SEAFARER EXPLORATION CORP. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
The following discussion contains certain forward-looking statements that are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties, and which speak only as of the date of this annual report. No one should place strong or undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The use in this Form 10-K of such words as "believes", "plans", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. The Company's actual results or actions may differ materially from these forward-looking statements due to many factors and the success of the Company is dependent on our efforts and many other factors including, primarily, our ability to raise additional capital. Such factors include, among others, the following: our ability to continue as a going concern, general economic and business conditions; competition; success of operating initiatives; our ability to raise capital and the terms thereof; changes in business strategy or development plans; future revenues; the continuity, experience and quality of our management; changes in or failure to comply with government regulations or the lack of government authorization to continue our projects; and other factors referenced in the Form 10-K. This Item should be read in conjunction with the financial statements, the related notes and with the understanding that the Company's actual future results may be materially different from what is currently expected or projected by the Company.
We caution readers not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs and estimates of our management, as well as on assumptions made by and information currently available to us at the time such statements were made. Forward looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward looking statements, including, without limitation, the failure to successfully locate cargo and artifacts from the Juno Beach shipwreck site and a number of other risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, either as a result of the matters set forth or incorporated in this Report or due to certain economic and business factors, some of which may be beyond our control.
We disclaim any obligation subsequently to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.
Overview General
The Company's principal business plan is to develop the infrastructure and technology to engage in the archaeologically-sensitive exploration, recovery and conservation of historic shipwrecks and to eventually monetize the recovery of the shipwrecks without selling the treasure by creating revenue through media and technology alternatives for different industry sectors. Once artifacts have been properly conserved, they may be made available for scientific research and allowed to be displayed for the public. The Company's secondary business is to attempt to develop revenue streams to support its historic shipwreck exploration and recovery operations. Such revenue streams will complement the technology developed by Seafarer.
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The Company has received from the
In order to potentially find more efficient methods to explore and document historical shipwrecks, the Company has investigated various technologies and non-scientific methodologies. To the present date, none of these technologies have been proven to work with the exception of the SeaSearcher, which has been developed to scan historic shipwreck sites for both ferrous and nonferrous artifacts. The ongoing developmental work and improvements to the SeaSearcher have been expensive and Management anticipates that the expenses for these development costs will continue to be incurred for the foreseeable future. Advances in algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) will continue indefinitely while the present model can be currently used in the field. The Company will continue to experiment with unproven technologies and will actively work with third parties, consultants and scientists to develop its own proprietary technology which has and will result in considerable expenses.
The Company continues to review revenue producing opportunities including joint ventures and partnerships with other companies and potentially governmental agencies. Blockchain has a strategic partnership to provide referrals to a blockchain software services provider and receive referral fees when the referrals lead to closed business for the blockchain software services company. COVID-19, pricing issues, long sales cycles, and various other reasons have considerably slowed Blockchain's progress and it has not generated any revenues during 2021 or 2022.
There is a possibility that the Company will be forced to cease its operations if it is not successful in eventually locating and recovering valuable artifacts and treasure or can't build a revenue stream to offset its expenses. If the Company were to cease its operations, and not find or engage another business entity, then it is likely that there would be complete loss of all capital invested in or borrowed by the Company. As such, an investment in Seafarer is highly speculative and very risky.
This type of business venture is highly speculative in nature and carries an excessive amount of risk. An investment in the Company's securities is very risky and should only be considered by those investors or lenders who do not require liquidity and who can afford to suffer a complete and total loss of their investment.
There is currently a limited trading market for the Company's securities. It is impossible for the Company to assure that when and if an active-trading market in its shares will be established, or whether any such market will be sustained or sufficiently liquid to enable holders of shares of the Company's common stock to liquidate their investment in our company.
The sale of restricted securities by current shareholders, including shares issued to consultants, independent contractors, Board members, as well as shares issued to settle convertible promissory notes or to settle other loans and debt, are highly dilutive and may cause a significant decline in the market price of the Company's securities. Furthermore, in recent years regulatory agencies have made it very difficult for broker dealers to accept stock certificates from issuers of low priced stocks and the Company believes that it may become even more challenging to deposit stock certificates and this trend may continue for the foreseeable future.
