPORATION
(Translation of registrant’s name into English)
 
154 Vouliagmenis Avenue
166 74 Glyfada
Athens, Greece
(Address of principal executive office)
 
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     ☒          Form 40-F     ☐
 


INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS REPORT ON FORM 6-K

Second Amended and Restated Bylaws
 
On December 27, 2023, the board of directors of United Maritime Corporation (the “Company,” or “we”) adopted the Second Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company (the “Bylaws”), which, among other things, adopts a new Article VIII, Section 8.
 
Our Bylaws provide that the High Court of the Republic of Marshall Islands shall be the sole and exclusive forum for certain disputes between us and our shareholders, which could limit our shareholdersability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or employees.

Our Bylaws provide that, unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the High Court of the Republic of Marshall Islands shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any shareholders’ derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or employee of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation’s shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Business Corporations Act of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (as amended from time to time), or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This forum selection provision may limit a shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims.

We may not achieve the intended benefits of having a forum selection provision if it is found to be unenforceable.

Our Bylaws include a forum selection provision as described above. However, the enforceability of similar forum selection provisions in other companies’ governing documents has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that in connection with any action a court could find the forum selection provision contained in our Bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action. In particular, Section 27 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. In addition, Section 22 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Shareholders’ derivative actions, including those arising under the Exchange Act or Securities Act, are subject to our forum selection provision. To the extent that the exclusive forum provision would apply to restrict the courts in which our shareholders may bring claims arising under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such a provision. Investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. If a court were to find the forum selection provision to be inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
Amended and Restated Shareholders Rights Agreement
 
On December 27, 2023, the Company’s board of directors approved an amended and restated Shareholders’ Rights Agreement (the “Rights Agreement”) which amends the Company’s Shareholders’ Rights Agreement dated as of July 5, 2022 (the “Original Rights Agreement”) to make certain technical or ministerial changes.


For a summary description of the Rights Agreement and the related Rights, please see “Description of Securities—Description of Preferred Stock Purchase Rights” filed as Exhibit 2.4 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F filed on April 4, 2023.  Such summary description is not complete and is qualified in all respects by the terms of the Rights Agreement, filed as an exhibit hereto, and of the Statement of Designation of Series A Participating Preferred Shares of the Company, which is filed as Exhibit 2.2 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 20-F filed on June 6, 2022.
 
This Report on Form 6-K and the exhibits hereto are hereby incorporated by reference into the Company’s Registration Statement on Form F-3 (File No. 333-273116).
 

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.
 
Date:  December 27, 2023



SEANERGY MARITIME HOLDINGS CORP.



By:
/s/ Stamatios Tsantanis

Name:
Stamatios Tsantanis

Title:
Chief Executive Officer


EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.

 
Description of Exhibit
 
Second Amended and Restated Bylaws of United Maritime Corporation, as adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company on December 27, 2023.
   
 
Amended and Restated Shareholders’ Rights Agreement, dated as of December 27, 2023, by and between United Maritime Corporation and Equiniti Trust Company, LLC, as Rights Agent.




Exhibit 1.1

UNITED MARITIME CORPORATION (the “Corporation”)

SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED BYLAWS

As Adopted December 27, 2023

ARTICLE I

OFFICES

1.1.   Registered Office. The registered office of the Corporation in the Republic of the Marshall Islands shall be established and maintained at Trust Company Complex, Ajeltake Road, Ajeltake Island, Majuro, Marshall Islands MH 96960 and The Trust Company of the Marshall Islands, Inc. shall be the registered agent of the corporation in charge thereof.

1.2.   Other Offices. The Corporation may also have offices at such other places both within and without the Marshall Islands as the board of directors of the Corporation (the “Board of Directors”) may from time to time determine or the business of the Corporation may require.

ARTICLE II

MEETINGS OF STOCKHOLDERS

2.1.   Place of Meetings. All meetings of the stockholders shall be held at such time and place, either within or without the Marshall Islands, as shall be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors and stated in the notice of the meeting or in a duly executed waiver of notice thereof.

2.2.   Annual Meetings. The annual meeting of stockholders shall be held on such date and at such time as may be fixed by the Board of Directors and stated in the notice of the meeting, for the purpose of electing directors and for the transaction of only such other business as is properly brought before the meeting in accordance with these Bylaws (the “Bylaws”).

Written notice of an annual meeting stating the place, date and hour of the meeting, shall be given to each stockholder entitled to vote at such meeting not less than fifteen (15) nor more than sixty (60) days before the date of the annual meeting.
 

To be properly brought before the annual meeting, business must be either (i) specified in the notice of annual meeting (or any supplement or amendment thereto) given by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, (ii) otherwise brought before the annual meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, or (iii) otherwise properly brought before the annual meeting by a stockholder. In addition to any other applicable requirements, for business to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a stockholder, the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to the Secretary of the Corporation (the “Secretary”). To be timely, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary must be delivered to or mailed and received at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not less than one-hundred fifty (150) days nor more than one-hundred eighty (180) days prior to the one-year anniversary of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that in the event that the annual meeting is called for a date that is more than thirty (30) days after such anniversary date, notice by a stockholder, to be timely, must be so received not later than the close of business on the tenth (10th) day following the day on which notice of the date of the annual meeting was mailed or public disclosure of the date of the annual meeting was made, whichever first occurs. In no event shall the public disclosure of any adjournment of an annual meeting of the stockholders commence a new time period for the giving of the stockholder’s notice described herein.
 
To be in proper written form, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary shall set forth (a) as to each matter the stockholder proposes to bring before the annual meeting (i) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the annual meeting and the reasons for conducting such business at the annual meeting, and (ii) any material interest of the stockholder in such business, and (b) as to the stockholder giving the notice (i) the name and record address of the stockholder and (ii) the class, series and number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation which are beneficially owned by the stockholder. Notwithstanding anything in these Bylaws to the contrary, no business shall be conducted at the annual meeting except in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Article II, Section 2. The officer of the Corporation presiding at an annual meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine and declare to the annual meeting that business was not properly brought before the annual meeting in accordance with the provisions of this Article II, Section 2, and if such officer should so determine, such officer shall so declare to the annual meeting and any such business not properly brought before the meeting shall not be transacted.
 
2.3.   Special Meetings.  Special meetings of stockholders, unless otherwise prescribed by statute or by the Articles of Incorporation of the Corporation (the “Articles of Incorporation”), may be called for any purpose or purposes at any time by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, a majority of the entire Board of Directors, or the Chief Executive Officer. No other person or persons are permitted to call a special meeting of stockholders, unless otherwise prescribed by law. No business may be conducted at a special meeting of stockholders other than business brought before the meeting by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, a majority of the entire Board of Directors, or the Chief Executive Officer.
 
Unless otherwise provided by law, written notice of a special meeting of stockholders, stating the time, place and purpose or purposes thereof, shall be given to each stockholder entitled to vote at such meeting, not less than fifteen (15) or more than sixty (60) days before the date fixed for the meeting. Business transacted at any special meeting of stockholders shall be limited to the purposes stated in the notice.
 

2.4.   Quorum. One-third of the shares of the capital stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote thereat, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum at all meetings of the stockholders for the transaction of business except as otherwise provided by statute or by the Articles of Incorporation. If, however, such quorum shall not be present or represented at any meeting of the stockholders, the holders of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast by the stockholders entitled to vote thereat and present in person or represented by proxy shall have power to adjourn the meeting from time to time until a quorum shall be present or represented.

2.5.   Organization. The Chairman of the Board of Directors shall act as chairman of meetings of the stockholders. The Board of Directors may designate any other officer or director of the Corporation to act as chairman of any meeting in the absence of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, and the Board of Directors may further provide for determining who shall act as chairman of any stockholders meeting in the absence of the Chairman of the Board of Directors and such designee.
 
The Secretary of the Corporation shall act as secretary of all meetings of the stockholders, but in the absence of the Secretary the presiding officer may appoint any other person to act as secretary of any meeting.
 
2.6.   Voting. Unless otherwise required by law, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws, any question (other than the election of directors) brought before any meeting of stockholders shall be decided by the vote of the holders of a majority of the stock represented and entitled to vote thereat. At all meetings of stockholders for the election of directors, a plurality of the votes cast shall be sufficient to elect. Each stockholder represented at a meeting of stockholders shall be entitled to cast one vote for each share of the capital stock entitled to vote thereat held by such stockholder, unless otherwise provided by the Articles of Incorporation. Each stockholder entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders or to express consent or dissent to corporate action in writing without a meeting may authorize any person or persons to act for him by proxy. All proxies shall be executed in writing and shall be filed with the Secretary of the Corporation not later than the day on which they were exercised. No proxy shall be voted or acted upon after eleven (11) months from its date, unless the proxy provides for a longer period. The Board of Directors, in its discretion, or the officer of the Corporation presiding at a meeting of stockholders, in his discretion, may require that any votes cast at such meeting shall be cast by written ballot.
 

2.7.   Action of Stockholders Without Meeting. Unless otherwise provided by the Articles of Incorporation, any action required to be taken at any annual or special meeting of stockholders, or any action which may be taken at any annual or special meeting of such stockholders, may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by all stockholders entitled to vote with respect to the subject matter thereof and shall be delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in the Marshall Islands, its principal place of business, or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of meetings of stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the Corporation’s registered office shall be by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested. Prompt notice of the taking of the corporate action without a meeting by less than unanimous written consent shall be given to those stockholders who have not consented in writing.
 
2.8.   Voting List. The officer who has charge of the stock ledger of the Corporation shall prepare and make, at least ten (10) days before every meeting of stockholders, a complete list of the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, arranged in alphabetical order, showing the address of each stockholder and the number of shares registered in the name of each stockholder. Such list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder, for any purpose germane to the meeting, during ordinary business hours, for a period of at least ten (10) days prior to the election, either at a place within the city, town or village where the election is to be held, which place shall be specified in the notice of the meeting, or, if not specified, at the place where said meeting is to be held. The list shall be produced and kept at the time and place of election during the whole time thereof, and may be inspected by any stockholder of the Corporation who is present.
 
2.9.   Stock Ledger. The stock ledger of the Corporation shall be the only evidence as to who are the stockholders entitled to examine the stock ledger, the list required by Section 8 of this Article II or the books of the Corporation, or to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of stockholders.
 
2.10.   Adjournment.  Any meeting of the stockholders, including one at which directors are to be elected, may be adjourned for such periods as the presiding officer of the meeting or the stockholders present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote shall direct.
 
2.11.   Ratification. Any transaction questioned in any stockholders’ derivative suit, or any other suit to enforce alleged rights of the Corporation or any of its stockholders, on the ground of lack of authority, defective or irregular execution, adverse interest of any director, officer or stockholder, nondisclosure, miscomputation or the application of improper principles or practices of accounting may be approved, ratified and confirmed before or after judgment by the Board of Directors or by the holders of Common Stock and, if so approved, ratified or confirmed, shall have the same force and effect as if the questioned transaction had been originally duly authorized, and said approval, ratification or confirmation shall be binding upon the Corporation and all of its stockholders and shall constitute a bar to any claim or execution of any judgment in respect of such questioned transaction.
 

2.12.   Judges. All votes by ballot at any meeting of stockholders shall be conducted by two judges appointed for the purpose either by the directors or by the meeting. The judges shall decide upon the qualifications of voters, count the votes and declare the result.
 
ARTICLE III
 
DIRECTORS
 
3.1.   Powers; Number; Qualifications. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board of Directors, except as may be otherwise provided by law or in the Articles of Incorporation. The number of directors which shall constitute the Board of Directors shall be not less than one (1) nor more than thirteen (13). The exact number of directors shall be fixed from time to time, within the limits specified in this Article III Section 1 or in the Articles of Incorporation, by the Board of Directors or as otherwise provided by law. Directors need not be stockholders of the Corporation. The Board may be divided into Classes as more fully described in the Articles of Incorporation.
 
3.2.   Election; Term of Office; Resignation; Removal; Vacancies;  Each director shall hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders at which his Class stands for election or until such director’s earlier resignation, removal from office, death or incapacity. Unless otherwise provided in the Articles of Incorporation, vacancies and newly created directorships resulting from any increase in the authorized number of directors or from any other cause may be filled by a majority of the directors then in office, although less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director and each director so chosen shall hold office until the next annual meeting and until such director’s successor shall be duly elected and shall qualify, or until such director’s earlier resignation, removal from office, death or incapacity.
 
3.3.   Nominations.  Nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors of the Corporation at a meeting of stockholders of the Corporation may be made at such meeting by or at the direction of the Board of Directors, by any committee or persons appointed by the Board of Directors or by any stockholder of the Corporation entitled to vote for the election of directors at the meeting who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Article III, Section 3. Such nominations by any stockholder shall be made pursuant to timely notice in writing to the Secretary of the Corporation.
 
To be timely, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary shall be delivered to or mailed and received at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not less than one-hundred fifty (150) days nor more than one-hundred eighty (180) days prior to the one-year anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders; provided however, that in the event that the annual meeting is called for a date that is more than thirty (30) days after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder, to be timely, must be so received not later than the close of business on the tenth (10th) day following the day on which notice of the date of the annual meeting was mailed or public disclosure of the date of the annual meeting was made, whichever first occurs. In no event shall the public disclosure of any adjournment of an annual meeting of the stockholders commence a new time period for the giving of the stockholder’s notice described herein.
 

To be in proper written form, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary shall set forth (i) as to each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election or reelection as a director, (a) the name, age, business address and residence address of the person, (b) the principal occupation or employment of the person, (c) the class and number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation which are beneficially owned by the person, and (d) any other information relating to the person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations for proxies for election of directors pursuant to the Rules and Regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission under Section 14 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and (ii) as to the stockholder giving the notice (a) the name and record address of the stockholder and (b) the class and number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation which are beneficially owned by the stockholder. The Corporation may require any proposed nominee to furnish such information as may reasonably be required by the Corporation to determine the eligibility of such proposed nominee to serve as a director of the Corporation. No person shall be eligible for election as a director of the Corporation unless nominated in accordance with the procedures set forth herein. The officer of the Corporation presiding at an annual meeting shall, if the facts warrant, determine and declare to the meeting that a nomination was not made in accordance with the foregoing procedure, and if he should so determine, he shall so declare to the meeting and the defective nomination shall be disregarded.
 
Notwithstanding any other provisions of the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws (and notwithstanding the fact that some lesser percentage may be specified by law, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws), the vote of not less than two-thirds of the entire Board of Directors shall be required to amend, alter, change or repeal this Article III, Section 3.
 
3.4.   Meetings.  The Board of Directors of the Corporation may hold meetings, both regular and special, either within or without the Marshall Islands. The first meeting of each newly elected Board of Directors shall be held immediately after and at the same place as the meeting of the stockholders at which it is elected and no notice of such meeting shall be necessary to newly elected directors in order legally to constitute the meeting, provided a quorum shall be present. Regular meetings of the Board of Directors may be held without notice at such time and place as shall from time to time be determined by the Board of Directors. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer or a majority of the entire Board of Directors. Notice thereof stating the place, date and hour of the meeting shall be given to each director either by mail not less than forty-eight (48) hours before the date of the meeting, by telephone, email, facsimile or telegram on twenty-four (24) hours’ notice, or on such shorter notice as the person or persons calling such meeting may deem necessary or appropriate in the circumstances.
 

3.5.   Quorum.  Except as may be otherwise specifically provided by law, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws, at all meetings of the Board of Directors or any committee thereof, a majority of the entire Board of Directors or such committee, as the case may be, shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business and the act of a majority of the directors present at any meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the Board of Directors provided that the act of at least eighty per cent (80%) of the entire Board of Directors shall be required for (i) the establishment, dissolution or alteration of duties or composition under Section 3.10 of this Article III of any committee of the Board of Directors empowered to manage the ocean going shipping business and affairs of the Corporation, including without limitation the power to approve the acquisition and sale of vessels and of shares in vessel owning entities (but excluding sales of all or substantially all of the Corporation’s property and assets) and debt financing related thereto and (ii) the amendment of this Section of these Bylaws. If a quorum shall not be present at any meeting of the Board of Directors or of any committee thereof, a majority of the directors present thereat may adjourn the meeting from time to time, without notice other than announcement at the meeting, until a quorum shall be present.
 
3.6.   Organization of Meetings. The Board of Directors shall elect one of its members to be Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Chairman of the Board of Directors shall lead the Board of Directors in fulfilling its responsibilities as set forth in these By-Laws, including its responsibility to oversee the performance of the Corporation, and shall determine the agenda and perform all other duties and exercise all other powers which are or from time to time may be delegated to him or her by the Board of Directors.
 
Meetings of the Board of Directors shall be presided over by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, or in his or her absence, by the Chief Executive officer, or in the absence of the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer by such other person as the Board of Directors may designate or the members present may select.
 
3.7.   Actions of Board of Directors Without Meeting. Unless otherwise restricted by the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws, any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board of Directors or of any committee thereof may be taken without a meeting, if all members of the Board of Directors or of such committee, as the case may be, consent thereto in writing, and the writing or writings are filled with the minutes of proceedings of the Board of Directors or committee.
 

3.8.   Removal of Directors by Stockholders. The entire Board of Directors or any individual director may be removed, with cause, by a majority vote of the holders of the outstanding shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors. No director may be removed without cause by either the stockholders or the Board of Directors. Except as otherwise provided by applicable law, cause for the removal of a director shall be deemed to exist only if the director whose removal is proposed: (i) has been convicted, or has been granted immunity to testify in any proceeding in which another has been convicted, of a felony by a court of competent jurisdiction and that conviction is no longer subject to direct appeal; (ii) has been found to have been negligent or guilty of misconduct in the performance of his duties to the Corporation in any matter of substantial importance to the Corporation by (A) the affirmative vote of at least 80% of the directors then in office at any meeting of the Board of Directors called for that purpose or (B) a court of competent jurisdiction; or (iii) has been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction to be mentally incompetent, which mental incompetence directly affects his ability to serve as a director of the Corporation.
 
No proposal by a stockholder to remove a director shall be voted upon at a meeting of the stockholders unless such stockholder has given timely notice thereof in proper written form to the Secretary.  To be timely, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary must be delivered to or mailed and received at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not less than one hundred fifty (150) days nor more than one hundred eighty (180) days prior to the one-year anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of the stockholders. To be in proper written form, a stockholder’s notice must set forth: (a) a statement of the grounds, if any, on which such director is proposed to be removed, (b) evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Secretary of such stockholder’s status as such and of the number of shares of each class of capital stock of the Corporation beneficially owned by such stockholder, and (c) a list of the names and addresses of other stockholders of the Corporation, if any, with whom such stockholder is acting in concert, and the number of shares of each class of capital stock of the Corporation beneficially owned by each such stockholder.
 
No stockholder proposal to remove a director shall be voted upon at an annual meeting of the stockholders unless proposed in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Article III, Section 8.  If the officer of the Corporation presiding at an annual meeting determines, based on the facts, that a stockholder proposal to remove a director was not made in accordance with the foregoing procedures, such presiding officer shall declare to the meeting that a proposal to remove a director of the Corporation was not made in accordance with the procedures prescribed by these Bylaws, and such defective proposal shall be disregarded.
 
In case the Board of Directors or any one or more directors be so removed, new directors may be elected at the same time for the unexpired portion of the full term of the director or directors so removed. All of the foregoing provisions of this Article III, Section 8 are subject to the terms of any preferred stock with respect to the directors to be elected solely by the holders of such preferred stock.
 

3.9.   Resignations. Any director may resign at any time by submitting his written resignation to the Board of Directors or Secretary of the Corporation. Such resignation shall take effect at the time of its receipt by the Corporation unless another time be fixed in the resignation, in which case it shall become effective at the time so fixed. The acceptance of a resignation shall not be required to make it effective.
 
