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| MARPS > SEC Filings for MARPS > Form 10-Q on 14-Nov-2008 | All Recent SEC Filings |
14-Nov-2008
Quarterly Report
implement a new franchise or "margin" tax. Although it is not entirely clear,
currently, it appears that the Trust will not be subject to the franchise tax
because at least 90% of its income is from passive sources. Please see the
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2008 for further
information. MPC is a taxable entity and pays state and Federal taxes on its
income. However, MPC's income specifically excludes 98% of oil and natural gas
royalties collected by MPC, which are retained by and delivered to the Trust in
respect of the Trust's net profits interest.
The Leases
Marine relies on public records for information regarding drilling
operations. The public records available up to the date of this report indicate
that there were four new well completions made during the three months ended
September 30, 2008 on leases in which Marine has an interest. Public records
also indicate that there were three wells in the process of being drilled and
five permits for wells to be drilled in the future.
Based on the latest public records reviewed by Marine, there are
approximately 255 wells subject to Marine's overriding royalty interest that are
listed as active oil or natural gas wells on the records of the Minerals
Management Service.
Marine holds an overriding royalty interest equal to three-fourths of 1% of
the value at the well of any oil, natural gas, or other minerals produced and
sold from 59 leases covering 215,136 gross acres located in the Gulf of Mexico.
Marine's overriding royalty interest applies only to existing leases and does
not apply to any new leases that Chevron or Elf may acquire. The Trust also owns
a 32.6% interest in Tidelands. Tidelands has an overriding royalty interest in
five leases covering 22,948 gross acres located in the Gulf of Mexico. As a
result of this ownership, the Trust receives periodic distributions from
Tidelands.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
In accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 12:E, Financial
Statements of Royalty Trusts, Marine uses the modified cash basis method of
accounting. Under this accounting method, royalty income is recorded when
received, and distributions to unitholders are recorded when declared by the
Trustee of the Trust. Expenses of Marine (which include accounting, legal, and
other professional fees, trustees' fees and out-of-pocket expenses) are recorded
on an accrual basis. Marine also reports distributable income instead of net
income under the modified cash basis method of accounting. Cash reserves are
permitted to be established by the Trustee for certain contingencies that would
not be recorded under GAAP.
Marine did not have any changes in critical accounting policies or in
significant accounting estimates during the three months ended September 30,
2008. Please see the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2008
for a detailed discussion of critical accounting policies.
General
Marine realized 63% of its royalty income from the sale of oil and 37% from
the sale of natural gas during the three months ended September 30, 2008.
Royalty income includes royalties of oil and natural gas received from
producers.
Marine's royalty income is derived from the oil and natural gas production
activities of unrelated parties. Marine's royalty income fluctuates from period
to period based upon factors beyond Marine's control, including, without
limitation, the number of productive wells drilled and maintained on leases
subject to Marine's interest, the level of production over time from such wells
and the prices at which the oil and natural gas from such wells are sold.
Important aspects of Marine's operations are conducted by third parties.
Marine's royalty income is dependent on the operations of the working interest
owners of the leases on which Marine has an overriding royalty interest. The oil
and natural gas companies that lease tracts subject to Marine's interests are
responsible for the production and sale of oil and natural gas and the
calculation of royalty payments to Marine. The only obligation of the working
interest owners to Marine is to make monthly overriding royalty payments of
Marine's interest in the oil
and natural gas sold. Marine's distributions are processed and paid by American
Stock Transfer as the agent for Marine. American Stock Transfer replaced Mellon
Investor Services LLC Marine's transfer agent as of November 1, 2008. The volume
of oil and natural gas produced and its selling price are primary factors in the
calculation of overriding royalty payments. Production is affected by the
declining capability of the producing wells, the number of new wells drilled and
the number of existing wells re-worked and placed back in production. Production
from existing wells is anticipated to decrease in the future due to normal well
depletion. Marine has no input with the operators regarding future drilling
operations which could impact the oil and natural gas production on the leases
on which Marine has an overriding royalty interest.
Hurricanes Gustav and Ike
In September 2008, Hurricanes Gustav and Ike hit the Gulf Coast, which
generally caused (i) a disruption of oil and natural gas production, (ii) damage
to offshore production platforms and (iii) damage to onshore oil and natural gas
pipeline facilities. Based on information available to Marine, there was no
major damage to any of the offshore production platforms on leases in which
Marine has an overriding royalty interest. However, Marine believes there was
minor damage to the onshore pipeline facilities that transport oil and gas
produced from wells on the leases in which Marine has an overriding royalty
interest, which caused some disruption in oil and natural gas production.
Because Marine is not the operator of the leases on which it has an
overriding royalty interest, Marine has received limited information regarding
effect of the hurricanes on production. However, Marine has been advised that
the wells in the South Timbalier area were not damaged by the hurricanes, but
were off production due to the damage to onshore pipeline facilities. Marine has
been advised that production should be substantially restored in the South
Timbalier area in November 2008. In addition, Marine has been advised that wells
on in the Eugene Island area were also not damaged by the hurricanes, but that
onshore delivery of oil and natural gas would likely be slow due to damage to
the onshore pipeline facilities. Marine has not independently verified the
foregoing information regarding the status of various wells and the extent of
damage to facilities.
In general, Marine receives royalties two months after oil production and
three months after natural gas production. Marine expects that production and
future distributions will be negatively affected by the damage caused by the
hurricanes. At this time, Marine is unable to predict the extent by which
production and distributions will be affected.