Moreover, in the past few years several major brokerage firms have indicated that they will not allow their clients to deposit stock certificates of low priced stocks. Some securities clearing firms who used to clear low priced securities for multiple brokerage firms have shut down or been acquired, resulting in fewer brokerage firms that are willing or able to accept lower priced securities for deposit. Unless an investor has a large and well-established relationship with a brokerage firm, it may be extremely difficult and potentially expensive to deposit lower priced securities. An investor should consider consulting with professional financial advisers before making an investment in our securities. The Company is a current and fully reporting company and has been for almost 14 years.
Plan of Operation
The Company has taken the following steps to implement its business plan:
? To date, the Company has devoted its time towards establishing its business to
develop the infrastructure capable of researching, exploring, recovering and
conserving historic shipwrecks. The Company has performed some research,
exploration and recovery activities.
? Spent considerable time and capital researching potential shipwrecks, including
obtaining information from foreign archives.
? The Company has worked in combination with its technology development partner,
equipment and detailed metal identification analysis.
? The Company has generated very limited revenues to date. Management does not
believe that the Company will generate any significant revenues for the
foreseeable future.
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? The Company continues to review revenue producing opportunities including joint
ventures with other companies. The Company is actively looking to work with
revenue producing companies. These opportunities have been slow to develop, but
the Company will continue to pursue those endeavors that it believes have the
potential to increase the value of the Company's shares.
? The Company has investigated various types of equipment and technology to
expedite the process of finding artifacts other than iron or ferrous metals.
Most have been of no help, but the Company continues to explore new
technologies. The Company has developed its own proprietary technology, the
SeaSearcher, and will attempt to continue to develop additional proprietary
technologies or work with third parties to develop technologies to aid in its
exploration and recovery operations. Development of technologies will require
additional time and financing. The cost of developing the new technology has,
to date, been very expensive for a small company.
? The Company has investigated media opportunities to develop content centered on
its specific historic shipwreck exploration and recovery activities as well as
the historic shipwreck and related historical period genre in general and will
continue to evaluate various media strategies.
Other Information
There are very strict international, federal and state laws that govern the exploration and recovery of historic shipwrecks. While the Company has been able to obtain some permits, there is no guarantee that the Company will be able to secure future permits or enter into agreements with government agencies in order to explore and salvage historic shipwrecks. Seafarer believes they are the only company to be issued a full recovery permit by FBAR since 1986, other than one entity with an Admiralty Claim. This demonstrates the difficulty of obtaining a recovery permit from FBAR. There is a risk that government entities may enact legislation that is so strict that any recovery of artifacts and cargo from historic shipwrecks will be nearly impossible. Additionally, permits and agreements with governmental agencies to conduct historic shipwreck exploration and recovery operations are expensive, in terms of both direct costs and ongoing compliance costs. It is also possible that the Company will not be successful in obtaining title or permission to excavate certain wrecks, even if the law allows it. It is possible that permits that are sought for potential future international projects may never be issued, and if issued, may not be legal or honored by the entities that issued them. For the above reasons, the Company has extended its research into shipwrecks outside of State waters.
It is possible that permits that are sought for potential future international projects may never be issued, and if issued, may not be legal or honored by the entities that issued them. Governmental agencies may require various types of permits to explore shipwreck sites, and the permitting process is often lengthy and complex. Obtaining permits and entering into agreements with governmental and quasi-governmental agencies to conduct historic shipwreck exploration and recovery operations is generally a very complex, time consuming, and expensive process. Furthermore, the process of entering into agreements and/or obtaining permits may be subject to lengthy delays, possibly in excess of a year. Some governmental agencies may refuse to issue permits to the Company for recovery of artifacts or intentionally delay the permitting process, or go beyond their authority and request halting of ground disturbance.
The reasons for a lengthy permitting process may be due to a number of potential factors including but not limited to requests by permitting agencies for additional information, submitted applications that need to be revised or updated, newly discovered information that needs to be added to an application or agreement, changes to either the agreement or permit terms or revisions to other information contained in the permit, excessive administrative time lags at permitting agencies, work halts based on biased predispositions with no authority given by rule 1A-31, etc. Existing permits and agreements may be put on hold or suspended without notice for lengthy periods of time due to administrative issues and disagreements over the terms and conditions. The length of time it takes to obtain permits, enter into agreements, or rectify any conditions that are causing a permit to be suspended or on hold may cause the Company to expend significant resources while gearing up to do work with little or no visibility as to timing. An example of delays implemented by FBAR for Seafarer's permitted Area 2 in Melbourne Beach, Seafarer was prevented from performing certain activities authorized under the permit for 747 days out of the 1,095 days during the course of the last three year permit for Area 2 even though the permit was active.