3.10. Committees. The Board of Directors may designate one or more committees, each committee to consist of one or more of the directors of the Corporation. In the absence or disqualification of a member of a committee, the member or members thereof present at any meeting and not disqualified from voting, whether or not he or they constitute a quorum, may unanimously appoint another member of the Board of Directors to act at the meeting in the place of any such absent or disqualified member; provided that in the case of disqualification of a member of a committee empowered to manage the ocean going shipping business and affairs of the Corporation, then the matter shall be referred to the entire Board of Directors. Any such committee, to the extent provided by law and in the resolution of the Board of Directors establishing such committee, shall have and may exercise all the powers and authority of the Board of Directors in the management of the business and affairs of the Corporation, and may authorize the seal of the Corporation to be affixed to all papers which may require it; but no such committee shall have the power or authority in reference to amending the Articles of Incorporation, adopting an agreement of merger or consolidation, recommending to the stockholders the sale, lease or exchange of all or substantially all the Corporation’s property and assets, recommending to the stockholders a dissolution of the Corporation or a revocation of a dissolution or amending the Bylaws of the Corporation; and, unless the resolution expressly so provides, no such committee shall have the power or authority to declare a dividend or to authorize the issuance of stock or to adopt a certificate of ownership and merger. Each committee shall keep regular minutes of its meetings and report the same to the Board of Directors when required.
 
3.11. Compensation. The directors may be paid their expenses, if any, of attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors and may be paid a fixed amount (in cash or other form of consideration) for attendance at each meeting of the Board of Directors or a stated salary as director. No such payment shall preclude any director from serving the Corporation in any other capacity and receiving compensation thereof. Members of special or standing committees may be allowed like compensation for attending committee meetings.
 

3.12. Interested Directors. No contract or transaction between the Corporation and one or more of its directors or officers, or between the Corporation and any other corporation, partnership, association, or other organization in which one or more of its directors or officers are directors or officers, or have a financial interest, shall be void or voidable solely for this reason, or solely because the director or officer is present at or participates in the meeting of the Board of Directors or committee thereof which authorizes the contract or transaction, or solely because his or their votes are counted for such purpose, if (i) the material facts as to his or their relationship or interest and as to the contract or transaction are disclosed or are known to the Board of Directors or the committee, and the Board of Directors or committee in good faith authorizes the contract or transaction by a vote sufficient for such purpose without counting the vote of the interested director, or, if the votes of the disinterested directors are insufficient to constitute an act of the Board of Directors, by the unanimous affirmative vote of the disinterested directors; or (ii) the material facts as to his or their relationship or interest in such contract or transaction are disclosed in good faith or known to the stockholders entitled to vote thereon, and the contract or transaction is specifically approved in good faith by vote of the stockholders; or (iii) the contract or transaction is fair as to the Corporation as of the time it is authorized, approved or ratified by the Board of Directors or a committee thereof or the stockholders. Common or interested directors may be counted in determining the presence of a quorum at a meeting of the Board of Directors or of a committee which authorizes the contract or transaction.
 
3.13. Meetings by Means of Conference Telephone.  Members of the Board of Directors or any committee designed by the Board of Directors may participate in a meeting of the Board of Directors or of a committee of the Board of Directors by means of conference telephone or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, and participation in a meeting pursuant to this subsection shall constitute presence in person at such meeting.
 
ARTICLE IV
 
OFFICERS
 
4.1.   General.  The officers of the Corporation shall be elected by the Board of Directors and may consist of: a Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President, Secretary and Treasurer. The Board of Directors, in its discretion, may also elect one or more Vice Presidents (including Executive Vice Presidents and Senior Vice Presidents), Assistant Secretaries, Assistant Treasurers, a Controller and such other officers as in the judgment of the Board of Directors may be necessary or desirable. Any number of offices may be held by the same person and more than one person may hold the same office, unless otherwise prohibited by law, the Articles of Incorporation or these Bylaws. The officers of the Corporation need not be stockholders of the Corporation, nor need such officers be directors of the Corporation.
 
4.2.   Election. The Board of Directors at its first meeting held after each annual meeting of stockholders shall elect the officers of the Corporation who shall hold their offices for such terms and shall exercise such powers and perform such duties as shall be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors; and all officers of the Corporation shall hold office until their successors are chosen and qualified, or until their earlier resignation or removal. Except as otherwise provided in this Article IV, any officer elected by the Board of Directors may be removed at any time by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Board of Directors. Any vacancy occurring in any office of the Corporation shall be filled by the Board of Directors. The salaries of all officers who are directors of the Corporation shall be filled by the Board of Directors.
 

4.3.   Voting Securities Owned by the Corporation. Powers of attorney, proxies, waivers of notice of meeting, consents and other instruments relating to securities owned by the Corporation may be executed in the name of and on behalf of the Corporation by the Chief Executive Officer, and any such officer may, in the name and on behalf of the Corporation, take all such action as any such officer may deem advisable to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of security holders of any corporation in which the Corporation may own securities and at any such meeting shall possess and may exercise any and all rights and powers incident to the ownership of such securities and which, as the owner thereof, the Corporation might have exercised and possessed if present; provided however, the act of at least eighty percent (80%) of the entire Board of Directors shall be required to modify the rights granted to the Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer under this Section 4.3 or to amend this Section 4.3.
 
4.4.   Chief Executive Officer. Subject to the provisions of these Bylaws and to the direction of the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer shall have ultimate authority for decisions relating to the general management and control of the affairs and business of the Corporation and shall perform such other duties and exercise such other powers which are or from time to time may be delegated to him or her by the Board of Directors or these Bylaws, all in accordance with basic policies as established by and subject to the oversight of the Board of Directors.
 
4.5.   Vice Presidents.  At the request of the Chief Executive Officer or in the absence of the Chief Executive Officer, or in the event of his or her inability or refusal to act, the Vice President or the Vice Presidents if there is more than one (in the order designated by the Board of Directors) shall perform the duties of the Chief Executive Officer, and when so acting, shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon such office. Each Vice President shall perform such other duties and have such other powers as the Board of Directors from time to time may prescribe. If there be no Vice President, the Board of Directors shall designate the officer of the Corporation who, in the absence of the Chief Executive Officer or in the event of the inability or refusal of such officer to act, shall perform the duties of such office, and when so acting, shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon such office.
 

4.6.   Secretary. The Secretary shall attend all meetings of the Board of Directors and all meetings of the stockholders and record all the proceedings thereat in a book or books to be kept for that purpose; the Secretary shall also perform like duties for the standing committees when required. The Secretary shall give, or cause to be given notice of all meetings of the stockholders and special meetings of the Board of Directors, and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors or the Chief Executive Officer, under whose supervision the Secretary shall be. If the Secretary shall be unable or shall refuse to cause to be given, notice of all meetings of the stockholders and special meetings of the Board of Directors, then any Assistant Secretary shall perform such actions. If there be no Assistant Secretary, then the Board of Directors or the Chief Executive Officer may choose another officer to cause such notice to be given. The Secretary shall have custody of the seal of the Corporation and the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary, if there be one, shall have authority to affix the same to any instrument requiring it and when so affixed, it may be attested by the signature of the Secretary or by the signature of any such Assistant Secretary. The Board of Directors may give general authority to any other officer to affix the seal of the Corporation and to attest the affixing by this signature. The Secretary shall see that all books, reports, statements, certificates and other documents and record required by law to be kept or filed are properly kept or filed, as the case may be.
 
4.7.   Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have the custody of the corporate funds and securities, and shall keep full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements in books belonging to the Corporation and shall deposit all moneys and other valuable effects in the name and to the credit of the Corporation in such depositories as may be designated by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall disburse the funds of the Corporation as may be ordered by the Board of Directors, taking proper vouchers for such disbursements, and shall render to the Chief Executive Officer and the Board of Directors, at its regular meetings, or when the Board of Directors so requires, an account of all his transactions as Treasurer and of the financial condition of the Corporation. If required by the Board of Directors, the Treasurer shall give the Corporation a bond in such sum and with such surety or sureties as shall be satisfactory to the Board of Directors for the faithful performance of the duties of his office and for the restoration to the Corporation, in case of his death, resignation, retirement or removal from office, of all books, papers, vouchers, money and other property of whatever kind in his possession or under his control belonging to the Corporation.
 
4.8.   Assistant Secretaries. Except as may be otherwise provided in these Bylaws, Assistant Secretaries, if there be any, shall perform such duties and have such powers as from time to time may be assigned to them by the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, any vice President, if there be one, or the Secretary, and in the absence of the Secretary or in the event of his disability or refusal to act, shall perform the duties of the Secretary, and when so acting, shall have all the powers of  and be subject to all the restrictions upon the Secretary.
 
4.9.   Assistant Treasurers. Assistant Treasurers, if there be any, shall perform such duties and have such powers as from time to time may be assigned to them by the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, any Vice President, if there be one, or the Treasurer, and in the absence of the Treasurer or in the event of his disability or refusal to act, shall perform the duties of the Treasurer, and when so acting, shall have all the powers of and be subject to all the restrictions upon the Treasurer. If required by the Board of Directors, an Assistant Treasurer shall give the Corporation a bond in such sum and with such surety or sureties as shall be satisfactory to the Board of Directors for the faithful performance of the duties of his office and for the restoration to the Corporation, in case of his death, resignation, retirement or removal from office, of all books, papers, vouchers, money and other property of whatever kind in his possession or under his control belonging to the Corporation.
 

4.10.  Controller. The Controller shall establish and maintain the accounting records of the Corporation in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles applied on a consistent basis, maintain proper internal control of the assets of the Corporation and shall perform such other duties as the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer or any Vice President of the Corporation may prescribe.
 
4.11. Other Officers. Such other officers as the Board of Directors may choose shall perform such duties and have such powers as from time to time may be assigned to them by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may delegate to any other officer of the Corporation the power to choose such other officers and to prescribe their respective duties and powers.
 
4.12. Vacancies. The Board of Directors shall have the power to fill any vacancies in any office occurring from whatever reason.
 
4.13. Resignations. Any officer may resign at any time by submitting his written resignation to the Corporation. Such resignation shall take effect at the time of its receipt by the Corporation, unless another time be fixed in the resignation, in which case it shall become effective at the time so fixed. The acceptance of a resignation shall not be required to make it effective.
 
4.14. Removal. Subject to the provisions of any employment agreement approved by the Board of Directors, any officer of the Corporation may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by the Board of Directors.
 
ARTICLE V
 
CAPITAL STOCK
 
5.1.   Form of Certificates.  Shares of stock of the Corporation may be certified or uncertified, as provided under applicable law. All certificates shall be numbered and shall be entered into the book of the Corporation as they are issued. A certificate shall exhibit the holder’s name and number of shares and shall be signed, in the name of the Corporation (i) be the Chief Executive Officer or the President, and (ii) by the Treasurer or the Secretary of the Corporation, certifying the number of shares owned by him in the Corporation. These signatures may be facsimiles if the certificate is countersigned by a transfer agent or registered by a registrar other than the Corporation itself or its employee.
 

5.2.   Signatures.  In case an officer, transfer agent or registrar who has signed or whose facsimile signature has been placed upon a certificate shall have ceased to be such officer, transfer agent or registrar before such certificate is issued, it may be issued by the Corporation with the same effect as if he were such officer, transfer agent or registrar at the date of issue.
 
5.3.   Lost Certificates. The Board of Directors may direct a new certificate or certificates to be issued in place of any certificate or certificates therefore issued by the Corporation alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed, upon the making of an affidavit of that fact by the person claiming the certificate of stock to be lost, stolen or destroyed. When authorizing such issue of a new certificate, the Board of Directors may, in its discretion and as a condition precedent to the issuance thereof, require the owner of such lost, stolen or destroyed certificate, or his legal representative, to advertise the same in such manner as the Board of Directors shall require and/or to give the Corporation a bond in such sum as it may direct as indemnity against any claim that may be made against the Corporation with respect to the certificate alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed.
 
5.4.   Transfers. Stock of the Corporation shall be transferable in the manner prescribed by law and in these Bylaws. Transfers of stock shall be made on the books of the Corporation only by the person named in the certificate or by his attorney lawfully constituted in writing and upon the surrender of the certificate therefore, which shall be canceled before a new certificate shall be issued. Upon surrender to the Corporation or the transfer agent of the Corporation of a certificate of shares duly endorsed or accompanied by proper evidence of succession, assignment or authority to transfer, it shall be the duty of the Corporation to issue a new certificate to the person entitled thereto, cancel the old certificate and record the transactions upon its books, unless the Corporation has a duty to inquire as to adverse claims with respect to such transfer which has not been discharged. The Corporation shall have no duty to inquire into adverse claims with respect to such transfer unless (a) the Corporation has received written notification of an adverse claim at a time and in a manner which affords the Corporation a reasonable opportunity to act on it prior to the issuance of a new, reissued or re-registered share certificate and the notification identifies the claimant, the registered owner and the issue of which the share or shares is a part and provides an address for communications directed to the claimant; or (b) the Corporation has required and obtained, with respect to a fiduciary, a copy of a will, trust, indenture, articles of co-partnership, Bylaws or other controlling instruments, for a purpose other than to obtain appropriate evidence of the appointment or incumbency of the fiduciary, and such documents indicate, upon reasonable inspection, the existence of an adverse claim. The Corporation may discharge any duty of inquiry by any reasonable means, including notifying an adverse claimant by registered or certified mail at the address furnished by him or, if there be no such address, at his address, at his residence or regular place of business that the security has been presented for registration of transfer by a named person, and that the transfer will be registered unless within thirty days from the date of mailing the notification, either  (a) an appropriate restraining order, injunction or other process issues from a court of competent jurisdiction; or (b) an indemnity bond, sufficient in the Corporation’s judgment to protect the Corporation and any transfer agent, registrar or other agent of the Corporation involved from any loss which it or they may suffer by complying with the transfer claim, is filed with the Corporation.
 

5.5.   Fixing Record Date. In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to notice or to vote at any meeting of stockholders or any adjournment thereof, or to express consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting, or entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment of any rights, or entitled to exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange of stock or for the purpose of any other lawful action, the Board of Directors may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record is adopted by the Board of Directors, and which record date shall not be more than sixty (60) nor less than fifteen (15) days before the date of such meeting, nor more than sixty (60) days prior to any other action. If no record date is fixed:
 
(a)        The record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall be at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which notice is given, or, if notice is waived, at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held.
 
(b)        The record date for determining stockholders entitled to express consent to corporate action in writing without a meeting, when no prior action by the Board of Directors is necessary, shall be the first date on which a signed written consent is delivered to the Corporation.
 
(c)        The record date for determining stockholders for any other purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which the Board of Directors adopts the resolution relating thereto.
 
A determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided, however, that the Board of Directors may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting.
 
5.6.   Registered Stockholders. Prior to due presentment for transfer of any share or shares, the Corporation shall treat the registered owner thereof as the person exclusively entitled to vote, to receive notifications and to all other benefits of ownership with respect to such share or shares, and shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such share or shares on the part of any other person, whether or not it shall have express or other notice thereof, expect as otherwise provided by the laws of the Marshall Islands.
 

ARTICLE VI
 
NOTICES
 
6.1.   Form of Notice. Notices to directors and stockholders other than notices to directors of special meetings of the Board of Directors which may be given by any means stated in Article III, Section 4, shall be in writing and delivered personally or mailed to the directors or stockholders at their addresses appearing on the books of the Corporation. Notice by mail shall be deemed to be given at the time when the same shall be mailed. Notice to directors may also be given by telegram.
 
6.2.   Waiver of Notice.  Whenever a notice is required to be given under the provisions of law or the Articles of Incorporation or by these Bylaws of the Corporation, a written waiver, signed by the person or persons entitled to notice, whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent to notice. Attendance of a person at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting, except when the person attends a meeting for the express purpose of objecting, at the beginning of the meeting, to the transaction of any business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened. Neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any regular, or special meeting of the stockholders, directors, or members of a committee of directors need be specified in any written waiver of notice unless so required by the Articles of Incorporation.
 
ARTICLE VII
 
INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
 
7.1.   The Corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by  or in the right of the Corporation) by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or nor opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which he reasonably believed to be in or nor opposed to the best interests of the Corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful.
 

7.2.   The Corporation shall indemnify any person who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the Corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that he is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another Corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses ( including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by him in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the Corporation unless and only to the extent that the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the court shall deem proper.
 
7.3.   To the extent that a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in Section 1 or 2 of this Article, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, he shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in connection therewith.
 
7.4.   Any indemnification under the sections 1 or 2 of this Article (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the Corporation only as authorizes in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because he has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in such section. Such determination shall be made:
 
(a)        By the Board of Directors by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to such action, suit or proceedings, or
 
(b)        If such a quorum is not obtainable, or, even if obtainable a quorum of disinterested directors so directs, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or
 
(c)        By the stockholders.
 
7.5.   Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director of the Corporation in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding shall be paid by the Corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized in this Section. Such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the Board of Directors deems appropriate.
 

7.6.   The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to the other sections of this Article shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expense may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in his official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office.
 
7.7.   The Corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as director, officer, employee or agent of another Corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify him against such liability under the provisions of this Article.
 
7.8.   For purposes of this Article, references to “the Corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting Corporation, any consistent Corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer employee or agent of such constituent Corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another Corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this Article with respect to the resulting or surviving Corporation as he would have with respect to such constituent Corporation if its separate existence had continued.
 
7.9.   For purposes of this Article, references to “other enterprises” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the Corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee, or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the Corporation” as referred to in this Article.

7.10. The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this Article shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.
 

7.11. No director or officer of the Corporation shall be personally liable to the Corporation or to any stockholder of the Corporation for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer, provided that this provision shall not limit the liability of a director or officer (i) for any breach of the director’s or the officer’s duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, or (iii) for any transaction from which the director or officer derived an improper personal benefit.
 
7.12.  Any repeal or modification of this Article shall not adversely affect any rights of a director or officer of the Corporation hereunder existing immediately prior to the time of such repeal or modification with respect to any acts or omissions occurring prior to such repeal or modification.
 
ARTICLE VIII
 
GENERAL PROVISIONS
 
8.1.   Reliance on Books and Records. Each director, each member of any committee designated by the Board of Directors, and each officer of the Corporation, shall, in the performance of his duties, be fully protected in relying in good faith upon the books of account or other records of the Corporation, including reports made to the Corporation by any of its officers, by an independent certified public accountant, or by an appraiser selected with reasonable care.
 
8.2.   Dividends.  Subject to the provisions of the Articles of Incorporation, if any, dividends upon the capital stock of the Corporation may be declared by the Board of Directors at any regular or special meeting, pursuant to law. Dividends may be paid in cash, in property, or in shares of the capital stock, subject to the provisions of the Articles of Incorporation. Before payment of any dividend, there may be set aside out of any funds of the Corporation available for dividends such sum or sums as the directors from time to time, in their absolute discretion, think proper as a reserve or reserves to meet contingencies, or for equalizing dividends, or for repairing or maintaining any property of the Corporation, or for such other purpose as the directors shall think conducive to the interest of the Corporation, and the directors may modify or abolish any such reserve in the manner in which it was created.
 

8.3.   Annual Statement. The Board of Directors shall present at each annual meeting, and at any special meeting of the stockholders when called for by vote of the stockholders, a full and clear statement of the business and condition of the Corporation.
 
8.4.   Checks. All checks or demands for money and notes of the Corporation shall be signed by such officer or officers or such other persons as the Board of Directors may from time to time designate.
 
8.5.   Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be as determined by the Board of Directors. If the Board of Directors shall fail to do so, the Chief Executive Officer shall fix the fiscal year.
 
8.6.   Seal. The corporate seal shall have inscribed thereon the name of the Corporation, the year of its organization and the words “Corporate Seal, Marshall Islands”. The seal may be used by causing it or a facsimile thereof to be impressed or affixed or in any manner reproduced.
 
8.7.   Amendments. The original or other Bylaws may be adopted, amended or repealed as provided in the Articles of Incorporation.
 
8.8.   Exclusive Forum for Adjudication of Certain Disputes. Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any shareholders’ derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or employee of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation’s shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Business Corporations Act of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (as amended from time to time, the “BCA”), or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall be the High Court of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in shares of capital stock of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this Article VIII, Section 8.
 
8.9.   Interpretation of Bylaws. All words, terms and provisions of these Bylaws shall be interpreted and defined by and in accordance with the BCA.