Prices
Oil and natural gas prices continue to decline. In October 2008, the
average price quoted for crude oil delivered onshore in Louisiana had dropped
42% to $79.86 per barrel down from $137.81 in July 2008. In September 2008,
natural gas prices were down 31% to $7.07 per million btu from $10.32 in July.
Marine believes that the decline in prices may reduce the royalties available
for distribution to unitholders.
Summary of Operating Results
Distributable income for the three months ended September 30, 2008
increased approximately 4% to $0.83 per unit as compared to $0.80 per unit for
the comparable period in 2007. For the three months ended September 30, 2008,
oil production decreased 1,786 barrels and natural gas production decreased
33,873 thousand cubic feet (mcf) from the levels realized in the comparable
period in 2007. For the three months ended September 30, 2008, the average price
realized for a barrel of oil increased $50.81 over the price realized in the
comparable period in 2007 and the average price realized for an mcf of natural
gas increased $5.35 over the price realized in the comparable period in 2007.
Distributions to unitholders amounted to $0.77 per unit for the three
months ended September 30, 2008, same as the $0.77 distribution for the
comparable period in 2007.
The following table presents the net production quantities of oil and natural gas and distributable income and distributions per unit for the last five quarters.
Net Production Quantities (1)
Natural Distributable Distribution
Quarter Oil (bbls) Gas (mcf) Income Per Unit Per Unit
September 30, 2007 8,758 74,951 $ 0.80 $ 0.77
December 31, 2007 8,355 49,268 $ 0.65 $ 0.76
March 31, 2008 9,458 58,251 $ 0.71 $ 0.65
June 30, 2008 9,049 57,014 $ 0.77 $ 0.75
September 30, 2008 6,972 41,078 $ 0.83 $ 0.77
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(1) Excludes the Trust's interest in Tidelands.
Results of Operations-Three Months Ended September 30, 2008 and 2007
Distributable income increased 3% to $1,650,319 for the three months ended
September 30, 2008, from $1,605,456 realized for the comparable three months in
2007.
Oil and gas production (barrels of oil equivalent) in the three months
ended September 30, 2008 decreased 43% over the volumes realized in the quarter
ended September 30, 2007, with a 20% decrease in the production of oil and a 45%
decrease in the production of natural gas.
Income from oil royalties, excluding the Trust's interest in Tidelands, for
the three months ended September 30, 2008 increased 28% to $939,032 from
$734,644 realized for the comparable three months in 2007. There was a 20%
decrease in production and a 61% increase in the price realized.
Income from natural gas royalties, excluding the Trust's interest in
Tidelands, decreased 8% to $541,466 from $586,622 for the comparable three
months in 2007. There was a 45% decrease in production and a 68% increase in the
price realized.
Income from the Trust's interest in Tidelands decreased approximately 12%
for the three months ended September 30, 2008 as compared to the comparable
three months of 2007, primarily due to increased oil and natural gas prices
offset by a decline in production of both oil and natural gas.
The following table presents the quantities of oil and natural gas sold and the average price realized from current operations for the three months ended September 30, 2008, and those realized in the comparable three months in 2007, excluding the Trust's interest in Tidelands.
Three Months Ended September 30,
2008 2007
(Unaudited) (Unaudited) % Change
Oil
Barrels sold 6,972 8,758 (20 )%
Average price $ 134.69 $ 83.88 61 %
Natural gas
Mcf sold 41,078 74,951 (45 )%
Average price $ 13.18 $ 7.83 68 %
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General and administrative expenses increased to $119,455 in the three
months ended September 30, 2008 from $54,256 in the prior year period, primarily
due to increased professional fees and expenses related to the accounting change
discussed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2008.
Forward-Looking Statements
The statements discussed in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q regarding
Marine's future financial performance and results, and other statements that are
not historical facts, are forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A
of the Securities Act of 1933. This report uses the words "may," "expect,"
"anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "continue," "intend," "plan," "budget," or
other similar words to identify forward-looking statements. You should read
statements that contain these words carefully because they discuss future
expectations, contain projections of Marine's financial condition, and/or state
other "forward-looking" information. Actual results may differ from expected
results because of: reductions in price or demand for oil and natural gas, which
might then lead to decreased production; reductions in production due to the
depletion of existing wells or disruptions in service, which may be caused by
storm damage to production facilities, blowouts or other production accidents,
or geological changes such as cratering of productive formations; and the
expiration or release of leases subject to Marine's interests. Additional risks
are set forth in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30,
2008. Events may occur in the future that Marine is unable to accurately
predict, or over which it has no control. If one or more of these uncertainties
materialize, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may
vary materially from those forward-looking statements included in this Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Marine did not experience any significant changes in market risk during the
period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Marine's market risk is
described in more detail in "Item 7A: Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures
About Market Risk" in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30,
2008.
Item 4T. Controls and Procedures
Conclusion Regarding the Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, as Trustee of the
Trust, is responsible for establishing and maintaining Marine's disclosure
controls and procedures. These controls and procedures are designed to ensure
that material information relating to Marine is communicated to the Trustee. As
of the end of the period covered by this report, the Trustee carried out an
evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of Marine's
disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Based upon that evaluation, the
Trustee concluded that Marine's disclosure controls and procedures were
effective as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There has not been any change in Marine's internal control over financial
reporting during the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that
has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, Marine's
internal control over financial reporting.
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