The Company regularly reviews opportunities to perform exploration and recovery operations at purported historic shipwreck sites. The Company currently does have some specific plans to perform exploration and recovery operations at other shipwreck sites in the future, however these plans are subject to change based on a number of factors. The Company is actively reviewing other potential historic shipwreck sites, including sites located internationally, for possible exploration and recovery. Should the Company decide that it will pursue exploration and recovery activities at other potential shipwreck sites, it may be necessary to obtain various permits as well as environmental permits.
The Company continually monitors media rights for potential revenue opportunities. The Company has had discussions with media entities to further understand the potential advantages offered. Management believes various forms of media can represent a potential future revenue opportunity for the Company, if the right circumstances arise.
This type of business venture is extremely speculative in nature and carries a tremendous amount of risk. An investment in the Company's securities is highly speculative and very risky and should only be considered by those investors or lenders who do not require near-term liquidity and who can afford to suffer a complete and total loss of their investment.
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Results of Operations
We have generated only minimal revenue from operations and do not expect to report any significant revenue from operations for the foreseeable future. We have incurred recurring losses to date. Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern and, accordingly, do not include adjustments relating to the recoverability and realization of assets and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue in operation.
The Company expects to continue to incur significant operating losses and to
generate negative cash flow from operating activities, while building out its
infrastructure in order to explore and salvage historic shipwreck sites and
establishing itself in the marketplace. Based on our historical rate of
expenditures, the Company expects to expend its available cash in less than one
month from
At
Since inception, the Company has funded its operations through common stock issuances and loans in order to meet its strategic objectives; however, there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to obtain further funds to continue with its efforts to establish a new business. There is a very significant risk that the Company will be unable to obtain financing to fund its operation and as such the Company may be forced to cease operations at any time which would likely result in a complete loss of all capital that has been invested in and/or borrowed by the Company to date.
The Company's ability to eliminate operating losses and to generate positive cash flow from operations in the future will depend upon a variety of factors, many of which it is unable to control. If the Company is unable to implement its business plan successfully, it may not be able to eliminate operating losses, generate positive cash flow or achieve or sustain profitability, which may have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, operations, and financial results, as well as its ability to make payments on its debt obligations, and the Company may be forced to cease operations.
If we are unable to secure additional financing, our business may fail and our stock price will likely be materially adversely affected. The Company's lack of operating cash flow and reliance on the sale of its common stock and loans to fund operations is extremely risky. If the Company is unable to continue to raise capital or obtain loans or other financing on terms that are acceptable to the Company, or at all, then it is highly likely that the Company will be forced to cease operations. If the Company ceases its operations, then it is very highly likely that all capital invested in and/or borrowed by the Company will be lost.
Summary of the Year Ended
Revenue
The Company's core business involving the exploration and recovery of historic
shipwrecks has not generated any revenues to date and is not expected to
generate any significant revenues for the foreseeable future. During the years
ended
Net Losses
The Company's net loss for the years ended
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Operating Expenses
Operating expenses were
Other Income (Expenses)
Other income (expense) was
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
For the year ended
For the year ended
Cash flows used in operating activities increased in 2022 due to the increase in the amortization of unearned compensation, and the loss on the disposal of a boat related asset.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
For the year ended
For the year ended
Cash flows used in investing activities decreased due to the Company not
receiving the proceeds from the disposal of an asset in 2022, whereas in 2021
the Company received
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
For the year ended
For the year ended
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Cash flows provided by financing activities primarily increased in 2022 due to an increase in the proceeds from the issuance of common stock and proceeds from the issuance of convertible notes payable and convertible notes payable to related parties.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
At
Lack of Liquidity
A major financial challenge and significant risk facing the Company is a lack of
positive cash flow and liquidity. The Company continued to operate with
significant debt and a working capital deficit during the year ended
The expenses associated with being a small publicly traded company attempting to develop the infrastructure to explore and salvage historic shipwrecks recovery are extremely prohibitive, especially given that the Company does not currently generate any significant revenues and does not expect to generate any significant revenues in the near future. There are ongoing expenses associated with operations that are incurred whether the Company is conducting shipwreck recovery operations or not. Vessel maintenance, upkeep expenses and docking fees are continuous and unavoidable regardless of the Company's operational status. Management anticipates that the vessels utilized by the Company in its operations will need continuous and unavoidable repairs and maintenance, particularly if the Company ramps up its operational footprint and is working on more than one site simultaneously as anticipated. These repairs and maintenance are expensive and have a negative impact on the Company's cash position.