Exhibit 4.1

AMENDED AND RESTATED SHAREHOLDERS’ RIGHTS AGREEMENT

Between

UNITED MARITIME CORPORATION

and

EQUINITI TRUST COMPANY, LLC,
as Rights Agent

Dated as of December 27, 2023

This Amended and Restated Shareholders’ Rights Agreement (this “Restated Rights Agreement”) is made and entered into as of December 27, 2023, by and between United Maritime Corporation, a Marshall Islands corporation (the “Company”), and Equiniti Trust Company, LLC (f/k/a American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC), as Rights Agent.

WHEREAS, on July 5, 2022, the Company entered into a Shareholders’ Rights Agreement with American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC as rights agent (the "Original Rights Agreement"), and, in connection therewith, the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) adopted resolutions to (a) authorize and declare a dividend of one right (the “Right”) for each of the Company’s Common Shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Shares”) held of record as of the Close of Business (as hereinafter defined) on July 5, 2022 (the “Record Date”) and (b) further authorized the issuance of one Right in respect of each Common Share that shall become outstanding (i) at any time between the Record Date and the earliest of the Distribution Date, the Redemption Date or the Final Expiration Date (as such terms are hereinafter defined) or (ii) upon the exercise or conversion, prior to the earlier of the Redemption Date or the Final Expiration Date, of any option or other security exercisable for or convertible into Common Shares, which option or other such security is outstanding on the Distribution Date; and

WHEREAS, each Right represents the right of the holder thereof to purchase one one-thousandth of a Series A Participating Preferred Share (as such number may hereafter be adjusted pursuant to the provisions hereof), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein;

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 27 of the Original Rights Agreement and under the circumstances specified therein, the Company and the Rights Agent may amend the Original Rights Agreement in any respect without the approval of any holders of the Rights;

WHEREAS, the Company and the Rights Agent now desire to amend and restate the Original Rights Agreement in order to make such changes as are set forth in this Restated Rights Agreement; and



WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company has determined that it is advisable and in the best interests of the Company to amend and restate the Original Rights Agreement to read in its entirety in the form of this Restated Rights Agreement.

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual agreements set forth herein, the parties hereby agree as follows:

1.          Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Restated Rights Agreement, the following terms have the meanings indicated:

2

Acquiring Person” shall mean any Person (as hereinafter defined) who or which, together with all Affiliates and Associates (as such terms are hereinafter defined) of such Person, shall be the Beneficial Owner (as hereinafter defined) of 10% or more of the Common Shares then outstanding, but shall not include (i) the Company, (ii) any Subsidiary (as hereinafter defined) of the Company (iii) any employee benefit plan of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company, or any Person holding Common Shares for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan or (iv) a Passive Institutional Investor (as such term is hereinafter defined), so long as, in the case of this clause (iv), such Person is not the Beneficial Owner of 15% or more of the Common Shares then outstanding, but subject to the provisions in the definition of “Passive Institutional Investor”. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Person shall be deemed to be an Acquiring Person if such Person shall become the Beneficial Owner of 10% or more of the Common Shares then outstanding solely as a result of a grant under a Company equity incentive plan, a dividend or distribution paid or made by the Company on the outstanding Common Shares in Common Shares or pursuant to a split or subdivision of the outstanding Common Shares; provided, however, that a Person who (i) becomes the Beneficial Owner of 10% (15% in the case of a Passive Institutional Investor) or more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding by reason of a grant under a Company equity incentive plan, dividend or distribution paid or made by the Company on the outstanding Common Shares in Common Shares or pursuant to a split or subdivision of the outstanding Common Shares and (ii) becomes the Beneficial Owner of any additional Common Shares of the Company (other than pursuant to an additional grant under a Company equity incentive plan, dividend or distribution paid or made by the Company on the outstanding Common Shares in Common Shares or pursuant to a split or subdivision of the outstanding Common Shares), shall be deemed to be an Acquiring Person unless upon becoming the Beneficial Owner of such additional Common Shares of the Company such Person does not beneficially own 10% (15% in the case of a Passive Institutional Investor) or more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Person shall be deemed to be an Acquiring Person as the result of an acquisition of Common Shares by the Company or any subsidiary of the Company or an employee benefit plan of the Company which, by reducing the number of shares outstanding, increases the proportionate number of shares beneficially owned by such Person to 10% (15% in the case of a Passive Institutional Investor) or more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding; provided, however, that a Person who (i) becomes the Beneficial Owner of 10% (15% in the case of a Passive Institutional Investor) or more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding by reason of share purchases by the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company or an employee benefit plan of the Company and (ii) after such share purchases, becomes the Beneficial Owner of any additional Common Shares of the Company (other than pursuant to a grant under a Company equity incentive plan, a dividend or distribution paid or made by the Company on the outstanding Common Shares in Common Shares or pursuant to a split or subdivision of the outstanding Common Shares), shall be deemed to be an Acquiring Person unless upon becoming the Beneficial Owner of such additional Common Shares of the Company such Person does not beneficially own 10% (15% in the case of a Passive Institutional Investor) or more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company’s Board of Directors determines in good faith that a Person who would otherwise be an “Acquiring Person,” as defined pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this paragraph, has become such inadvertently (including, without limitation, because (A) such Person was unaware that it beneficially owned a percentage of the Common Shares that would otherwise cause such Person to be an “Acquiring Person,” as defined pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this paragraph, or (B) such Person was aware of the extent of the Common Shares it beneficially owned but had no actual knowledge of the consequences of such beneficial ownership under this Restated Rights Agreement) and without any intention of changing or influencing control of the Company, and if such Person divested or divests as promptly as practicable a sufficient number of Common Shares so that such Person would no longer be an Acquiring Person, as defined pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this paragraph, then such Person shall not be deemed to be or have ever been an Acquiring Person for any purposes of this Restated Rights Agreement, except as a result of subsequent actions by such Person that would otherwise cause such Person to be an Acquiring Person. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a bona fide swaps dealer who would otherwise be an “Acquiring Person” has become so as a result of its actions in the ordinary course of its business that the Company’s Board of Directors determines, in its sole discretion, were taken without the intent or effect of evading or assisting any other Person to evade the purposes and intent of this Restated Rights Agreement, or otherwise seeking to control or influence the management or policies of the Company, then, and unless and until the Company’s Board of Directors shall otherwise determine, such Person shall not be deemed to be an “Acquiring Person” for any purposes of this Restated Rights Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if, as of the first public announcement of the declaration of the Rights dividend, any Person is the Beneficial Owner of 10% (15% in the case of a Passive Institutional Investor) or more of the Common Shares outstanding, such Person shall not be or become an “Acquiring Person,” as defined herein, unless and until such time as such Person shall become the Beneficial Owner of additional Common Shares in an amount in excess of 0.001% of the Company’s then outstanding Common Shares (excluding shares acquired pursuant to a grant under a Company equity incentive plan, a dividend or distribution paid or made by the Company on the outstanding Common Shares in Common Shares or pursuant to a split or subdivision of the outstanding Common Shares), unless upon becoming the Beneficial Owner of such additional Common Shares, such Person is not then the beneficial owner of 10% (15% in the case of a Passive Institutional Investor) or more of the Common Shares then outstanding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if at any time prior to such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, the Company amends this Restated Rights Agreement to lower the threshold set forth in this Section 1(a) (the “Reduced Threshold”), no Person who Beneficially Owns a number of Common Shares equal to or greater than the Reduced Threshold shall become an Acquiring Person; provided, however, that a Person who (i) becomes the Beneficial Owner of the Reduced Threshold and (ii) after the public announcement of the Reduced Threshold becomes the Beneficial Owner of any additional Common Shares of the Company (other than pursuant to a grant under a Company equity incentive plan, a dividend or distribution paid or made by the Company on the outstanding Common Shares in Common Shares or pursuant to a split or subdivision of the outstanding Common Shares), then that Person shall be deemed to be an Acquiring Person unless upon becoming the Beneficial Owner of such additional Common Shares of the Company such Person does not beneficially own the Reduced Threshold or more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding.

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Adjustment fraction” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(i) hereof.
 
Affiliate” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act (as hereinafter defined) as in effect on the date of this Restated Rights Agreement.
 
Associate” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act as in effect on the date of this Restated Rights Agreement, and shall include without limitation, any entity that owns a majority of the equity of another entity, or is or would be entitled to a majority of the proceeds to equity holders upon liquidation of such other entity, is deemed to be an Associate of such entity (and vice versa).
 
A Person shall be deemed the “Beneficial Owner” of, and shall be deemed to “Beneficially Own,” any securities:
 
(i)          which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13d-3 thereunder (or any comparable or successor law or regulation);
 
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(ii)        which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates has (A) the right to acquire or direct the acquisition of (whether such right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time) pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding (other than customary agreements with and between underwriters and selling group members with respect to a bona fide public offering of securities), or upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, rights (other than the Rights), warrants or options, or otherwise; provided, however, that a Person shall not be deemed pursuant to this subsection (ii)(A) to be the Beneficial Owner of, or to Beneficially Own, (1) securities tendered pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made by or on behalf of such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates until such tendered securities are accepted for purchase or exchange, or (2) securities which a Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates may be deemed to have the right to acquire pursuant to any merger or other acquisition agreement between the Company and such Person (or one or more of its Affiliates or Associates) if such agreement has been approved by the Board of Directors of the Company prior to there being an Acquiring Person; or (B) the right to vote pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding or otherwise; provided, however, that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to Beneficially Own, any security under this subsection (ii)(B) if the agreement, arrangement or understanding to vote such security (1) arises solely from a revocable proxy or consent given to such Person in response to a public proxy or consent solicitation made pursuant to, and in accordance with, the applicable rules and regulations of the Exchange Act and (2) is not also then reportable on Schedule 13D under the Exchange Act (or any comparable or successor report);
 
(iii)      which are Beneficially Owned, directly or indirectly, by any other Person (or any Affiliate or Associate thereof) with which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding, whether or not in writing (other than customary agreements with and between underwriters and selling group members with respect to a bona fide public offering of securities) for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except to the extent contemplated by the proviso to subsection (ii)(B) above) or disposing of any securities of the Company, or cooperating in obtaining, changing or influencing the control of the Company (except to the extent contemplated by the proviso to subsection (ii)(B) above); provided, however, that in no case shall an officer or director of the Company be deemed (x) the Beneficial Owner of any securities beneficially owned by another officer or director of the Company solely by reason of actions undertaken by such persons in their capacity as officers or directors of the Company or (y) the Beneficial Owner of securities held of record by the trustee of any employee benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company for the benefit of any employee of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, other than the officer or director, by reason of any influence that such officer or director may have over the voting of the securities held in the plan; or
 
(iv)        which are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by a Counterparty (or any of such Counterparty’s Affiliates or Associates) under any Derivatives Contract (without regard to any short or similar position under the same or any other Derivatives Contract) to which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates is a Receiving Party (as such terms are defined in the immediately following paragraph); provided, however, that the number of Common Shares that a Person is deemed to Beneficially Own pursuant to this clause (iv) in connection with a particular Derivatives Contract shall not exceed the number of Notional Common Shares with respect to such Derivatives Contract; provided, further, that the number of securities beneficially owned by each Counterparty (including its Affiliates and Associates) under a Derivatives Contract shall for purposes of this clause (iv) be deemed to include all securities that are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by any other Counterparty (or any of such other Counterparty’s Affiliates or Associates) under any Derivatives Contract to which such first Counterparty (or any of such first Counterparty’s Affiliates or Associates) is a Receiving Party, with this proviso being applied to successive Counterparties as appropriate.
 
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A “Derivatives Contract” is a contract between two parties (the “Receiving Party” and the “Counterparty”) that is designed to produce economic benefits and risks to the Receiving Party that correspond substantially to the ownership by the Receiving Party of a number of Common Shares specified or referenced in such contract (the number corresponding to such economic benefits and risks, the “Notional Common Shares”), regardless of whether obligations under such contract are required or permitted to be settled through the delivery of cash, Common Shares or other property, without regard to any short position under the same or any other Derivatives Contract. For the avoidance of doubt, interests in broad-based index options, broad-based index futures and broad-based publicly traded market baskets of stocks approved for trading by the appropriate federal governmental authority shall not be deemed to be Derivatives Contracts.
 
 Notwithstanding anything in this definition of Beneficial Ownership to the contrary, the phrase “then outstanding,” when used with reference to a Person’s Beneficial Ownership of securities of the Company, shall mean the number of such securities then issued and outstanding together with the number of such securities not then actually issued and outstanding which are issuable by the Company and which such Person would be deemed to Beneficially Own hereunder.
 
Book Entry Shares” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.
 
Business Day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which banking institutions in New York are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.
 
Close of Business” on any given date shall mean 5:00 P.M., New York time, on such date; provided, however, that if such date is not a Business Day it shall mean 5:00 P.M., New York time, on the next succeeding Business Day.
 
Common Shares” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.  Common Shares when used with reference to any Person other than the Company shall mean the share capital (or equity interest) with the greatest voting power of such other Person or, if such other Person is a Subsidiary of another Person, the Person or Persons which ultimately control such first-mentioned Person.
 
Common Share Equivalents” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.
 
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Company” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble, subject to the terms of Section 13(a)(iii)(c) hereof.
 
Current Per Share Market Price” of any security (a “Security” for purposes of this definition), for all computations other than those made pursuant to Section 11(a)(iii) hereof, shall mean the average of the daily closing prices per share of such Security for the thirty (30) consecutive Trading Days immediately prior to but not including such date, and for purposes of computations made pursuant to Section 11(a)(iii) hereof, the Current Per Share Market Price of any Security on any date shall be deemed to be the average of the daily closing prices per share of such Security for the ten (10) consecutive Trading Days immediately prior to but not including such date; provided, however, that in the event that the Current Per Share Market Price of the Security is determined during a period following the announcement by the issuer of such Security of (i) a dividend or distribution on such Security payable in shares of such Security or securities convertible into such shares or (ii) any subdivision, combination or reclassification of such Security, and prior to the expiration of the applicable thirty (30) Trading Day or ten (10) Trading Day period, after the ex-dividend date for such dividend or distribution, or the record date for such subdivision, combination or reclassification, then, and in each such case, the Current Per Share Market Price shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect the current market price per share equivalent of such Security.  The closing price for each day shall be the last sale price, regular way, or, in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed on the principal national securities exchange on which the Security is listed or admitted to trading or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the last sale price or, if such last sale price is not reported, the average of the high bid and low asked prices in the over-the-counter market, as reported by Nasdaq or such other system then in use, or, if on any such date the Security is not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in the Security selected by the Board of Directors of the Company.  If on any such date no market maker is making a market in the Security, the fair value of such shares on such date as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company shall be used.  If the Preferred Shares are not publicly traded, the Current Per Share Market Price of the Preferred Shares shall be conclusively deemed to be the Current Per Share Market Price of the Common Shares as determined pursuant to this definition, as appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof, multiplied by 1,000.  If the Security is not publicly held or so listed or traded, Current Per Share Market Price shall mean the fair value per share as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be conclusive for all purposes.
 
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Current Value” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.
 
Distribution Date” shall mean the earlier of (i) the Close of Business on the tenth calendar day after the Shares Acquisition Date or (ii) the Close of Business on the tenth Business Day (or such later date as may be determined by action of the Company’s Board of Directors) after the date that a tender or exchange offer by any Person (other than the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company, or any Person or entity organized, appointed or established by the Company for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan) is first published or sent or given within the meaning of Rule 14d-2(a) of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act, if, assuming the successful consummation thereof, such Person would be an Acquiring Person.
 
Equivalent Shares” shall mean Preferred Shares and any other class or series of share capital of the Company which is entitled to the same rights, privileges and preferences as the Preferred Shares.
 
Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
 
Exchange Ratio” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 24(a) hereof.
 
Exercise Price” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 4(a) hereof.
 
Expiration Date” shall mean the earliest to occur of: (i) the Close of Business on the Final Expiration Date, (ii) the Redemption Date, or (iii) the time at which the Rights are exchanged as provided in Section 24 hereof.
 
Final Expiration Date” shall mean the Close of Business on July 1, 2032.
 
Nasdaq” shall mean the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.
 
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Passive Institutional Investor” shall mean any Person who or which has reported and is entitled to report Beneficial Ownership of Common Shares on Schedule 13G under the Exchange Act (or any comparable or successor report), but only so long as (i) such Person is eligible to report such ownership on Schedule 13G under the Exchange Act (or any comparable or successor report), and (ii) such Person has not reported and is not required to report such ownership on Schedule 13D under the Exchange Act (or any comparable or successor report) and such Person does not hold Common Shares on behalf of any other Person who is required to report Beneficial Ownership of Common Shares on such Schedule 13D; provided that if a formerly Passive Institutional Investor should report or become required to report Beneficial Ownership of Common Shares on Schedule 13D, that formerly Passive Institutional Investor will not be deemed to be or to have become an Acquiring Person if (A) at the time it reports or becomes required to report Beneficial Ownership of Common Shares on Schedule 13D, that formerly Passive Institutional Investor has Beneficial Ownership of less than 10% of the Common Shares then outstanding; or (B) (1) it divests as promptly as practicable (but in any event not later than ten calendar days after becoming required to report on Schedule 13D) Beneficial Ownership of a sufficient number of Common Shares so that it would no longer be an “Acquiring Person,” as defined herein, and (2) prior to reducing its Beneficial Ownership of Common Shares then outstanding to below 10%, it does not increase its Beneficial Ownership of the Common Shares then outstanding (other than by reason of share purchases by the Company) above such Person’s lowest Beneficial Ownership of the Common Shares then outstanding at any time during such ten calendar day period.
 
Person” shall mean any individual, partnership, firm, corporation, limited liability company, association, trust, limited liability partnership, joint venture, unincorporated organization or other entity, and shall include any successor (by merger or otherwise) of such entity, as well as any group under Rule 13d-5(b)(1) of the Exchange Act.
 
Post-Event Transferee” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(e) hereof.
 
Preferred Shares” shall mean Series A Participating Preferred Shares, $0.0001 par value, of the Company.
 
Pre-Event Transferee” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(e) hereof.
 
Principal Party” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 13(b) hereof.
 
Record Date” shall have the meaning set forth in the recitals at the beginning of this Restated Rights Agreement.
 
Redemption Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 23(a) hereof.
 
Redemption Price” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 23(a) hereof.
 
Rights Agent” shall mean Equiniti Trust Company, LLC, or its successor or replacement as provided in Sections 19 and 21 hereof.
 
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Rights Certificate” shall mean a certificate substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A.
 
Section 11(a)(ii) Trigger Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.
 
Section 13 Event” shall mean any event described in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) of Section 13(a) hereof.
 
SEC” shall mean the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or any successor thereto.
 
Securities Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
 
Shares Acquisition Date” shall mean the first date of public announcement by the Company or an Acquiring Person that an Acquiring Person has become such.
 
Spread” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.
 
Subsidiary” of any Person shall mean any corporation or other entity of which an amount of voting securities sufficient to elect a majority of the directors or Persons having similar authority of such corporation or other entity is beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by such Person, or any corporation or other entity otherwise controlled by such Person.

Substitution Period” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.
 
Summary of Rights” shall mean the summary of the Rights under the Original Rights Agreement distributed in connection therewith.
 
Total Exercise Price” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 4(a) hereof.
 
Trading Day” shall mean a day on which the principal national securities exchange on which a referenced security is listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business or, if a referenced security is not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, a Business Day.
 
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A “Triggering Event” shall be deemed to have occurred upon any Person, becoming an Acquiring Person.
 
2.         Appointment of Rights Agent.  The Company hereby appoints the Rights Agent to act as rights agent for the Company in accordance with the express terms and conditions hereof (and no implied terms or conditions), and the Rights Agent hereby accepts such appointment.  The Company may from time to time appoint such co-Rights Agent as it may deem necessary or desirable, upon ten (10) calendar days’ prior written notice to the Rights Agent; provided, that such Person meets the eligibility requirements under Section 21 hereof.  In the event the Company appoints one or more co-Rights Agents, the respective duties of the Rights Agent and any co-Rights Agents under the provisions of this Restated Rights Agreement shall be as the Company shall reasonably determine and the Company shall notify in writing, the Rights Agent and any co-Rights Agent of such duties. The Rights Agent shall have no duty to supervise, and in no event shall be liable for, the acts or omissions of any such co-Rights Agent appointed by the Company.
 
