OSG |
|
_____________________________________________________________________________
666 Third Avenue |
Tel: 212 251 1153 |
James I. Edelson |
April 27, 2007
Cecelia D. Blye, Chief
Office of Global Security Risk
United States Securities and Exchange Commission
Washington, DC 20549-5546
RE: |
Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. |
Dear Ms. Blye:
We have reviewed your letter to us of March 29, 2007 setting forth a comment on the Overseas Shipholding Group, Inc. ("OSG" or the "Company") Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006. Based on our review, we respond as follows to the comment:
SEC Comment
On page 33 of your Form 10-K, you state that "(f)rom time to time, vessels in (y)our fleet call on ports located in countries subject to sanctions and embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and countries identified by the U.S. government as sponsors of terrorism, such as Syria and Iran." Please advise us of the approximate dollar amounts and percentages of revenues, assets, and liabilities associated with your contacts with Syria and Iran during fiscal 2006. Please provide the same information for the prior fiscal periods covered by the Form 10-K, or advise us that the dollar amounts and percentages for those periods do not differ significantly from those provided for fiscal 2006.
OSG Response
During the fiscal periods covered by the Form 10-K (fiscal 2006, 2005 and 2004), OSG had no assets based in Syria or Iran, and it had no liabilities associated with Syria or Iran.
During these periods, certain vessels in our fleet called on ports in Syria or Iran, but those vessels were not stationed there and OSG and its subsidiaries did not incur any liabilities associated with these vessels in Syria or Iran.
OSG derived Revenues1 associated with "trade" with Syria and Iran in fiscal 2006, 2005 and 2004 of approximately $49,900,000, $44,800,000 and $48,200,000, respectively. These Revenues represent 4.76%, 4.48% and 5.94%, respectively, of OSG's Shipping Revenues for such periods.
These Revenues were derived from two different sources.
_________________
1The income derived from OSG's interest in joint venture companies owning vessels that made port calls in Syria or Iran during these periods does not flow through Shipping Revenues in OSG's Consolidated Statement of Operations. Rather, OSG's portion of the income of these joint ventures flows through "Equity of Income of Affiliated Companies". Nevertheless, we felt it was appropriate to include in this response OSG's share of the income derived by these joint ventures from trade associated with Syria or Iran. To avoid confusion, when we use the capitalized term "Revenues", we are including such income from joint ventures notwithstanding the fact that this income does not flow through OSG's Shipping Revenues.
Other than as described above, OSG did not derive any Revenues associated with "trade" with Syria or Iran in fiscal 2006, 2005 and 2004.
If you have any questions concerning the matters discussed in this letter, please feel free to contact me.
Very truly yours,
/s/James I. Edelson
James I. Edelson
cc: Max Webb
Assistant Director
Division of Corporation Finance
Morten Arntzen
Myles R. Itkin
Audit Committee
James I. Edelson
Jerry L. Miller
Daniel E. Waltz (Patton Boggs LLP)
Richard Rowe (Proskauer Rose LLP)
Peter Samuels (Proskauer Rose LLP)
Timothy Tracy (Ernst & Young LLP)