In addition to the operation expenses, a publicly traded company also incurs the significant recurring corporate expenses related to maintaining publicly traded status, which include, but are not limited to accounting, legal, audit, executive, administrative, corporate communications, rent, telephones, etc. The recurring expenses associated with being a publicly traded company are very burdensome for smaller public companies such as Seafarer. This lack of liquidity creates a very risky situation for the Company in terms of its ability to continue operating, which in turn makes owning shares of the Company's common stock extremely risky and highly speculative. The Company's lack of liquidity may cause the Company to be forced to cease operations at any time which would likely result in a complete loss of all capital invested in or borrowed by the Company to date.
Due to the fact that the Company does not generate any revenues and does not expect to generate revenues for the foreseeable future it must rely on outside equity and debt funding. The combination of the ongoing operating expenses that must be met even during times when there is little or no exploration or recovery activities taking place, and corporate expenses, creates a very risky situation for the Company and its shareholders in terms of the need to access external financing to fund operations. This working capital shortfall and lack of access to cash to fund corporate activities is extremely risky and may force the Company to cease its operations which would more than likely result in a complete loss of all capital invested in or loaned to the Company to date.
Lack of Revenues and Cash Flow/Significant Losses from Operations
The exploration and recovery of historic shipwrecks requires a multi-year, multi-stage process and it may be many years before any significant revenue is generated from exploration and recovery activities, if ever. The Company does not believe that it will generate any significant revenues in the near future. The Company believes that it may be several years before it is able to generate any cash flow from its operations, if any are ever generated at all. Without revenues and cash flow the Company does not have reliable cash flow to pay its expenses. The Company relies on outside financing in the form of equity and debt and it is possible that the Company may not be able to obtain outside financing in the future. If the Company is not able to obtain financing it would more than likely be forced to cease operations and all of the capital that has been invested in or borrowed by the Company would be lost.
If the Company is unable to secure additional financing, our business may fail or our operating results and our stock price may be materially adversely affected. The raising of additional financing would in all likelihood result in dilution or reduction in the value of the Company's securities.
The Company may not be able to continue as a going concern. If the Company is
not able to continue as a going concern, it is highly likely that all capital
invested in the Company or borrowed by the Company will be lost. The report of
our independent auditors for the years ended
The Company has experienced a net loss in every fiscal year since inception. The
Company's losses from operations were
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Convertible Notes Payable and Notes Payable, in Default
The Company does not have additional sources of debt financing to refinance its convertible notes payable and notes payable that are currently in default. If the Company is unable to obtain additional capital, such lenders may file suit, including suit to foreclose on the assets held as collateral for the obligations arising under the secured notes. If any of the lenders file suit to foreclose on the assets held as collateral, then the Company may be forced to significantly scale back or cease its operations which would more than likely result in a complete loss of all capital that has been invested in or borrowed by the Company. The fact that the Company is in default regarding several loans held by various lenders makes investing in the Company or providing any loans to the Company extremely risky with a very high potential for a complete loss of capital.
The convertible notes that have been issued by the Company are convertible at the lender's option. These convertible notes represent significant potential dilution to the Company's current shareholders as the convertible price of these notes is generally lower than the current market price of the Company's shares. As such when these notes are converted into equity there is typically a highly dilutive effect on current shareholders and very high probability that such dilution may significantly negatively affect the trading price of the Company's common stock. Furthermore, management intends to have discussions or has already had discussions with several of the promissory note holders who do not currently have convertible notes regarding converting their notes into equity. Any such amended agreements to convert promissory notes into equity would more than likely have a highly dilutive effect on current shareholders and there is a very high probability that such dilution may significantly negatively affect the trading price of the Company's common stock. Some of these note holders have already amended their notes and converted the notes into equity. Based on conversations with other note holders, the Company believes that additional note holders will amend their notes to contain a convertibility clause and eventually convert the notes into equity.
Critical Accounting Policies
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations
are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared
in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in
Management is aware that certain changes in accounting estimates employed in generating financial statements can have the effect of making the Company look more or less profitable than it actually is. Management does not believe that the Company has made any such changes in accounting estimates.
Off-balance Sheet Arrangements
None.
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