3.          Issuance of Rights Certificates.

(a)        Until the Distribution Date, (i) the Rights will be evidenced (subject to the provisions of Sections 3(b) and 3(c) hereof) by the certificates for Common Shares registered in the names of the holders thereof or, in the case of uncertificated Common Shares registered in book-entry form (“Book Entry Shares”), by notation in book entry accounts reflecting the ownership of such Common Shares (which certificates and Book Entry Shares, as applicable, shall also be deemed to be Rights Certificates) and not by separate Rights Certificates and (ii) the right to receive Rights Certificates will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of Common Shares.  Until the earlier of the Distribution Date or the Expiration Date, the transfer of Common Shares shall also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with such Common Shares.  As soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, the Company will prepare and execute, and upon written request of the Company, the Rights Agent will countersign (in manual or facsimile form), and the Company will send or cause to be sent (and the Rights Agent will, if requested and provided with all necessary information and documents, in the discretion of the Rights Agent, at the expense of the Company, send or cause to be sent) by first-class, postage-prepaid mail, to each record holder of Common Shares as of the Close of Business on the Distribution Date, at the address of such holder shown on the records of the Company, or the transfer agent or registrar for the Common Shares, a Rights Certificate, in substantially the form of Exhibit A hereto, evidencing one Right for each Common Share so held, subject to adjustment as provided herein, other than to any Acquiring Person or Associates or Affiliates thereof, pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) of this Restated Rights Agreement.  In the event that an adjustment in the number of Rights per Common Share has been made pursuant to Section 11 hereof, then at the time of distribution of the Rights Certificates, the Company shall make the necessary and appropriate rounding adjustments (in accordance with Section 14(a) hereof) so that Rights Certificates representing only whole numbers of Rights are distributed and cash is paid in lieu of any fractional Rights.  As of the Distribution Date, the Rights will be evidenced solely by such Rights Certificates and may be transferred by the transfer of the Rights Certificates as permitted hereby, separately and apart from any transfer of Common Shares, and the holders of such Rights Certificates as listed in the records of the Company or any transfer agent or registrar for the Rights shall be the record holders thereof.
 
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The Company shall promptly notify the Rights Agent in writing of the occurrence of the Distribution Date.  Until such written notice is received by the Rights Agent, the Rights Agent may presume conclusively for all purposes that the Distribution Date has not occurred.
 
(b)         With respect to certificates for Common Shares and Book Entry Shares, as applicable, outstanding as of the Record Date, until the Distribution Date, the Rights will be evidenced by such certificates or Book Entry Shares, registered in the names of the holders thereof together with the Summary of Rights.  Until the Distribution Date (or, if earlier, the Expiration Date), the transfer of any Common Shares outstanding as of the Record Date, with or without a copy of the Summary of Rights, shall also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with such Common Shares.
 
(c)        Unless the Board of Directors by resolution adopted at or before the time of the issuance of any Common Shares specifies to the contrary, Rights shall be issued in respect of all Common Shares that are issued after the date hereof but prior to the earlier of the Distribution Date or the Expiration Date or, in certain circumstances provided in Section 22 hereof, after the Distribution Date.  Certificates and Book Entry Shares representing such Common Shares shall also be deemed to be certificates for Rights, and shall bear a legend in substantially the following form:
 
THIS CERTIFICATE ALSO EVIDENCES AND ENTITLES THE HOLDER HEREOF TO CERTAIN RIGHTS AS SET FORTH IN AN AMENDED AND RESTATED SHAREHOLDERS’ RIGHTS AGREEMENT BETWEEN UNITED MARITIME CORPORATION AND EQUINITI TRUST COMPANY, LLC (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RIGHTS AGENT), AS THE RIGHTS AGENT, DATED AS OF DECEMBER 27, 2023, AS MAY BE SUPPLEMENTED OR AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME (THE “RIGHTS AGREEMENT”), THE TERMS OF WHICH ARE HEREBY INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE AND A COPY OF WHICH IS ON FILE AT THE PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES OF UNITED MARITIME CORPORATION UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, AS SET FORTH IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT, SUCH RIGHTS WILL BE EVIDENCED BY SEPARATE CERTIFICATES AND WILL NO LONGER BE EVIDENCED BY THIS CERTIFICATE.  UNITED MARITIME CORPORATION WILL MAIL TO THE HOLDER OF THIS CERTIFICATE A COPY OF THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT WITHOUT CHARGE AFTER RECEIPT OF A WRITTEN REQUEST THEREFOR.  UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES SET FORTH IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT, RIGHTS ISSUED TO, OR HELD BY, ANY PERSON WHO IS, WAS OR BECOMES AN ACQUIRING PERSON OR ANY AFFILIATE OR ASSOCIATE THEREOF (AS SUCH TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT), WHETHER CURRENTLY HELD BY OR ON BEHALF OF SUCH PERSON OR BY ANY SUBSEQUENT HOLDER, MAY BECOME NULL AND VOID.
 
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With respect to such certificates or Book Entry Shares, as applicable, containing the foregoing legend, until the earlier of (i) the Distribution Date or (ii) the Expiration Date, the Rights associated with the Common Shares represented by such certificates or Book Entry Shares, as applicable, shall be evidenced by such certificates or Book Entry Shares, as applicable, alone, and the transfer of any such certificate or Book Entry Shares, as applicable, (with or without a copy of the Summary of Rights) shall also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Shares represented thereby.
 
(d)        In the event that the Company purchases or acquires any Common Shares after the date hereof but prior to the Distribution Date, any Rights associated with such Common Shares shall be deemed canceled so that the Company shall not be entitled to exercise any Rights associated with the Common Shares which are no longer outstanding.
 
(e)        Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, neither the omission of a legend nor the failure to deliver the notice of such legend required hereby shall affect the enforceability of any part of this Restated Rights Agreement or the rights of any holder of Rights.
 
4.           Form of Rights Certificates.
 
(a)         The Rights Certificates (and the forms of election to purchase Series A Preferred Shares and of assignment to be printed on the reverse thereof) shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto and may have such marks of identification or designation and such legends, summaries or endorsements printed thereon as the Company may deem appropriate (but which do not affect the rights, duties, liabilities, or responsibilities of the Rights Agent) and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Restated Rights Agreement, or as may be required to comply with any applicable law or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any rule or regulation of any stock exchange or a national market system, on which the Rights may from time to time be listed or traded, or to conform to usage.  Subject to the provisions of Section 11 and Section 22 hereof, the Rights Certificates, whenever distributed, shall be dated as of the Record Date (or in the case of Rights issued with respect to Common Shares issued by the Company after the Record Date, as of the date of issuance of such Common Shares) and on their face shall entitle the holders thereof to purchase such number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share as shall be set forth therein at the price set forth therein (such exercise price per one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share being hereinafter referred to as the “Exercise Price” and the aggregate Exercise Price of all Preferred Shares issuable upon exercise of one Right being hereinafter referred to as the “Total Exercise Price”), but the number and type of securities purchasable upon the exercise of each Right and the Exercise Price shall be subject to adjustment as provided herein.
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(b)         Any Rights Certificate issued pursuant to Section 3(a) or Section 22 hereof that represents Rights beneficially owned by: (i) an Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person, (ii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person (or of any such Associate or Affiliate) who becomes a transferee after the Acquiring Person becomes such or (iii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person (or of any such Associate or Affiliate) who becomes a transferee prior to or concurrently with the Acquiring Person becoming such and receives such Rights pursuant to either (A) a transfer (whether or not for consideration) from the Acquiring Person to holders of equity interests in such Acquiring Person or to any Person with whom such Acquiring Person has any continuing agreement, arrangement or understanding regarding the transferred Rights or (B) a transfer which the Company’s Board of Directors has determined is part of a plan, arrangement or understanding which has as a primary purpose or effect avoidance of Section 7(e) hereof, and any Rights Certificate issued pursuant to Section 6 or Section 11 hereof upon transfer, exchange, replacement or adjustment of any other Rights Certificate referred to in this sentence, shall contain (to the extent the Rights Agent has received written notice thereof and to the extent feasible) a legend in substantially the following form:
 
THE RIGHTS REPRESENTED BY THIS RIGHTS CERTIFICATE ARE OR WERE BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY A PERSON WHO WAS OR BECAME AN ACQUIRING PERSON OR AN AFFILIATE OR ASSOCIATE OF AN ACQUIRING PERSON (AS SUCH TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT).  ACCORDINGLY, THIS RIGHTS CERTIFICATE AND THE RIGHTS REPRESENTED HEREBY MAY BECOME NULL AND VOID IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES SPECIFIED IN SECTION 7(e) OF THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT.
 
The Company shall give written notice to the Rights Agent promptly after it becomes aware of the existence and identity of any Acquiring Person or any Affiliate or Associate thereof.  Until such notice is received by the Rights Agent, the Rights Agent may presume conclusively for all purposes that no Person has become an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person.  The Company shall instruct the Rights Agent in writing of the Rights which should be so legended.
 
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5.          Countersignature and Registration.
 
(a)        The Rights Certificates shall be duly executed on behalf of the Company by its Chairman of the Board, its Chief Executive Officer, its Chief Financial Officer, its President or any Vice President, either manually or by facsimile signature, and by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company, either manually or by facsimile signature, and shall have affixed thereto the Company’s seal (if any) or a facsimile thereof.  The Rights Certificates shall be, either manually or by facsimile signature, countersigned by the Rights Agent and shall not be valid for any purpose unless so countersigned.  In case any officer of the Company who shall have signed any of the Rights Certificates shall cease to be such officer of the Company before countersignature by the Rights Agent and issuance and delivery by the Company, such Rights Certificates, nevertheless, may be countersigned by the Rights Agent and issued and delivered by the Company with the same force and effect as though the person who signed such Rights Certificates on behalf of the Company had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any Rights Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Company by any person who, at the actual date of the execution of such Rights Certificate, shall be a proper officer of the Company to sign such Rights Certificate, although at the date of the execution of this Restated Rights Agreement any such person was not such an officer.
 
(b)        Following the Distribution Date, receipt by the Rights Agent of written notice to that effect and all other relevant information referred to in Section 3(a), the Rights Agent will keep or cause to be kept, at its office designated for such purposes, books for registration and transfer of the Rights Certificates issued hereunder.  Such books shall show the names and addresses of the respective holders of the Rights Certificates, the number of Rights evidenced on its face by each of the Rights Certificates and the date of each of the Rights Certificates.
 
6.          Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange of Rights Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Rights Certificates.
 
(a)         Subject to the provisions of Sections 7(e), 14 and 24 hereof, at any time after the Close of Business on the Distribution Date, and at or prior to the Close of Business on the Expiration Date, any Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates may be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged for another Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates, entitling the registered holder to purchase a like number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (or, following a Triggering Event, other securities, cash or other assets, as the case may be) as the Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates surrendered then entitled such holder to purchase.  Any registered holder desiring to transfer, split up, combine or exchange any Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates shall make such request in writing delivered to the Rights Agent, and shall surrender the Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates to be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged at the office of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, along with a signature guarantee (if required) and such other and further documentation as the Company or the Rights Agent may reasonably request. The Rights Certificates are transferable only on the registry books of the Rights Agent.  Neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to take any action whatsoever with respect to the transfer of any such surrendered Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates until the registered holder shall have properly completed and duly signed the certificate contained in the form of assignment on the reverse side of such Rights Certificate and shall have provided such additional evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) thereof and of the Rights evidenced thereby and the Affiliates and Associates of such Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) as the Company or the Rights Agent shall request.  Thereupon the Rights Agent shall, subject to Sections 7(e), 14 and 24 hereof, countersign and deliver to the person entitled thereto a Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates, as the case may be, as so requested.  The Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or charge that may be imposed in connection with any transfer, split up, combination or exchange of Rights Certificates as required by Section 9(e) hereof. If and to the extent the Company does require payment of any such taxes or charges, the Company shall give the Rights Agent prompt written notice thereof and the Rights Agent shall not deliver any Rights Certificate unless and until the Rights Agent is satisfied that such payments have been made, and the Rights Agent shall forward any such sum collected by it to the Company or to such Persons as the Company shall specify by written notice.  The Rights Agent shall have no duty or obligation to take any action with respect to a Rights holder under any Section of this Restated Rights Agreement which requires the payment by such Rights holder of applicable taxes and/or charges unless and until the Rights Agent is satisfied that such taxes and/or charges have been paid.
 
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(b)        Upon receipt by the Company and the Rights Agent of evidence satisfactory to them of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of a Rights Certificate, along with a signature guarantee (if required) and such other and further documentation as the Company or the Rights Agent may reasonably request, and, in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security satisfactory to them, and reimbursement to the Company and the Rights Agent of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and, in the case of mutilation, upon surrender to the Rights Agent and cancellation of the Rights Certificate if mutilated, the Company will execute and deliver a new Rights Certificate of like tenor to the Rights Agent for countersignature and delivery to the registered holder in lieu of the Rights Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated.
 
7.           Exercise of Rights; Exercise Price; Expiration Date of Rights.
 
(a)        Subject to Sections 7(e), 23(b) and 24(b) hereof, the registered holder of any Rights Certificate may exercise the Rights evidenced thereby (except as otherwise provided herein) in whole or in part at any time after the Distribution Date and prior to the Close of Business on the Expiration Date by surrender of the Rights Certificate, with the form of election to purchase and the certificate on the reverse side thereof properly completed and duly executed (with such signature duly guaranteed, if required), to the Rights Agent at the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, together with payment of the Exercise Price for each one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (or, following a Triggering Event, other securities, cash or other assets as the case may be) as to which the Rights are exercised, and an amount equal to any tax or charge required to be paid under Section 9(e) hereof, by certified check, cashier’s check, bank draft or money order payable to the order of the Company.
 
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(b)         The Exercise Price for each one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share issuable pursuant to the exercise of a Right shall initially be forty U.S. Dollars ($40.00), shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in Sections 11 and 13 hereof and shall be payable in lawful money of the United States of America in accordance with paragraph (c) below.
 
(c)         Upon receipt of a Rights Certificate representing exercisable Rights, with the form of election to purchase and the certificate properly completed and duly executed (with such signature duly guaranteed, if required), accompanied by payment of the Exercise Price for the number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (or, following a Triggering Event, other securities, cash or other assets as the case may be) to be purchased and an amount equal to any applicable tax or charge required to be paid by the holder of such Rights Certificate in accordance with Section 9(e) hereof, the Rights Agent shall, subject to Section 20(k) hereof, thereupon promptly (i) (A) requisition from any transfer agent of the Preferred Shares (or make available, if the Rights Agent is the transfer agent for the Preferred Shares) a certificate or certificates for the number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (or, following a Triggering Event, other securities, cash or other assets as the case may be) to be purchased and the Company hereby irrevocably authorizes its transfer agent to comply with all such requests or (B) if the Company shall have elected to deposit the total number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (or, following a Triggering Event, other securities, cash or other assets as the case may be) issuable upon exercise of the Rights hereunder with a depositary agent, requisition from the depositary agent depositary receipts representing such number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (or, following a Triggering Event, other securities, cash or other assets as the case may be) as are to be purchased (in which case certificates for the Preferred Shares (or, following a Triggering Event, other securities, cash or other assets as the case may be) represented by such receipts shall be deposited by the transfer agent with the depositary agent) and the Company hereby directs the depositary agent to comply with such request, (ii) when necessary to comply with this Restated Rights Agreement, requisition from the Company the amount of cash to be paid in lieu of issuance of fractional shares in accordance with Section 14 hereof, (iii) after receipt of such certificates or depositary receipts, cause the same to be delivered to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Rights Certificate, registered in such name or names as may be designated by such holder and (iv) when necessary to comply with this Restated Rights Agreement, after receipt thereof, deliver such cash to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Rights Certificate.  The payment of the Exercise Price (as such amount may be reduced (including to zero) pursuant to Section 11(a)(iii) hereof) and an amount equal to any applicable tax or charge required to be paid by the holder of such Rights Certificate in accordance with Section 9(e) hereof, may be made in cash or by certified bank check, cashier’s check or bank draft payable to the order of the Company.  In the event that the Company is obligated to issue securities of the Company other than Preferred Shares, pay cash and/or distribute other property pursuant to Section 11(a) or Section 14 hereof, the Company will promptly make all arrangements necessary so that such other securities, cash and/or other property are available for distribution by the Rights Agent, if and when necessary to comply with this Restated Rights Agreement.
 
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(d)        In case the registered holder of any Rights Certificate shall properly exercise less than all the Rights evidenced thereby, a new Rights Certificate evidencing Rights equivalent to the Rights remaining unexercised shall be issued by the Rights Agent to the registered holder of such Rights Certificate or to his or her duly authorized assigns, subject to the provisions of Section 14 hereof.

(e)          Notwithstanding anything in this Restated Rights Agreement to the contrary, from and after the first occurrence of a Triggering Event, any Rights Beneficially Owned by (i) an Acquiring Person or an Associate or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person, (ii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person (or of any such Associate or Affiliate) who becomes a transferee after the Acquiring Person becomes such (a “Post-Event Transferee”), (iii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person (or of any such Associate or Affiliate) who becomes a transferee prior to or concurrently with the Acquiring Person becoming such and receives such Rights pursuant to either (A) a transfer (whether or not for consideration) from the Acquiring Person to holders of equity interests in such Acquiring Person or to any Person with whom the Acquiring Person has any continuing agreement, arrangement or understanding regarding the transferred Rights or (B) a transfer which the Company’s Board of Directors has determined is part of a plan, arrangement or understanding which has as a primary purpose or effect the avoidance of this Section 7(e) (a “Pre-Event Transferee”) or (iv) any subsequent transferee receiving transferred Rights from a Post-Event Transferee or a Pre-Event Transferee, either directly or through one or more intermediate transferees, shall become null and void without any further action and no holder of such Rights shall have any rights whatsoever with respect to such Rights, whether under any provision of this Restated Rights Agreement or otherwise.  The Company shall use all reasonable efforts to ensure that the provisions of this Section 7(e) and Section 4(b) hereof are complied with, but neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall have any liability to any holder of Rights Certificates or to any other Person as a result of the Company’s failure to make any determinations with respect to an Acquiring Person or any of such Acquiring Person’s Affiliates, Associates or transferees hereunder.
 
(f)          Notwithstanding anything in this Restated Rights Agreement or any Rights Certificate to the contrary, neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to undertake any action required hereunder with respect to a registered holder upon the occurrence of any purported transfer or exercise as set forth in this Section 7 unless such registered holder shall, in addition to having complied with the requirements of Section 7(a), have (i) properly completed and duly signed the certificate contained in the form of election to purchase set forth on the reverse side of the Rights Certificate surrendered for such exercise and (ii) provided such additional evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) thereof and of the Rights evidenced thereby or Affiliates and Associates of such Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) as the Company or the Rights Agent shall reasonably request.
 
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8.        Cancellation and Destruction of Rights Certificates.  All Rights Certificates surrendered for the purpose of exercise, transfer, split up, combination or exchange shall, if surrendered to the Company or to any of its agents, be delivered to the Rights Agent for cancellation or in canceled form, or, if surrendered to the Rights Agent, shall be canceled by it, and no Rights Certificates shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly permitted by any of the provisions of this Restated Rights Agreement.  The Company shall deliver to the Rights Agent for cancellation and retirement, and the Rights Agent shall so cancel and retire, any Rights Certificate purchased or acquired by the Company otherwise than upon the exercise thereof.  The Rights Agent shall deliver all canceled Rights Certificates to the Company, or shall, at the written request of the Company, destroy or cause to be destroyed such canceled Rights Certificates, and in such case shall deliver a certificate of destruction thereof to the Company.
 
9.           Reservation and Availability of Preferred Shares.
 
(a)         The Company covenants and agrees that it will use its best efforts to cause to be reserved and kept available out of its authorized and unissued Preferred Shares not reserved for another purpose (and, following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, out of its authorized and unissued Common Shares and/or other securities), the number of Preferred Shares (and, following the occurrence of the Triggering Event, Common Shares and/or other securities) that will be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Rights.
 
(b)         If the Company shall hereafter list any of its Preferred Shares on a national securities exchange, then so long as the Preferred Shares (and, following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, Common Shares and/or other securities) issuable and deliverable upon exercise of the Rights may be listed on such exchange, the Company shall use its best efforts to cause, from and after such time as the Rights become exercisable (but only to the extent that it is reasonably likely that the Rights will be exercised), all shares reserved for such issuance to be listed on such exchange upon official notice of issuance upon such exercise.
 
(c)       The Company shall use its best efforts to (i) file, as soon as practicable following the earliest date after the first occurrence of a Triggering Event in which the consideration to be delivered by the Company upon exercise of the Rights is described in Section 11(a)(ii) or Section 11(a)(iii) hereof, or as soon as is required by law following the Distribution Date, as the case may be, a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, (ii) cause such registration statement to become effective as soon as practicable after such filing and (iii) cause such registration statement to remain effective (with a prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the Securities Act) until the earlier of (A) the date as of which the Rights are no longer exercisable for such securities and (B) the date of expiration of the Rights.  The Company may temporarily suspend, for a period not to exceed ninety (90) days after the date set forth in clause (i) of the first sentence of this Section 9(c), the exercisability of the Rights in order to prepare and file such registration statement and permit it to become effective.  Upon any such suspension, the Company shall issue a public announcement and notify the Rights Agent in writing that the exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily suspended, as well as issue a public announcement and notification in writing to the Rights Agent at such time as the suspension is no longer in effect.  The Company will also take such action as may be appropriate under, or to ensure compliance with, the securities or “blue sky” laws of the various states in connection with the exercisability of the Rights.  Notwithstanding any provision of this Restated Rights Agreement to the contrary, the Rights shall not be exercisable in any jurisdiction, unless the requisite qualification in such jurisdiction shall have been obtained, or an exemption therefrom shall be available, and until a registration statement has been declared effective.
 
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(d)       The Company covenants and agrees that it will take all such action as may be necessary to ensure that all Preferred Shares (or other securities of the Company) delivered upon exercise of Rights shall, at the time of delivery of the certificates for such securities (subject to payment of the Exercise Price), be duly and validly authorized and issued and fully paid and non-assessable shares.
 
(e)          The Company further covenants and agrees that it will pay when due and payable any and all federal and state taxes or charges which may be payable in respect of the original issuance or delivery of the Rights Certificates or of any Preferred Shares (or other securities of the Company) upon the exercise of Rights.  The Company shall not, however, be required to pay any tax which may be payable in respect of any transfer or delivery of Rights Certificates to a person other than, or the issuance or delivery of certificates or depositary receipts for the Preferred Shares (or other securities of the Company) in a name other than that of, the registered holder of the Rights Certificate evidencing Rights surrendered for exercise or to issue or to deliver any certificates or depositary receipts for Preferred Shares (or other securities of the Company) upon the exercise of any Rights until any such tax or charge shall have been paid (any such tax or charge being payable by the holder of such Rights Certificate at the time of surrender) or until it has been established to the Company’s or the Rights Agent’s satisfaction that no such tax or charge is due.
 
10.       Record Date.  Each Person in whose name any certificate for a number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (or other securities of the Company) is issued upon the exercise of Rights shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of Preferred Shares (or other securities of the Company) represented thereon, and such certificate shall be dated, the date upon which the Rights Certificate evidencing such Rights was duly surrendered and payment of the Total Exercise Price with respect to which the Rights have been exercised (and any applicable taxes) was made; provided, however, that if the date of such surrender and payment is a date upon which the transfer books of the Company are closed, such Person shall be deemed to have become the record holder of such shares on, and such certificate shall be dated, the next succeeding Business Day on which the transfer books of the Company are open.  Prior to the exercise of the Rights evidenced thereby, the holder of a Rights Certificate shall not be entitled to any rights of a holder of Preferred Shares (or other securities of the Company) for which the Rights shall be exercisable, including, without limitation, the right to vote, to receive dividends or other distributions or to exercise any preemptive rights, and shall not be entitled to receive any notice of any proceedings of the Company, except as provided herein.
 
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11.       Adjustment of Exercise Price, Number of Shares or Number of Rights.  The Exercise Price, the number and kind of shares or other property covered by each Right and the number of Rights outstanding are subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in this Section 11.
 
(a)          (i)          Notwithstanding anything in this Restated Rights Agreement to the contrary, in the event the Company shall at any time after the date of this Restated Rights Agreement (A) declare a dividend on the Preferred Shares payable in Preferred Shares, (B) subdivide the outstanding Preferred Shares, (C) combine the outstanding Preferred Shares (by reverse stock split or otherwise) into a smaller number of Preferred Shares, or (D) issue any shares in a reclassification of the Preferred Shares (including any such reclassification in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing or surviving company), then, in each such event, except as otherwise provided in Section 11 and Section 7(e) hereof: (1) the Exercise Price in effect at the time of the record date for such dividend or of the effective date of such subdivision, combination or reclassification shall be adjusted so that the Exercise Price thereafter shall equal the result obtained by dividing the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to such time by a fraction (the “Adjustment Fraction”), the numerator of which shall be the total number of Preferred Shares (or shares issued in such reclassification of the Preferred Shares) outstanding immediately following such time and the denominator of which shall be the total number of Preferred Shares outstanding immediately prior to such time; provided, however, that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of the Company issuable upon exercise of such Right; and (2) the number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (or other share) issuable upon the exercise of each Right shall equal the number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (or other share) as was issuable upon exercise of a Right immediately prior to the occurrence of the event described in clauses (A)-(D) of this Section 11(a)(i), multiplied by the Adjustment Fraction; provided, however, that, no such adjustment shall be made pursuant to this Section 11(a)(i) to the extent that there shall have simultaneously occurred an event described in clause (A), (B), (C) or (D) of Section 11(n) with a proportionate adjustment being made thereunder.  Each Common Share that shall become outstanding after an adjustment has been made pursuant to this Section 11(a)(i) shall have associated with it the number of Rights, exercisable at the Exercise Price and for the number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (or other share) as one Common Share has associated with it immediately following the adjustment made pursuant to this Section 11(a)(i).
 
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(ii)         Subject to Section 24 of this Restated Rights Agreement, in the event a Triggering Event shall have occurred, then promptly following such Triggering Event each holder of a Right, except as provided in Section 7(e) hereof, shall thereafter have the right to receive for each Right, upon exercise thereof in accordance with the terms of this Restated Rights Agreement and payment of the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to the occurrence of the Triggering Event, in lieu of a number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share, such number of Common Shares of the Company as shall equal the result obtained by multiplying the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to the occurrence of the Triggering Event by the number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share for which a Right was exercisable (or would have been exercisable if the Distribution Date had occurred) immediately prior to the first occurrence of a Triggering Event, and dividing that product by 50% of the Current Per Share Market Price for Common Shares on the date of occurrence of the Triggering Event; provided, however, that the Exercise Price and the number of Common Shares of the Company so receivable upon exercise of a Right shall be subject to further adjustment as appropriate in accordance with Section 11(e) hereof to reflect any events occurring in respect of the Common Shares of the Company after the occurrence of the Triggering Event. In the event that any Person shall become an Acquiring Person and the Rights shall then be outstanding, the Company shall not take any action which would eliminate or diminish the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights.
 
From and after the occurrence of such event, any Rights that are or were acquired or Beneficially Owned by any Acquiring Person (or any Associate or Affiliate of such Acquiring Person) shall be null and void without any further action and any holder of such Rights shall thereafter have no right whatsoever with respect to such Rights, under any provision of this Restated Rights Agreement or otherwise.  Neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall have liability to any holder of Rights Certificates or other Person as a result of the Company’s or the Rights Agent’s failure to make any determinations with respect to an Acquiring Person or its Affiliates, Associates or transferees hereunder. No Rights Certificate shall be issued pursuant to Section 3 that represents Rights Beneficially Owned by an Acquiring Person whose Rights would be null and void pursuant to the preceding sentence or any Associate or Affiliate or nominee thereof; no Rights Certificate shall be issued at any time upon the transfer of any Rights to an Acquiring Person whose Rights would be null and void pursuant to the preceding sentence or any Associate or Affiliate thereof or to any nominee of such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate; and any Rights Certificate delivered to the Rights Agent for transfer to an Acquiring Person whose Rights would be null and void pursuant to the preceding sentence or any Associate or Affiliate thereof or to any nominee of such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate shall be cancelled.  The Company shall give the Rights Agent written notice of the identity of any such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate, or the nominee of any of the foregoing, and the Rights Agent may rely on such notice in carrying out its duties under this Restated Rights Agreement and shall be deemed not to have any knowledge of the identity of any such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate, or the nominee of any of the foregoing unless and until it shall have received such notice.
 
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(iii)        In lieu of issuing Common Shares in accordance with Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, the Company may, if the Company’s Board of Directors determines that such action is necessary or appropriate and not contrary to the interest of holders of Rights and, in the event that the number of Common Shares which are authorized by the Company’s Articles of Incorporation but not outstanding or reserved for issuance for purposes other than upon exercise of the Rights are not sufficient to permit the exercise in full of the Rights, the Company shall: (A) determine the excess of (1) the value of the Common Shares issuable upon the exercise of a Right (the “Current Value”) over (2) the Exercise Price (such excess, the “Spread”) and (B) with respect to each Right, make adequate provision to substitute for such Common Shares, upon exercise of the Rights, (1) cash, (2) a reduction in the Exercise Price, (3) other equity securities of the Company (including, without limitation, shares or any series of preferred shares which the Company’s Board of Directors has deemed to have the same value as Common Shares (such shares or Preferred Shares are herein called “Common Share Equivalents”)), except to the extent that the Company has not obtained any necessary shareholder approval for such issuance, (4) debt securities of the Company, except to the extent that the Company has not obtained any necessary shareholder approval for such issuance, (5) other assets or (6) any combination of the foregoing, having an aggregate value equal to the Current Value, where such aggregate value has been determined by the Company’s Board of Directors based upon the advice of a nationally recognized investment banking firm selected by the Company’s Board of Directors; provided, however, if the Company shall not have made adequate provision to deliver value pursuant to clause (B) above within thirty (30) days following the later of (x) the first occurrence of a Triggering Event and (y) the date on which the Company’s right of redemption pursuant to Section 23(a) expires (the later of (x) and (y) being referred to herein as the “Section 11(a)(ii) Trigger Date”), then the Company shall be obligated to deliver, upon the surrender for exercise of a Right and without requiring payment of the Exercise Price, Common Shares (to the extent available), except to the extent that the Company has not obtained any necessary shareholder approval for such issuance, and then, if necessary, cash, which shares and/or cash have an aggregate value equal to the Spread.  If the Company’s Board of Directors shall determine in good faith that it is likely that sufficient additional Common Shares could be authorized for issuance upon exercise in full of the Rights, the thirty (30) day period set forth above may be extended to the extent necessary, but not more than ninety (90) days after the Section 11(a)(ii) Trigger Date, in order that the Company may seek shareholder approval for the authorization of such additional shares (such period, as it may be extended, the “Substitution Period”).  To the extent that the Company determines that some action need be taken pursuant to the first and/or second sentences of this Section 11(a)(iii), the Company (x) shall provide, subject to Section 7(e) hereof, that such action shall apply uniformly to all outstanding Rights and (y) may suspend the exercisability of the Rights until the expiration of the Substitution Period in order to seek any authorization of additional shares and/or to decide the appropriate form of distribution to be made pursuant to such first sentence and to determine the value thereof.  In the event of any such suspension, the Company shall issue a public announcement (and provide prompt written notice to the Rights Agent) stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily suspended, as well as a public announcement (and provide prompt written notice to the Rights Agent) at such time as the suspension is no longer in effect.  For purposes of this Section 11(a)(iii), the value of the Common Shares shall be the Current Per Share Market Price of the Common Shares on the Section 11(a)(ii) Trigger Date and the value of any Common Share Equivalent shall be deemed to have the same value as the Common Shares on such date.
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(b)         In case the Company shall, at any time after the date of this Restated Rights Agreement, fix a record date for the issuance of rights, options or warrants to all holders of Preferred Shares entitling such holders (for a period expiring within forty-five (45) calendar days after such record date) to subscribe for or purchase Preferred Shares or Equivalent Shares or securities convertible into Preferred Shares or Equivalent Shares at a price per share (or having a conversion price per share, if a security convertible into Preferred Shares or Equivalent Shares) less than the then Current Per Share Market Price of the Preferred Shares or Equivalent Shares on such record date, then, in each such case, the Exercise Price to be in effect after such record date shall be determined by multiplying the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of Preferred Shares and Equivalent Shares (if any) outstanding on such record date, plus the number of Preferred Shares or Equivalent Shares, as the case may be, which the aggregate offering price of the total number of Preferred Shares or Equivalent Shares, as the case may be, to be offered or issued (and/or the aggregate initial conversion price of the convertible securities to be offered or issued) would purchase at such current market price, and the denominator of which shall be the number of Preferred Shares and Equivalent Shares (if any) outstanding on such record date, plus the number of additional Preferred Shares or Equivalent Shares, as the case may be, to be offered for subscription or purchase (or into which the convertible securities so to be offered are initially convertible); provided, however, that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of the Company issuable upon exercise of one Right.  In case such subscription price may be paid in a consideration part or all of which shall be in a form other than cash, the value of such consideration shall be as determined in good faith by the Company’s Board of Directors, whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be binding on the Rights Agent and the holders of the Rights.  Preferred Shares and Equivalent Shares owned by or held for the account of the Company shall not be deemed outstanding for the purpose of any such computation.  Such adjustment shall be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed, and in the event that such rights, options or warrants are not so issued, the Exercise Price shall be adjusted to be the Exercise Price which would then be in effect if such record date had not been fixed.
 
(c)          In case the Company shall, at any time after the date of this Restated Rights Agreement, fix a record date for the making of a distribution to all holders of the Preferred Shares or of any class or series of Equivalent Shares (including any such distribution made in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing or surviving company) of evidences of indebtedness or assets (other than a regular quarterly cash dividend, if any, or a dividend payable in Preferred Shares) or subscription rights, options or warrants (excluding those referred to in Section 11(b)), then, in each such case, the Exercise Price to be in effect after such record date shall be determined by multiplying the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the Current Per Share Market Price of a Preferred Share or an Equivalent Share on such record date, less the fair market value per Preferred Share or Equivalent Share (as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be binding and conclusive for all purposes on the Rights Agent and the holders of the Rights) of the portion of the cash, assets or evidences of indebtedness so to be distributed or of such subscription rights or warrants applicable to a Preferred Share or Equivalent Share, as the case may be, and the denominator of which shall be such Current Per Share Market Price of a Preferred Share or Equivalent Share on such record date; provided, however, that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of capital stock of the Company issuable upon exercise of one Right.  Such adjustments shall be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed, and in the event that such distribution is not so made, the Exercise Price shall be adjusted to be the Exercise Price which would have been in effect if such record date had not been fixed.
 
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(d)         Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, no adjustment in the Exercise Price shall be required unless such adjustment would require an increase or decrease of at least 1% in the Exercise Price; provided, however, that any adjustments which by reason of this Section 11(d) are not required to be made shall be carried forward and taken into account in any subsequent adjustment.  All calculations under this Section 11 shall be made to the nearest cent or to the nearest ten-thousandth of a Common Share or other share or one hundred-thousandth of a Preferred Share, as the case may be.  Notwithstanding the first sentence of this Section 11(d), any adjustment required by this Section 11 shall be made no later than the earlier of (i) three (3) years from the date of the transaction which requires such adjustment or (ii) the Expiration Date.
 
(e)          If as a result of an adjustment made pursuant to Section 11(a) or 13(a) hereof, the holder of any Right thereafter exercised shall become entitled to receive any shares of capital stock of the Company other than Preferred Shares, thereafter the number of such other shares so receivable upon exercise of any Right and, if required, the Exercise Price thereof, shall be subject to adjustment from time to time in a manner and on terms as nearly equivalent as practicable to the provisions with respect to the Preferred Shares contained in Sections 11(a), 11(b), 11(c), 11(d), 11(g), 11(h), 11(i), 11(j), 11(k) and 11(l), and the provisions of Sections 7, 9, 10, 13 and 14 with respect to the Preferred Shares shall apply on like terms to any such other shares.
 
(f)         All Rights originally issued by the Company subsequent to any adjustment made to the Exercise Price hereunder shall evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted Exercise Price, the number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share purchasable from time to time hereunder upon exercise of the Rights, all subject to further adjustment as provided herein.
 
(g)         Unless the Company shall have exercised its election as provided in Section 11(h), upon each adjustment of the Exercise Price as a result of the calculations made in Section 11(b) and (c), each Right outstanding immediately prior to the making of such adjustment shall thereafter evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted Exercise Price, that number of Preferred Shares (calculated to the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a share) obtained by (i) multiplying (x) the number of Preferred Shares covered by a Right immediately prior to this adjustment, by (y) the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to such adjustment of the Exercise Price, and (ii) dividing the product so obtained by the Exercise Price in effect immediately after such adjustment of the Exercise Price.
 
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(h)         The Company may elect on or after the date of any adjustment of the Exercise Price as a result of the calculations made in Section 11(b) or (c) to adjust the number of Rights, in substitution for any adjustment in the number of Preferred Shares purchasable upon the exercise of a Right.  Each of the Rights outstanding after such adjustment of the number of Rights shall be exercisable for the number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share for which a Right was exercisable immediately prior to such adjustment.  Each Right held of record prior to such adjustment of the number of Rights shall become that number of Rights (calculated to the nearest one hundred-thousandth) obtained by dividing the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to adjustment of the Exercise Price by the Exercise Price in effect immediately after adjustment of the Exercise Price.  The Company shall make a public announcement (with prompt written notice thereof to the Rights Agent) of its election to adjust the number of Rights, indicating the record date for the adjustment, and, if known at the time, the amount of the adjustment to be made.  This record date may be the date on which the Exercise Price is adjusted or any day thereafter, but, if the Rights Certificates have been issued, shall be at least ten (10) days later than the date of the public announcement.  If Rights Certificates have been issued, upon each adjustment of the number of Rights pursuant to this Section 11(h), the Company shall, as promptly as practicable, cause to be distributed to holders of record of Rights Certificates on such record date Rights Certificates evidencing, subject to Section 14 hereof, the additional Rights to which such holders shall be entitled as a result of such adjustment, or, at the option of the Company, shall cause to be distributed to such holders of record in substitution and replacement for the Rights Certificates held by such holders prior to the date of adjustment, and upon surrender thereof, if required by the Company, new Rights Certificates evidencing all the Rights to which such holders shall be entitled after such adjustment.  Rights Certificates so to be distributed shall be issued, executed and delivered by the Company, and countersigned and delivered by the Rights Agent, in the manner provided for herein (and may bear, at the option of the Company, the adjusted Exercise Price) and shall be registered in the names of the holders of record of Rights Certificates on the record date specified in the public announcement.
 
(i)        Irrespective of any adjustment or change in the Exercise Price or the number of Preferred Shares issuable upon the exercise of the Rights, the Rights Certificates theretofore and thereafter issued may continue to express the Exercise Price per one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share and the number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share which were expressed in the initial Rights Certificates issued hereunder.
 
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(j)         Before taking any action that would cause an adjustment reducing the Exercise Price below the par or stated value, if any, of the number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share issuable upon exercise of the Rights, the Company shall take any corporate action which may, in the opinion of its counsel, be necessary in order that the Company may validly and legally issue as fully paid and non-assessable shares such number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share at such adjusted Exercise Price.
 
(k)          In any case in which this Section 11 shall require that an adjustment in the Exercise Price be made effective as of a record date for a specified event, the Company may elect to defer (with prompt written notice thereof to the Rights Agent) until the occurrence of such event the issuing to the holder of any Right exercised after such record date of the number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share and other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise over and above the number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share and other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise on the basis of the Exercise Price in effect prior to such adjustment; provided, however, that the Company shall deliver to such holder a due bill or other appropriate instrument evidencing such holder’s right to receive such additional shares (fractional or otherwise) upon the occurrence of the event requiring such adjustment.

(l)          Notwithstanding anything in this Section 11 to the contrary, prior to the Distribution Date, the Company shall be entitled to make such reductions in the Exercise Price, in addition to those adjustments expressly required by this Section 11, as and to the extent that it in its sole discretion shall determine to be advisable in order that any (i) consolidation or subdivision of the Preferred Shares or Common Shares, (ii) issuance wholly for cash of any Preferred Shares or Common Shares at less than the current market price, (iii) issuance wholly for cash of Preferred Shares or Common Shares or securities which by their terms are convertible into or exchangeable for Preferred or Common Shares, (iv) share dividends or (v) issuance of rights, options or warrants referred to in this Section 11, hereafter made by the Company to holders of its Preferred Shares or Common Shares shall not be taxable to such shareholders.
 
(m)        The Company covenants and agrees that, after the Distribution Date, it will not, except as permitted by Sections 23, 24 or 27 hereof, take (or permit to be taken) any action if at the time such action is taken it is reasonably foreseeable that such action will diminish substantially or otherwise eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights.
 
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(n)         In the event the Company shall at any time after the date of this Restated Rights Agreement (A) declare a dividend on the Common Shares payable in Common Shares, (B) subdivide the outstanding Common Shares, (C) combine the outstanding Common Shares (by consolidation or otherwise) into a smaller number of Common Shares, or (D) issue any shares in a reclassification of the Common Shares (including any such reclassification in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing or surviving company), then, in each such event, except as otherwise provided in Section 11(a) and Section 7(e) hereof: (1) each Common Share (or shares issued in such reclassification of the Common Shares) outstanding immediately following such time shall have associated with it the number of Rights as were associated with one Common Share immediately prior to the occurrence of the event described in clauses (A)-(D) above; (2) the Exercise Price in effect at the time of the record date for such dividend or of the effective date of such subdivision, combination or reclassification shall be adjusted so that the Exercise Price thereafter shall equal the result obtained by multiplying the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to such time by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the total number of Common Shares outstanding immediately prior to the event described in clauses (A)-(D) above, and the denominator of which shall be the total number of Common Shares outstanding immediately after such event; provided, however, that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of the Company issuable upon exercise of such Right; and (3) the number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (or shares of such other capital stock) issuable upon the exercise of each Right outstanding after such event shall equal the number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (or other share) as were issuable with respect to one Right immediately prior to such event.  Each Common Share that shall become outstanding after an adjustment has been made pursuant to this Section 11(n) shall have associated with it the number of Rights, exercisable at the Exercise Price and for the number of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (or other share) as one Common Share has associated with it immediately following the adjustment made pursuant to this Section 11(n).  If an event occurs which would require an adjustment under both this Section 11(n) and Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, the adjustment provided for in this Section 11(n) shall be in addition to, and shall be made prior to, any adjustment required pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof.
 
12.       Certificate of Adjusted Exercise Price or Number of Shares.  Whenever an adjustment is made or any event affecting the Rights or their exercisability (including, without limitation, an event which causes Rights to become null and void) occurs as provided in Sections 11 and 13 hereof, the Company shall promptly (a) prepare a certificate setting forth such adjustment or describing such event, and a brief reasonably detailed statement of the facts to the extent applicable, accounting for any such adjustment or event, (b) file with the Rights Agent and with each transfer agent for the Preferred Shares and Common Shares a copy of such certificate and (c) mail a brief summary thereof to each holder of a Rights Certificate (or, if prior to the Distribution Date, each registered holder of Common Shares, whether represented by certificates or Book Entry Shares) in accordance with Section 26 hereof.  Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, the failure of the Company to make such certification or give such notice shall not affect the validity of such adjustment or the force or effect of the requirement for such adjustment.  The Rights Agent shall be fully protected in relying on any such certificate and on any adjustment or statement contained therein and shall have no duty or liability with respect thereto, and shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any adjustment or any such event unless and until it shall have received such certificate.
 
13.        Consolidation, Merger or Sale or Transfer of Assets or Earning Power.

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(a)          In the event that, following a Shares Acquisition Date, directly or indirectly:
 
(i)          the Company shall consolidate or merge with or into, any other Person (other than a wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Company in a transaction the principal purpose of which is to change the jurisdiction of incorporation of the Company and which complies with Section 11(m) hereof);
 
(ii)        any Person shall consolidate or merge with or into the Company and the Company shall be the continuing or surviving company of such consolidation or merger, and, in connection with such consolidation or merger, all or some of the Common Shares shall be changed into or exchanged for shares or other securities of any other person (or the Company); or
 
(iii)        the Company shall sell or otherwise transfer (or one or more of its Subsidiaries shall sell or otherwise transfer), in one or more transactions, assets or earning power aggregating 50% or more of the assets or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any other Person or Persons (other than the Company or one or more of its wholly owned Subsidiaries in one or more transactions, each of which individually (and together) complies with Section 11(m) hereof),
 
then, concurrent with and in each such case:
 
(a)          each holder of a Right (except as provided in Section 7(e) hereof) shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof, at a price equal to the Total Exercise Price applicable immediately prior to the occurrence of the Section 13 Event in accordance with the terms of this Restated Rights Agreement, such number of validly authorized and issued, fully paid, non-assessable and freely tradeable Common Shares of the Principal Party (as hereinafter defined), free of any liens, encumbrances, rights of first refusal or other adverse claims, as shall be equal to the result obtained by dividing such Total Exercise Price by 50% of the Current Per Share Market Price of the Common Shares of such Principal Party on the date of consummation of such Section 13 Event, provided, however, that the Exercise Price and the number of Common Shares of such Principal Party so receivable upon exercise of a Right shall be subject to further adjustment as appropriate in accordance with Section 11(e) hereof;
 
(b)          such Principal Party shall thereafter be liable for, and shall assume, by virtue of such Section 13 Event, all the obligations and duties of the Company pursuant to this Restated Rights Agreement;
 
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(c)          the term “Company” shall thereafter be deemed to refer to such Principal Party, it being specifically intended that the provisions of Section 11 hereof shall apply only to such Principal Party following the first occurrence of a Section 13 Event;
 
(d)          such Principal Party shall take such steps (including, but not limited to, the reservation of a sufficient number of its Common Shares) in connection with the consummation of any such transaction as may be necessary to ensure that the provisions hereof shall thereafter be applicable, as nearly as reasonably may be, in relation to its Common Shares thereafter deliverable upon the exercise of the Rights; and
 
(e)           upon the subsequent occurrence of any consolidation, merger, sale or transfer of assets or other extraordinary transaction in respect of such Principal Party, each holder of a Right shall thereupon be entitled to receive, upon exercise of a Right and payment of the Total Exercise Price as provided in this Section 13(a), such cash, shares, rights, warrants and other property which such holder would have been entitled to receive had such holder, at the time of such transaction, owned the Common Shares of the Principal Party receivable upon the exercise of such Right pursuant to this Section 13(a), and such Principal Party shall take such steps (including, but not limited to, reservation of shares of stock) as may be necessary to permit the subsequent exercise of the Rights in accordance with the terms hereof for such cash, shares, rights, warrants and other property.
 
(f)          For purposes hereof, the “earning power” of the Company and its Subsidiaries shall be determined in good faith by the Company’s Board of Directors on the basis of the operating earnings of each business operated by the Company and its Subsidiaries during the three fiscal years preceding the date of such determination (or, in the case of any business not operated by the Company or any Subsidiary during three full fiscal years preceding such date, during the period such business was operated by the Company or any Subsidiary).
 
(b)          For purposes of this Restated Rights Agreement, the term “Principal Party” shall mean:
 
(i)          in the case of any transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) of Section 13(a) hereof: (A) the Person that is the issuer of the securities into which the Common Shares are converted in such merger or consolidation, or, if there is more than one such issuer, the issuer the Common Shares of which have the greatest aggregate market value of shares outstanding, or (B) if no securities are so issued, (x) the Person that is the other party to the merger, if such Person survives said merger, or, if there is more than one such Person, the Person the Common Shares of which have the greatest aggregate market value of shares outstanding or (y) if the Person that is the other party to the merger does not survive the merger, the Person that does survive the merger (including the Company if it survives) or (z) the Person resulting from the consolidation; and
 
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(ii)         in the case of any transaction described in clause (iii) of Section 13(a) hereof, the Person that is the party receiving the greatest portion of the assets or earning power transferred pursuant to such transaction or transactions, or, if more than one Person that is a party to such transaction or transactions receives the same portion of the assets or earning power so transferred and each such portion would, were it not for the other equal portions, constitute the greatest portion of the assets or earning power so transferred, or if the Person receiving the greatest portion of the assets or earning power cannot be determined, whichever of such Persons is the issuer of Common Shares having the greatest aggregate market value of shares outstanding; provided, however, that in any such case described in the foregoing clause (b)(i) or (b)(ii), if the Common Shares of such Person are not at such time or have not been continuously over the preceding 12-month period registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, then (1) if such Person is a direct or indirect Subsidiary of another Person the Common Shares of which are and have been so registered, the term “Principal Party” shall refer to such other Person, or (2) if such Person is a Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, of more than one Person, the Common Shares of which are and have been so registered, the term “Principal Party” shall refer to whichever of such Persons is the issuer of Common Shares having the greatest aggregate market value of shares outstanding, or (3) if such Person is owned, directly or indirectly, by a joint venture formed by two or more Persons that are not owned, directly or indirectly by the same Person, the rules set forth in clauses (1) and (2) above shall apply to each of the owners having an interest in the venture as if the Person owned by the joint venture was a Subsidiary of both or all of such joint venturers, and the Principal Party in each such case shall bear the obligations set forth in this Section 13 in the same ratio as its interest in such Person bears to the total of such interests.
 
(c)          The Company shall not consummate any Section 13 Event unless the Principal Party shall have a sufficient number of authorized Common Shares that have not been issued or reserved for issuance to permit the exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with this Section 13 and unless prior thereto the Company and such issuer shall have executed and delivered to the Rights Agent a supplemental agreement confirming that such Principal Party shall, upon consummation of such Section 13 Event, assume this Restated Rights Agreement in accordance with Sections 13(a) and 13(b) hereof, that all rights of first refusal or preemptive rights in respect of the issuance of Common Shares of such Principal Party upon exercise of outstanding Rights have been waived, that there are no rights, warrants, instruments or securities outstanding or any agreements or arrangements which, as a result of the consummation of such transaction, would eliminate or substantially diminish the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights and that such transaction shall not result in a default by such Principal Party under this Restated Rights Agreement, and further providing that, as soon as practicable after the date of such Section 13 Event, such Principal Party will:

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(i)          prepare and file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Rights and the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective as soon as practicable after such filing and use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to remain effective (with a prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the Securities Act) until the Expiration Date, and similarly comply with applicable state securities laws;
 
(ii)         use its best efforts to list (or continue the listing of) the Rights and the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on a national securities exchange or to meet the eligibility requirements for quotation on Nasdaq and list (or continue the listing of) the Rights and the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on Nasdaq; and
 
(iii)        deliver to holders of the Rights historical financial statements for such Principal Party which comply in all respects with the requirements for registration on Form F-1 or S-1 (or any successor form) under the Exchange Act.
 
In the event that at any time after the occurrence of a Triggering Event some or all of the Rights shall not have been exercised at the time of a transaction described in this Section 13, the Rights which have not theretofore been exercised shall thereafter be exercisable in the manner described in Section 13(a) (without taking into account any prior adjustment required by Section 11(a)(ii)).
 
(d)         In case the “Principal Party” for purposes of Section 13(b) hereof has provision in any of its authorized securities or in its certificate of incorporation or by-laws or other instrument governing its corporate affairs, which provision would have the effect of (i) causing such Principal Party to issue (other than to holders of Rights pursuant to Section 13 hereof), in connection with, or as a consequence of, the consummation of a Section 13 Event, Common Shares or Equivalent Shares of such Principal Party at less than the then Current Per Share Market Price thereof or securities exercisable for, or convertible into, Common Shares or Equivalent Shares of such Principal Party at less than such then Current Per Share Market Price, or (ii) providing for any special payment, tax or similar provision in connection with the issuance of the Common Shares of such Principal Party pursuant to the provisions of Section 13 hereof, then, in such event, the Company hereby agrees with each holder of Rights that it shall not consummate any such transaction unless prior thereto the Company and such Principal Party shall have executed and delivered to the Rights Agent a supplemental agreement providing that the provision in question of such Principal Party shall have been canceled, waived or amended, or that the authorized securities shall be redeemed, so that the applicable provision will have no effect in connection with or as a consequence of, the consummation of the proposed transaction.
 
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(e)        The Company covenants and agrees that it shall not, at any time after the Distribution Date, effect or permit to occur any Section 13 Event, if (i) at the time or immediately after such Section 13 Event there are any rights, warrants or other instruments or securities outstanding or agreements in effect which would substantially diminish or otherwise eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights, (ii) prior to, simultaneously with or immediately after such Section 13 Event, the shareholders of the Person who constitutes, or would constitute, the “Principal Party” for purposes of Section 13(b) hereof shall have received a distribution of Rights previously owned by such Person or any of its Affiliates or Associates or (iii) the form or nature of organization of the Principal Party would preclude or limit the exercisability of the Rights.
 
(f)          The provisions of this Section 13 shall similarly apply to successive mergers or consolidations or sales or other transfers.
 
14.        Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares.
 
(a)         The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Rights or to distribute Rights Certificates which evidence fractional Rights.  In lieu of such fractional Rights, there shall be paid to the registered holders of the Rights Certificates with regard to which such fractional Rights would otherwise be issuable, an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a whole Right.  For the purposes of this Section 14(a), the current market value of a whole Right shall be the closing price of the Rights for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date on which such fractional Rights would have been otherwise issuable, as determined pursuant to this Restated Rights Agreement.
 
(b)         The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Preferred Shares (other than fractions that are integral multiples of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share) upon exercise of the Rights or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional Preferred Shares (other than fractions that are integral multiples of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share).  Interests in fractions of Preferred Shares in integral multiples of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts, pursuant to an appropriate agreement between the Company and a depositary selected by it; provided, that such agreement shall provide that the holders of such depositary receipts shall have all the rights, privileges and preferences to which they are entitled as beneficial owners of the Preferred Shares represented by such depositary receipts.  In lieu of fractional Preferred Shares that are not integral multiples of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share, the Company shall pay to the registered holders of Rights Certificates at the time such Rights are exercised as herein provided an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a Preferred Share.  For purposes of this Section 14(b), the current market value of a Preferred Share shall be one thousand times the closing price of a Common Share (as determined pursuant to the terms hereof) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such exercise.
 
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(c)         The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Common Shares or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional Common Shares upon the exercise or exchange of Rights.  In lieu of such fractional Common Shares, the Company shall pay to the registered holders of Rights Certificates at the time such Rights are exercised as herein provided an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a Common Share.  For purposes of this Section 14(c), the current market value of a Common Share shall be the closing price of a Common Share (as determined pursuant to the terms hereof) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such exercise.
 
(d)         The holder of a Right by the acceptance of the Right expressly waives his or her right to receive any fractional Rights or any fractional shares (other than fractions that are integral multiples of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share) upon exercise of a Right.
 
(e)         Whenever a payment for fractional Rights or fractional Shares is to be made by the Rights Agent under any Section of this Restated Rights Agreement, the Company shall (i) promptly prepare and deliver to the Rights Agent a certificate setting forth in reasonable detail the facts related to such payments and the prices and/or formulas utilized in calculating such payments, and (ii) provide sufficient monies to the Rights Agent in the form of fully collected funds to make such payments. The Rights Agent shall be fully protected in relying upon such a certificate and shall have no duty with respect to, and shall not be deemed to have knowledge of, any payment for fractional Rights or fractional Shares under any Section of this Restated Rights Agreement relating to the payment of fractional Rights or fractional Shares unless and until the Rights Agent shall have received such a certificate and sufficient monies.
 
15.       Rights of Action.  (a)  All rights of action in respect of this Restated Rights Agreement, excepting the rights of action given to the Rights Agent under any Section of this Restated Rights Agreement, are vested in the respective registered holders of the Rights Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the registered holders of the Common Shares); and any registered holder of any Rights Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Shares), without the consent of the Rights Agent or of the holder of any other Rights Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Shares), may, in his or her own behalf and for his or her own benefit, enforce, and may institute and maintain any suit, action or proceeding against the Company to enforce, or otherwise act in respect of, his or her right to exercise the Rights evidenced by such Rights Certificate in the manner provided in such Rights Certificate and in this Restated Rights Agreement.  Without limiting the foregoing or any remedies available to the holders of Rights, it is specifically acknowledged that the holders of Rights would not have an adequate remedy at law for any breach of this Restated Rights Agreement and will be entitled to specific performance of the obligations under, and injunctive relief against actual or threatened violations of, the obligations of any Person subject to this Restated Rights Agreement.
 
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(a)         Notwithstanding anything in this Restated Rights Agreement to the contrary, neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall have any liability to any holder of a Right or other Person as a result of its inability to perform any of its obligations under this Restated Rights Agreement by reason of any preliminary or permanent injunction or other order, judgment, decree or ruling (whether interlocutory or final) issued by a court or by a governmental, regulatory, self-regulatory or administrative agency or commission, or any statute, rule, regulation or executive order promulgated or enacted by any governmental authority, prohibiting or otherwise restraining performance of such obligation; provided, however, that the Company shall use all reasonable efforts to have any such injunction, order, judgment, decree or ruling lifted or otherwise overturned as soon as possible.
 
16.        Agreement of Rights Holders.  Every holder of a Right, by accepting the same, consents and agrees with the Company and the Rights Agent and with every other holder of a Right that:
 
(a)          prior to the Distribution Date, the Rights will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of the Common Shares;
 
(b)        after the Distribution Date, the Rights Certificates are transferable only on the registry books of the Rights Agent if surrendered at the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purposes, duly endorsed or accompanied by a proper instrument of transfer and with the appropriate forms and certificates properly completed and duly executed (with such signature duly guaranteed, if required), as determined in the sole discretion of the Rights Agent; and
 
(c)        subject to Sections 6(a) and 7(f) hereof, the Company and the Rights Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name the Rights Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, the associated Common Shares certificate or Book Entry Shares, as applicable) is registered as the absolute owner thereof and of the Rights evidenced thereby (notwithstanding any notations of ownership or writing on the Rights Certificates or the associated Common Share certificate or Book Entry Shares, as applicable, made by anyone other than the Company or the Rights Agent) for all purposes whatsoever, and neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
 
17.        Rights Certificate Holder Not Deemed a Shareholder.  No holder, as such, of any Rights Certificate shall be entitled to vote, receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose to be the holder of the Preferred Shares or any other securities of the Company which may at any time be issuable on the exercise of the Rights represented thereby, nor shall anything contained herein or in any Rights Certificate be construed to confer upon the holder of any Rights Certificate, as such, any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company or any right to vote for the election of directors or upon any matter submitted to shareholders at any meeting thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting shareholders (except as provided in Section 25 hereof), or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by such Rights Certificate shall have been exercised in accordance with the provisions hereof.
 
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18.         The Rights Agent.
 
(a)        The Company agrees to pay to the Rights Agent reasonable compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder in accordance with mutually agreed upon fee schedule and, from time to time, on demand of the Rights Agent, to reimburse the Rights Agent for all of its expenses and counsel fees and other disbursements incurred in the preparation, delivery, negotiation, amendment, administration and execution of this Restated Rights Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder.  The Company also covenants and agrees to indemnify the Rights Agent for, and to hold it harmless against, any loss, liability, damage, judgment, fine, penalty, claim, demand, settlement, cost or expense (including, without limitation, the reasonable fees and expenses of legal counsel), that may be paid, incurred or suffered by it, or to which it may become subject, without gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct (which gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction) on the part of the Rights Agent for any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by the Rights Agent in connection with the acceptance, administration, exercise and performance of its duties under this Restated Rights Agreement, including the costs and expenses of defending against any claim of liability arising therefrom, directly or indirectly, or enforcing its rights hereunder.  The costs and expenses incurred in enforcing this right of indemnification shall be paid by the Company.
 
(b)          The Rights Agent shall be authorized and protected and shall incur no liability for, or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it in connection with, its acceptance and administration of this Restated Rights Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder, in reliance upon any Rights Certificate or certificate (including in the case of uncertificated shares, by notation in book entry accounts reflecting ownership) for the Preferred Shares or Common Shares or for other securities of the Company, instrument of assignment or transfer, power of attorney, endorsement, affidavit, letter, notice, direction, consent, certificate, statement or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to be signed, executed and, where necessary, verified or acknowledged, by the proper Person or Persons, or otherwise upon the advice of counsel as set forth in Section 20 hereof. The Rights Agent shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any event of which it was supposed to receive written notice thereof hereunder, but for which it has not received such written notice, and the Rights Agent shall (subject to the limitations set forth herein) be fully protected and shall incur no liability for failing to take action in connection therewith unless and until it has received such written notice.
 
19.         Merger or Consolidation or Change of Name of Rights Agent.
 
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(a)          Any Person into which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated, or any Person resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent shall be a party, or any Person succeeding to the stock transfer or other shareholder service business of the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent, shall be the successor to the Rights Agent under this Restated Rights Agreement without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto; provided, that such Person would be eligible for appointment as a successor Rights Agent under Section 21 hereof.  The purchase of all or substantially all of the Rights Agent’s assets employed in the performance of transfer agent activities shall be deemed a merger or consolidation for purposes of this Section 19.  In case at the time such successor Rights Agent shall succeed to the agency created by this Restated Rights Agreement, any of the Rights Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, any such successor Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature of the predecessor Rights Agent and deliver such Rights Certificates so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Rights Certificates shall not have been countersigned, any successor Rights Agent may countersign such Rights Certificates either in the name of the predecessor Rights Agent or in the name of the successor Rights Agent; and in all such cases such Rights Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Rights Certificates and in this Restated Rights Agreement.
 
(b)          In case at any time the name of the Rights Agent shall be changed and at such time any of the Rights Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, the Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature under its prior name and deliver Rights Certificates so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Rights Certificates shall not have been countersigned, the Rights Agent may countersign such Rights Certificates either in its prior name or in its changed name; and in all such cases such Rights Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Rights Certificates and in this Restated Rights Agreement.
 
20.        Rights and Duties of Rights Agent.  The Rights Agent undertakes to perform only the duties and obligations expressly set forth in this Restated Rights Agreement (and not implied duties or obligations). The Rights Agent shall perform such duties and obligations upon the following terms and conditions, by all of which the Company and the holders of Rights Certificates, or, prior to the Distribution Date, Common Shares, by their acceptance thereof, shall be bound:
 
(a)          The Rights Agent may consult with legal counsel selected by it (who may be outside legal counsel for the Rights Agent or the Company), and the advice or opinion of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection to the Rights Agent, and the Rights Agent will have no liability for or in respect of, any action taken, suffered, or omitted to be taken by it and in accordance with such advice or opinion.
 
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(b)        Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Restated Rights Agreement the Rights Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter (including, without limitation, the identity of any Acquiring Person or any Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person, or the determination of Current Per Share Market Price) be proved or established by the Company prior to taking, suffering or omitting to take any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be specifically prescribed herein) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a certificate signed by any one of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, any Vice President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary of the Company and delivered to the Rights Agent; and such certificate shall be the full and complete authorization and protection to the Rights Agent and the Rights Agent shall incur no liability for or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it under the provisions of this Restated Rights Agreement in reliance upon such certificate.  The Rights Agent shall have no duty to act without such a certificate from an officer of the Company as set forth in the preceding sentence.
 
(c)        The Rights Agent shall be liable to the Company and any other Person hereunder only for its own gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct (which gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction).

(d)        The Rights Agent shall not be liable for or by reason of any of the statements of fact or recitals contained in this Restated Rights Agreement or in the Rights Certificates (including in the case of uncertificated shares, by notation in book entry accounts reflecting ownership), except as to its countersignature thereof, or be required to verify the same, but all such statements and recitals are and shall be deemed to have been made by the Company only.
 
(e)         The Rights Agent shall not have any liability for nor be under any responsibility in respect of the legality or validity of this Restated Rights Agreement or the execution and delivery hereof (except the due execution hereof by the Rights Agent) or in respect of the validity or execution of any Rights Certificate (including in the case of uncertificated shares, by notation in book entry accounts reflecting ownership), except its countersignature thereof, or any modification or order of any court, tribunal, or governmental authority in connection with the foregoing; nor shall it be liable or responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or failure by the Company to satisfy any condition contained in this Restated Rights Agreement or in any Rights Certificate; nor shall it be responsible for any change in the exercisability of the Rights or any adjustment in the terms of the Rights (including the manner, method or amount thereof) provided for in Sections 3, 11, 13, 23 or 24, or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such change or adjustment (except with respect to the exercise of Rights evidenced by Rights Certificates after receipt by the Rights Agent of a certificate furnished pursuant to Section 12 describing such change or adjustment); nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any Common Shares, the Preferred Shares, or any other securities to be issued pursuant to this Restated Rights Agreement or any Rights Certificate or as to whether any shares of Preferred Stock, the Preferred Shares, or any other securities will, when so issued, be validly authorized and issued, fully paid and non-assessable. The Rights Agent shall have no obligation under any Section of this Restated Rights Agreement to determine whether an event requiring an adjustment in Exercise Price, number of shares or number of Rights has occurred or to calculate or confirm the accuracy of any of the adjustments required hereunder.
 
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(f)        The Company shall perform, execute, acknowledge and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments and assurances as may reasonably be required or requested by the Rights Agent for the carrying out or performing by the Rights Agent of the provisions of this Restated Rights Agreement, in the reasonable discretion of the Rights Agent.
 
(g)          The Rights Agent is hereby authorized and directed to accept instructions with respect to the performance of its duties hereunder and certificates delivered pursuant to any provisions hereof from any one of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, any Vice President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary of the Company, and to apply to such officers for advice or instructions in connection with its duties. The Rights Agent shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it in accordance with instructions of any such officer and such advice or instruction shall be full authorization and protection to the Rights Agent and the Rights Agent shall incur no liability for or in respect of any action taken or suffered or omitted to be taken by it in accordance with advice or instructions of any such officer or for any delay in acting while waiting for those instructions.  Any application by the Rights Agent for written instructions from the Company may, at the option of the Rights Agent, set forth in writing any action proposed to be taken or omitted by the Rights Agent under this Restated Rights Agreement and the date on and/or after which such action shall be taken or such omission shall be effective.  The Rights Agent shall be fully authorized and protected in relying upon the most recent instructions received from any such officer, and shall not be liable for any action taken by, or omission of, the Rights Agent in accordance with a proposal included in any such application on or after the date specified in such application (which date shall not be less than five (5) Business Days after the date any officer of the Company actually receives such application, unless any such officer shall have consented in writing to an earlier date) unless, prior to taking any such action (or the effective date in the case of an omission), the Rights Agent shall have received written instructions in response to such application specifying the action to be taken, suffered, or omitted.
 
(h)         The Rights Agent and any shareholder, member, affiliate, director, officer, employee, agent, or representative of the Rights Agent may buy, sell or deal in any of the Rights or other securities of the Company or become pecuniarily interested in any transaction in which the Company may be interested, or contract with or lend money to the Company or otherwise act as fully and freely as though it were not the Rights Agent under this Restated Rights Agreement.  Nothing herein shall preclude the Rights Agent or any such shareholder, member, affiliate, director, officer or employee of the Rights Agent from acting in any other capacity for the Company or for any other Person.
 
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(i)          The Rights Agent may execute and exercise any of the rights or powers hereby vested in it or perform any duty hereunder either itself (through its officers, directors and employees) or by or through its attorneys or agents. The Rights Agent shall not be answerable or accountable for any act, default, neglect or misconduct of any such attorneys or agents or for any loss to the Company resulting from any such act, default, neglect or misconduct in the absence of gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct of the Rights Agent (each as determined by a final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction) in the selection and continued employment thereof.
 
(j)        No provision of this Restated Rights Agreement shall require the Rights Agent to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers if there shall be reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnification against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.  The Rights Agent shall not be required to take any action or to follow any instruction of the Company that the Rights Agent believes, in its sole discretion, would cause the Rights Agent to take action that is illegal.
 
(k)          If, with respect to any Rights Certificate surrendered to the Rights Agent for exercise or transfer, either (i) the certificate attached to the form of assignment or form of election to purchase, as the case may be, has either not been completed or indicates an affirmative response to clause 1 and/or 2 thereof, or (ii) any other actual or suspected irregularity exists, the Rights Agent shall not take any further action with respect to such requested exercise or transfer without first consulting with the Company; provided, however that Rights Agent shall not be liable for any delays arising from the duties under this section 20(k).
 
(l)          The Rights Agent shall have no responsibility to the Company, any holders of Rights or any holders of Common Shares for interest or earnings on any moneys held by the Rights Agent pursuant to this Restated Rights Agreement.
 
(m)       The Rights Agent shall not be required to take notice or be deemed to have notice of any fact, event, condition, or determination (including, without limitation, any dates or events defined in this Restated Rights Agreement or the designation of any Person as an Acquiring Person, Affiliate or Associate) under this Restated Rights Agreement unless and until the Rights Agent shall be specifically notified in writing by the Company of such fact, event, condition, or determination, and all notices or other instruments required by this Restated Rights Agreement to be delivered to the Rights Agent must, in order to be effective, be received by the Rights Agent as specified in Section 26 hereof, and in the absence of such notice so delivered, the Rights Agent may conclusively assume no such event or condition exists.
 
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(n)         The Rights Agent may rely on and be fully authorized and protected in acting or failing to act upon (a) any guaranty of signature by an “eligible guarantor institution” that is a member or participant in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program or other comparable “signature guarantee program” or insurance program in addition to, or in substitution for, the foregoing; or (b) any law, act, regulation or any interpretation of the same even though such law, act, or regulation may thereafter have been altered, changed, amended or repealed.
 
(o)         The Rights Agent shall act hereunder solely as agent for the Company. The Rights Agent shall not assume any obligations or relationship of agency or trust with any of the owners or holders of the Rights.
 
(p)         The Rights Agent shall not be liable or responsible for any failure of the Company to comply with any of its obligations relating to any registration statement filed with the SEC or this Restated Rights Agreement, including without limitation obligations under applicable regulation or law.
 
(q)        The Rights Agent shall not have any duty or responsibility in the case of the receipt of any written demand from any holder of Rights with respect to any action or default by the Company, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any duty or responsibility to initiate or attempt to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise or to make any demand upon the Company.
 
The provisions of Sections 18 and 20 shall survive the termination of this Restated Rights Agreement, the resignation, replacement or removal of the Rights Agent and the exercise, termination and the expiration of the Rights.  Notwithstanding anything in this Restated Rights Agreement to the contrary, in no event shall the Rights Agent be liable for special, punitive, incidental, indirect or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost profits), even if the Rights Agent has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of the action; and the Company shall indemnify the Rights Agent and hold it harmless to the fullest extent permitted by law against any loss, liability or expense incurred as a result of claims for special, punitive, incidental, indirect or consequential loss or damages of any kind whatsoever provided in each case that such claims are not the result of the gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct of the Rights Agent (each as determined by a final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction).  Notwithstanding anything in this Restated Rights Agreement to the contrary, any liability of the Rights Agent under this Restated Rights Agreement will be limited to the amount of annual fees paid by the Company to the Rights Agent during the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event for which recovery from the Rights Agent is being sought.
 
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21.        Change of Rights Agent.  The Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent may resign and be discharged from its duties under this Restated Rights Agreement upon at least thirty (30) days’ written notice to the Company and, in the event that the Rights Agent or one of its Affiliates is not also the transfer agent for the Company, to each transfer agent of the Preferred Shares and the Common Shares known to the Rights Agent. In the event the transfer agency relationship in effect between the Company and the Rights Agent terminates, the Rights Agent will be deemed to have resigned automatically and be discharged from its duties under this Restated Rights Agreement as of the effective date of such termination, and the Company shall be responsible for sending any required notice.  The Company may remove the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent upon at least thirty (30) days’ written notice to the Rights Agent or successor Rights Agent, as the case may be, and to each transfer agent of the Preferred Shares and the Common Shares and to the holders of the Rights Certificates by public announcement or written notice.  If the Rights Agent shall resign or be removed or shall otherwise become incapable of acting, the Company shall appoint a successor to the Rights Agent.  If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30) days after giving notice of such removal or after receiving written notice of such resignation or incapacity by the resigning or incapacitated Rights Agent or by the holder of a Rights Certificate (who shall, with such notice, submit his or her Rights Certificate for inspection by the Company), then the registered holder of any Rights Certificate may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a new Rights Agent.  Any successor Rights Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such a court, shall be (a) a Person organized and doing business under the laws of the United States or of any state of the United States, in good standing, which is authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust or stock transfer powers and is subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority or (b) an Affiliate of such a Person described in clause (a) of this sentence.  After appointment, the successor Rights Agent shall be vested with the same powers, rights, duties and responsibilities as if it had been originally named as Rights Agent without further act or deed; but the predecessor Rights Agent shall deliver and transfer to the successor Rights Agent any property at the time held by it hereunder, and execute and deliver any further assurance, conveyance, act or deed necessary for the foregoing purpose, but the predecessor Rights Agent shall not be required to make any additional expenditure or assume any additional liability in connection with the foregoing.  Not later than the effective date of any such appointment, the Company shall file notice thereof in writing with the predecessor Rights Agent and each transfer agent of the Preferred Shares and the Common Shares, and mail a written notice thereof to the registered holders of the Rights Certificates.  Failure to give any notice provided for in this Section 21, however, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of the resignation or removal of the Rights Agent or the appointment of the successor Rights Agent, as the case may be.
 
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22.        Issuance of New Rights Certificates.  Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this Restated Rights Agreement or of the Rights to the contrary, the Company may, at its option, issue new Rights Certificates evidencing Rights in such form as may be approved by its Board of Directors to reflect any adjustment or change in the Exercise Price or the number or kind or class of shares or other securities or property purchasable under the Rights Certificates made in accordance with the provisions of this Restated Rights Agreement.  In addition, in connection with the issuance or sale of Common Shares following the Distribution Date and prior to the redemption or expiration of the Rights, the Company (a) shall, with respect to Common Shares so issued or sold pursuant to the exercise of stock options or under any employee plan or arrangement or upon the exercise, conversion or exchange of other securities of the Company outstanding at the date hereof or upon the exercise, conversion or exchange of securities hereinafter issued by the Company and (b) may, in any other case, if deemed necessary or appropriate by the Board of Directors of the Company, issue Rights Certificates representing the appropriate number of Rights in connection with such issuance or sale; provided, however, that (i) no such Rights Certificate shall be issued and this sentence shall be null and void ab initio if, and to the extent that, such issuance or this sentence would create a significant risk of or result in material adverse tax consequences to the Company or the Person to whom such Rights Certificate would be issued or would create a significant risk of or result in such options’ or employee plans’ or arrangements’ failing to qualify for otherwise available special tax treatment and (ii) no such Rights Certificate shall be issued if, and to the extent that, appropriate adjustment shall otherwise have been made in lieu of the issuance thereof.
 
23.         Redemption.
 
(a)         The Board of Directors may, at any time prior to the occurrence of a Triggering Event, redeem all but not less than all the then outstanding Rights at a redemption price of $0.0001 per Right, appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring in respect of the Common Shares after the date hereof (such redemption price being hereinafter referred to as the “Redemption Price”).  The redemption of the Rights may be made effective at such time, on such basis and with such conditions as the Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, may establish.  The date on which the Board of Directors elects to make the redemption effective shall be referred to as the “Redemption Date”. The Redemption Price shall be payable, at the option of the Company, in cash, Common Shares or such other form of consideration as the Board of Directors shall determine.
 
(b)         Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the Company ordering the redemption of the Rights, written notice of which shall have been filed with the Rights Agent, and without any further action and without any notice, the right to exercise the Rights shall terminate and the only right thereafter of the holders of Rights shall be to receive the Redemption Price. The Company shall promptly give public notice of any such redemption; provided, however, that the failure to give or any defect in, any such notice shall not affect the legality or validity of such redemption.  Within ten (10) days after the action of the Board of Directors ordering the redemption of the Rights, the Company shall promptly mail a notice of such redemption to the Rights Agent and the holders of the then outstanding Rights at their last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent or, prior to the Distribution Date, on the registry books of the transfer agent for the Common Shares.  Any notice which is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the notice.  Each such notice of redemption will state the method by which the payment of the Redemption Price will be made.  Neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates or Associates may redeem, acquire or purchase for value any Rights at any time in any manner other than that specifically set forth in this Section 23 or in Section 24 hereof, and other than in connection with the purchase of Common Shares prior to the Distribution Date.
 
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24.         Exchange.
 
(a)         Subject to applicable laws, rules and regulations, and subject to subsection 24(c) below, the Company may, at its option, by action of the Board of Directors, at any time after the occurrence of a Triggering Event, exchange all or part of the then outstanding and exercisable Rights (which shall not include Rights that have become null and void pursuant to the provisions of Section 7(e) hereof) for Common Shares at an exchange ratio of one Common Share per Right, appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof (such exchange ratio being hereinafter referred to as the “Exchange Ratio”).  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board of Directors shall not be empowered to effect such exchange at any time after any Person (other than the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or any such Subsidiary, or any entity holding Common Shares for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan), together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, becomes the Beneficial Owner of 50% or more of the Common Shares then outstanding.
 
(b)          Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors ordering the exchange of any Rights pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section 24 and without any further action and without any notice, the right to exercise such Rights shall terminate and the only right thereafter of a holder of such Rights shall be to receive that number of Common Shares equal to the number of such Rights held by such holder multiplied by the Exchange Ratio.  The Company shall give (i) prompt written notice to the Rights Agent of such exchange; and (ii) public notice of any such exchange; provided, however, that the failure to give, or any defect in, such notice shall not affect the validity of such exchange.  The Company shall promptly mail a notice of any such exchange to all of the holders of such Rights at their last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent.  Any notice which is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the notice.  Each such notice of exchange will state the method by which the exchange of the Common Shares for Rights will be effected and, in the event of any partial exchange, the number of Rights which will be exchanged.  Any partial exchange shall be effected pro rata based on the number of Rights (other than Rights which have become null and void pursuant to the provisions of Section 7(e) hereof) held by each holder of Rights.
 
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(c)          In the event that there shall not be sufficient Common Shares issued but not outstanding or authorized but unissued to permit any exchange of Rights as contemplated in accordance with Section 24(a), the Company shall either take such action as may be necessary to authorize additional Common Shares for issuance upon exchange of the Rights or alternatively, at the option of a majority of the Board of Directors, with respect to each Right (i) pay cash in an amount equal to the Current Value (as hereinafter defined), in lieu of issuing Common Shares in exchange therefor, or (ii) issue debt or equity securities or a combination thereof, having a value equal to the Current Value, in lieu of issuing Common Shares in exchange for each such Right, where the value of such securities shall be determined by a nationally recognized investment banking firm selected by majority vote of the Board of Directors, or (iii) deliver any combination of cash, property, Common Shares and/or other securities having a value equal to the Current Value in exchange for each Right.  For purposes of this Section 24(c) only, the Current Value shall mean the product of the Current Per Share Market Price of Common Shares on the date of the occurrence of the event described above in subparagraph (a), multiplied by the number of Common Shares for which the Right otherwise would be exchangeable if there were sufficient shares available.  To the extent that the Company determines that some action need be taken pursuant to clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) of this Section 24(c), the Board of Directors may temporarily suspend the exercisability of the Rights for a period of up to sixty (60) days following the date on which the event described in Section 24(a) shall have occurred, in order to seek any authorization of additional Common Shares and/or to decide the appropriate form of distribution to be made pursuant to the above provision and to determine the value thereof.  In the event of any such suspension, the Company shall (i) give prompt written notice to the Rights Agent of such suspension; and (ii) issue a public announcement stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily suspended.
 
(d)       The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Common Shares or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional Common Shares.  In lieu of such fractional Common Shares, there shall be paid to the registered holders of the Rights Certificates with regard to which such fractional Common Shares would otherwise be issuable, an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a whole Common Share (as determined pursuant to the terms hereof).
 
(e)          The Company may, at its option, by majority vote of the Board of Directors, at any time before the Share Acquisition Date, exchange all or part of the then outstanding Rights for rights of substantially equivalent value, as determined reasonably and with good faith by the Board of Directors, based upon the advice of one or more nationally recognized investment banking firms.
 
(f)          Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors ordering the exchange of any Rights pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section 24 and without any further action and without any notice, the right to exercise such Rights shall terminate and the only right thereafter of a holder of such Rights shall be to receive that number of rights in exchange therefor as has been determined by the Board of Directors in accordance with subsection 24(e) above.  The Company shall give public notice of any such exchange; provided, however, that the failure to give, or any defect in, such notice shall not affect the validity of such exchange.  The Company shall promptly mail a notice of any such exchange with a reasonably detailed description thereof to the Rights Agent and all of the holders of such Rights at their last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the transfer agent for the Common Shares of the Company.  Any notice which is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the notice.  Each such notice of exchange will state the method by which the exchange of the Rights will be effected.
 
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(g)          Upon declaring an exchange pursuant to this Section 24, or as promptly as reasonably practicable thereafter, the Company may implement such procedures as it deems appropriate, in its sole discretion, for the purpose of ensuring that the Common Shares (or such other consideration) issuable upon an exchange pursuant to this Section 24 is not received by holders of Rights that have become null and void pursuant to Section 7(e).  Before effecting an exchange pursuant to this Section 24, the Board may direct the Company to enter into a Trust Agreement in such form and with such terms as the Board shall then approve (the “Trust Agreement”).  If the Board so directs, the Company shall enter into the Trust Agreement and the Company shall issue to the trust created by the Trust Agreement (the “Trust”) all or a portion (as designated by the Board) of the Common Shares and other securities, if any, distributable pursuant to the Exchange, and all stockholders entitled to distribution of such shares or other securities (and any dividends or distributions made thereon after the date on which such shares or other securities are deposited in the Trust) shall be entitled to receive a distribution of such shares or other securities (and any dividends or distributions made thereon after the date on which such shares or other securities are deposited in the Trust) only from the Trust and solely upon compliance with all relevant terms and provisions of the Trust Agreement.  Prior to effecting an exchange and registering Common Shares (or other such securities) in any Person’s name, including any nominee or transferee of a Person, the Company may require (or cause the trustee of the Trust to require), as a condition thereof, that any holder of Rights provide evidence, including, without limitation, the identity of the Beneficial Owners thereof and their Affiliates and Associates (or former Beneficial Owners thereof and their Affiliates and Associates) as the Company shall reasonably request in order to determine if such Rights are null and void.  Any Common Shares or other securities issued at the direction of the Board in connection herewith shall be validly issued, fully paid, and nonassessable Common Shares or of such other securities (as the case may be).
 
25.          Notice of Certain Events.
 
(a)         In case the Company shall propose to effect or permit to occur any Triggering Event or Section 13 Event, the Company shall give notice thereof to the Rights Agent and each holder of Rights in accordance with Section 26 hereof at least twenty (20) days prior to occurrence of such Triggering Event or such Section 13 Event.
 
 
(b)         In case any Triggering Event set forth in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof shall occur, then the Company shall as soon as practicable thereafter give to the Rights Agent and to each holder of a Rights Certificate, in accordance with Section 26 hereof, a notice of the occurrence of such event, which notice shall describe such event and the consequences of such event to holders of Rights under Section 11(a)(ii) hereof.
 
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26.         Notices.  Notices or demands authorized by this Restated Rights Agreement to be given or made by the Rights Agent or by the holder of any Rights Certificate to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given or made if in writing and sent by facsimile when a confirmation is received by the transmitting person (which confirmation may be made by facsimile or email), if sent by first-class mail or nationally recognized overnight delivery service, postage prepaid, or hand delivery when received, and addressed (until another address is filed in writing with the Rights Agent) as follows:
 
United Maritime Corporation
154 Vouliagmenis Avenue
16674 Glyfada
Athens, Greece
Attention: Legal Department
legal@usea.gr
 
with a copy to:
 
Watson Farley & Williams LLP
250 West 55th Street
New York, New York 10019
Attention: Will Vogel, Esq.
wvogel@wfw.com
 
Subject to the provisions of Section 21 hereof, any notice or demand authorized by this Restated Rights Agreement to be given or made by the Company or by the holder of any Rights Certificate to or on the Rights Agent shall be sufficiently given or made if in writing and sent by facsimile when a confirmation is received by the transmitting person (which confirmation may be made by facsimile or email), or by first-class mail or nationally recognized overnight delivery service, postage prepaid, or hand delivery when received, and addressed (until another address is filed in writing with the Company) as follows:
 
Equiniti Trust Company, LLC
48 Wall Street, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10005
Attn: Relationship Management
Admin44@equiniti.com
 
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Notices or demands authorized by this Restated Rights Agreement to be given or made by the Company or the Rights Agent to the holder of any Rights Certificate (or, if prior to the Distribution Date, to the holders of Common Shares) shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail or nationally recognized courier service, postage prepaid, addressed to such holder at the address of such holder as shown on the registry books of the Company.
 
27.        Supplements and Amendments.  Except as provided in this Section 27, for so long as the Rights are then redeemable, the Company and the Rights Agent may supplement or amend this Restated Rights Agreement in any respect without the approval of any holders of Rights.  At any time when the Rights are no longer redeemable, the Company and the Rights Agent may from time to time supplement or amend this Restated Rights Agreement without the approval of any holders of Rights in order to (i) cure any ambiguity, (ii) correct or supplement any provision contained herein which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provisions herein, (iii) shorten or lengthen any time period hereunder or (iv) to change or supplement the provisions hereunder in any manner that the Company may deem necessary or desirable and that shall not adversely affect the interests of the holders of Rights (other than an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person); provided, this Restated Rights Agreement may not be supplemented or amended to lengthen, pursuant to clause (iii) of this sentence, (A) a time period relating to when the Rights may be redeemed at such time as the Rights are not then redeemable or (B) any other time period unless such lengthening is for the purpose of protecting, enhancing or clarifying the rights of, and/or the benefits to, the holders of Rights (other than an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person).  Upon the delivery of a certificate from an appropriate officer of the Company and, if reasonably requested by the Rights Agent, an opinion of counsel, that states that the proposed supplement or amendment is in compliance with the terms of this Section 27, the Rights Agent shall execute such supplement or amendment.  Notwithstanding anything contained in this Restated Rights Agreement to the contrary, the Rights Agent may, but shall not be obligated to, enter into any supplement or amendment that affects the Rights Agent’s own rights, duties, obligations or immunities under this Restated Rights Agreement.
 
28.         Successors.  All the covenants and provisions of this Restated Rights Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Rights Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns hereunder.
 
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29.        Determinations and Actions by the Board of Directors, etc.  For all purposes of this Restated Rights Agreement, any calculation of the number of Common Shares outstanding at any particular time, including for purposes of determining the particular percentage of such outstanding Common Shares of which any Person is the Beneficial Owner, shall be made in accordance with the last sentence of Rule 13d-3(d)(1)(i) of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act.  Except as otherwise provided for herein, the Board of Directors of the Company shall have the exclusive power and authority to administer this Restated Rights Agreement and to exercise all rights and powers specifically granted to the Board, or the Company, or as may be necessary or advisable in the administration of this Restated Rights Agreement, including, without limitation, the right and power to (i) interpret the provisions of this Restated Rights Agreement and (ii) make all determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of this Restated Rights Agreement (including a determination to redeem or not redeem the Rights or to amend the Restated Rights Agreement in accordance with Section 27 hereof).  All such actions, calculations, interpretations and determinations (including all omissions with respect to the foregoing) which are done or made by the Board in good faith, shall be final, conclusive and binding on the Company, the Rights Agent (except with respect to any dispute concerning the Rights Agent’s own rights, duties, obligations or immunities under this Restated Rights Agreement), the holders of the Rights Certificates and all other parties.  The Rights Agent is entitled always to assume the Company’s Board of Directors acted in good faith and shall be fully protected and incur no liability in reliance thereon.
 
30.        Benefits of this Restated Rights Agreement.  Nothing in this Restated Rights Agreement shall be construed to give to any Person other than the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Rights Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the Common Shares) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Restated Rights Agreement; but this Restated Rights Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Rights Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the Common Shares).
 
31.        Severability.  If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Restated Rights Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Restated Rights Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated; provided, however, that notwithstanding anything in this Restated Rights Agreement to the contrary, if any such term, provision, covenant or restriction is held by such court or authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable and the Board of Directors of the Company determines in its good faith judgment that severing the invalid language from this Restated Rights Agreement would adversely affect the purpose or effect of this Restated Rights Agreement, unless a Triggering Event shall have occurred, the right of redemption set forth in Section 23 hereof shall be reinstated and shall not expire until the Close of Business on the tenth Business Day following the date of such determination by the Board of Directors; further provided, however, that if any such excluded language shall adversely affect rights, immunities, liabilities, duties, responsibilities or obligations of the Rights Agent, the Rights Agent shall be entitled to resign immediately.
 
32.        Governing Law.  This Restated Rights Agreement and each Right and each Rights Certificate issued hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the State of New York and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of such State applicable to contracts to be made and performed entirely within such State.
 
49

33.         Counterparts.  This Restated Rights Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. A signature to this Restated Rights Agreement executed and/or transmitted electronically shall have the same authority, effect and enforceability as an original signature.
 
34.         Descriptive Headings; Interpretation.
 
(a)       Descriptive headings of the several Sections of this Restated Rights Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions hereof.
 
(b)        Whenever the words “include,” “includes” or “including” are used in this Restated Rights Agreement, they shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation.” The words “hereof,” “herein” and “herewith” and words of similar import shall, unless otherwise stated, be construed to refer to this Restated Rights Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision of this Restated Rights Agreement, and article, section, subsection, paragraph and exhibit references are to the articles, sections, paragraphs and exhibits of this Restated Rights Agreement unless otherwise specified. The meaning assigned to each term defined herein shall be equally applicable to both the singular and the plural forms of such term, and words denoting any gender shall include all genders. Where a word or phrase is defined herein, each of its other grammatical forms shall have a corresponding meaning.
 
35.       Force Majeure.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Rights Agent shall not be liable for any delays or failures in performance of any act, duty, obligation or responsibility by reason of any occurrence beyond its reasonable control including, without limitation, acts of God, terrorist acts, shortage of supply, breakdowns or malfunctions, interruptions or malfunction of any utilities, communications, or computer facilities, or loss of data due to power failures or mechanical difficulties with information storage or retrieval systems, labor difficulties, war, or civil unrest.
 
[Signature Page Follows]
 
50

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Amended and Restated Shareholders Rights Agreement as of the date first written above.
 
 
UNITED MARITIME CORPORATION
   
 
By:
/s/ Stamatios Tsantanis
   
Name: Stamatios Tsantanis
   
Title: Chief Executive Officer
   
 
EQUINITI TRUST COMPANY, LLC, as Rights Agent
   
 
By:
/s/ Steve Hoffman
   
Name: Steve Hoffman
   
Title: Senior Vice President

[Signature Page to Amended and Restated Shareholders’ Rights Agreement]

51

Exhibit A

FORM OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATE

Certificate No. R- Rights
 
NOT EXERCISABLE AFTER JULY 1, 2032, UNLESS EXTENDED PRIOR THERETO BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY, OR EARLIER IF REDEMPTION OR EXCHANGE OCCURS. THE RIGHTS ARE SUBJECT TO REDEMPTION AT THE OPTION OF THE COMPANY, AT $0.0001 PER RIGHT AND EXCHANGE ON THE TERMS SET FORTH IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, RIGHTS BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY AN ACQUIRING PERSON OR AN AFFILIATE OR ASSOCIATE OF ANY SUCH PERSON (AS SUCH TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT) AND ANY SUBSEQUENT HOLDER OF SUCH RIGHTS MAY BECOME NULL AND VOID. [IF THE RIGHTS REPRESENTED BY THIS RIGHTS CERTIFICATE ARE OR WERE BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY A PERSON WHO WAS OR BECAME AN ACQUIRING PERSON OR AN AFFILIATE OR ASSOCIATE OF AN ACQUIRING PERSON (AS SUCH TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT) THIS RIGHTS CERTIFICATE AND THE RIGHTS REPRESENTED HEREBY MAY BECOME NULL AND VOID IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES SPECIFIED IN SECTION 7(e) OF THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT.]2
 
RIGHTS CERTIFICATE
 
UNITED MARITIME CORPORATION
 
This certifies that ___________________, or registered assigns, is the registered owner of the number of Rights set forth above, each of which entitles the owner thereof, subject to the terms, provisions and conditions of the Amended and Restated Shareholders’ Rights Agreement, dated as of December 27, 2023, as amended from time to time (the “Rights Agreement”), between United Maritime Corporation, a Marshall Islands corporation (the “Company”), and Equiniti Trust Company, LLC, a New York limited liability trust company, as Rights Agent (the “Rights Agent”), to purchase from the Company at any time after the Distribution Date (as such term is defined in the Rights Agreement) and prior to 5:00 P.M., New York time, on July 1, 2032 at the office or offices of the Rights Agent, or at the office or offices of its successor as Rights Agent, one one-thousandth of a fully paid non-assessable share of Series A Participating Preferred Shares, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Preferred Shares”), of the Company, at a purchase price of $40.00 per one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (the “Purchase Price”), upon presentation and surrender of this Rights Certificate with the Form of Election to Purchase duly executed.  The number of Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate (and the number of one one-thousandths of a Preferred Share which may be purchased upon exercise hereof) set forth above, and the Purchase Price set forth above, are the number and Purchase Price as of [●], 2022, based on the Preferred Shares as constituted at such date.  As provided in the Rights Agreement, the Purchase Price and the number of one one-thousandths of a Preferred Share which may be purchased upon the exercise of the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate are subject to modification and adjustment upon the happening of certain events.
 

2 The portion of the legend in brackets shall be inserted only if applicable and shall replace the preceding sentence.

A-1

This Rights Certificate is subject to all of the terms, covenants and restrictions of the Rights Agreement, which terms, covenants and restrictions are hereby incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof, and to which Rights Agreement reference is hereby made for a full description of the rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities hereunder of the Rights Agent, the Company and the holders of the Rights Certificates.  Copies of the Rights Agreement are on file at the principal executive offices of the Company.

This Rights Certificate, with or without other Rights Certificates, upon surrender at the office of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, may be exchanged for another Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates of like tenor and date evidencing Rights entitling the holder to purchase a like aggregate number of Preferred Shares as the Rights evidenced by the Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates surrendered shall have entitled such holder to purchase.  If this Rights Certificate shall be exercised in part, the holder shall be entitled to receive upon surrender hereof another Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates for the number of whole Rights not exercised.
 
Subject to the provisions of the Rights Agreement, the Rights evidenced by this Certificate (i) may be redeemed by the Company at a redemption price of $0.0001 per Right or (ii) may be exchanged in whole or in part for Preferred Shares or shares of the Company’s Common Shares, par value $0.0001 per share.
 
No fractional Preferred Shares will be issued upon the exercise of any Right or Rights evidenced hereby (other than fractions which are integral multiples of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share, which may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts), but in lieu thereof a cash payment will be made, as provided in the Rights Agreement.
 
A-2

No holder of this Rights Certificate shall be entitled to vote or receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of the Preferred Shares or of any other securities of the Company which may at any time be issuable on the exercise hereof, nor shall anything contained in the Rights Agreement or herein be construed to confer upon the holder hereof, as such, any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company or any right to vote for the election of directors or upon any matter submitted to shareholders at any meeting thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting shareholders (except as provided in the Rights Agreement), or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate shall have been exercised as provided in the Rights Agreement.
 
This Rights Certificate shall not be valid or obligatory for any purpose until it shall have been countersigned by an authorized signatory of the Rights Agent.
 
WITNESS the facsimile signature of the proper officers of the Company and its corporate seal.
 
Dated as of __________ ___, _____.
 
ATTEST:
UNITED MARITIME CORPORATION
   
   
By:
 
Name:
Name:
Title:
Title:
 
Countersigned:
Equiniti Trust Company, LLC, as Rights Agent
 
By:
 
Authorized Signature
 
 
A-3

FORM OF REVERSE SIDE OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATE
 
FORM OF ASSIGNMENT
 
(To be executed by the registered holder if such
holder desires to transfer the Rights Certificate.)
 
FOR VALUE RECEIVED

 
hereby sells, assigns and transfers unto

 
 
(Please print name and address of transferee)
 
this Rights Certificate, together with all right, title and interest therein, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint Attorney, to transfer the within Rights Certificate on the books of the within-named Company, with full power of substitution.
 
Dated:
__________ ___, _____.

 
   
Signature
   
 
 
Signature Guaranteed:
 
Signatures must be guaranteed by a participant in the Securities Transfer Agent Medallion Program or the Stock Exchanges Medallion Program.
 
Certificate
 
The undersigned hereby certifies by checking the appropriate boxes that:
 
(1)        this Rights Certificate [ ] is [ ] is not being sold, assigned or transferred by or on behalf of a Person who is or was an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of any Acquiring Person (as such terms are defined in the Rights Agreement); and
 
(2)         after due inquiry and to the best knowledge of the undersigned, it [ ] did [ ] did not acquire the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate from any Person who is, was or subsequently became an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate thereof.
 
A-4

Dated:
__________ ___, _____.
   
     
Signature
       
 
Signature Guaranteed:
 
Signatures must be guaranteed by a participant in a Medallion Signature Guarantee Program at a guarantee level acceptable to the Company’s transfer agent.
 
A-5

FORM OF ELECTION TO PURCHASE
 
(To be executed by the registered holder if such holder
desires to exercise Rights represented by the Rights Certificate.)
 
TO:
UNITED MARITIME CORPORATION
 
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise ____________ Rights represented by this Rights Certificate to purchase the Preferred Shares issuable upon the exercise of such Rights and requests that certificates for such Preferred Shares be issued in the name of and delivered to:
 
     
     
     
 
(Please print name and address)
 
     
     
 
Please insert social security
 
 
or other tax identifying number
 
 
If such number of Rights shall not be all the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate, a new Rights Certificate for the balance remaining of such Rights shall be registered in the name of and delivered to:
 
     
     
     
 
(Please print name and address)
 
     
     
 
Please insert social security
 
 
or other tax identifying number
 
 
Dated:
__________ ___, _____.

 

 
Signature

 

 
A-6

Signature Guaranteed:
 
Signatures must be guaranteed by a participant in a Medallion Signature Guarantee Program at a guarantee level acceptable to the Company’s transfer agent.
 
Certificate
 
The undersigned hereby certifies by checking the appropriate boxes that:
 
 
(1)         this Rights Certificate [ ] is [ ] is not being sold, assigned, transferred, or exercised by or on behalf of a Person who is or was an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person (as such terms are defined in the Rights Agreement); and
 
 
(2)         after due inquiry and to the best knowledge of the undersigned, it [ ] did [ ] did not acquire the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate from any Person who is, was or subsequently became an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person.

Dated:
__________ ___, _____.

 

 
Signature

 
 
 
Signature Guaranteed:
 
Signatures must be guaranteed by a participant in a Medallion Signature Guarantee Program at a guarantee level acceptable to the Company’s transfer agent.
 
NOTICE

The signature in the Form of Assignment or Form of Election to Purchase, as the case may be, must conform to the name as written upon the face of this Rights Certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever.
 
In the event the certification set forth above in the Form of Assignment or the Form of Election to Purchase, as the case may be, is not completed, the Company and the Rights Agent will deem the beneficial owner of the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate to be an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate thereof (as defined in the Rights Agreement) and such Assignment or Election to Purchase will not be honored.
 

A-7


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