Long-term Debt



Obligations (in thousands)	September 30, 2013			December 31, 2012
Senior secured second-priority notes	$	175,000		$	—
Revolving line of credit	—			97,250
Facility lease obligation	1,721			2,334
Equipment capital leases	9,002			5,744
Total	185,723			105,328
Current portion of long-term debt and lease obligations	(5,193		)	(3,496		)
Non-current portion of long-term debt and lease obligations	$	180,530		$	101,832

Senior Secured Second-Priority Notes

On May 13, 2013, the Company sold $175 million aggregate principal amount of 8.125% Senior Secured Second-Priority Notes due 2018 (“Notes”) in a private offering pursuant to an Indenture dated as of May 13, 2013. The Notes are senior secured second-priority obligations of the Company, are guaranteed by certain of the Company’s U.S. subsidiaries, and mature on May 15, 2018. Interest on the Notes accrues at the rate of 8.125% per annum and will be payable semiannually in arrears on May 15 and November 15, commencing on November 15, 2013.

On or after May 15, 2015, the Company may on one or more occasions redeem all or a part of the Notes at the redemption prices set forth below, plus accrued and unpaid interest and special interest, if any, on the Notes redeemed during the twelve-month period beginning on May 15th of the years indicated below:



Date	Percentage
2015	104.063	%
2016	102.031	%
2017 and thereafter	100.000	%

The Notes are initially jointly and severally guaranteed on a senior secured basis by each of the Company’s current material U.S. subsidiaries: GX Technology Corporation, ION Exploration Production (U.S.A.), Inc. and I/O Marine Systems, Inc. (the “Notes Guarantors”). The Notes and the guarantees are secured, subject to certain exceptions and permitted liens, by second-priority liens on substantially all of the assets that secure the indebtedness under the Company's senior first-priority secured credit facility with China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd., New York Branch (“CMB”) as administrative agent and lender under the facility (see “– Revolving Line of Credit” below). The indebtedness under the Notes is effectively junior to the Company's obligations under the senior secured credit facility to the extent of the value of the collateral securing the facility, and to any other indebtedness secured on a first-priority basis to the extent of the value of the Company's assets subject to those first-priority security interests.

The Company used the net proceeds from the offering to repay outstanding indebtedness under its senior secured credit facility with CMB and for general corporate purposes. The Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state laws.

The Notes contain certain covenants that, among other things, limit the Company’s ability and the ability of its restricted subsidiaries to:


•	Make certain investments; pay certain dividends or distributions on the capital stock or other equity interests of the Company or any restricted subsidiary; purchase, redeem or retire capital stock or certain indebtedness or make other types of restricted payments, unless


*	No default under the Indenture has occurred or would occur as a result of such payment or investment,


*	The Company would, after giving pro forma effect to such investment or payment, have been permitted to incur at least $1.00 of additional indebtedness under a Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio test under the Indenture and


*	The aggregate cumulative amount of all such payments or investments would not exceed a sum calculated by reference to, among other items, the Company's consolidated net income, proceeds from certain sales of equity or assets, certain conversions or exchanges of debt for equity and certain other reductions in indebtedness;


•	Incur additional indebtedness or issue certain preferred stock, unless the Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio for the four most recently completed fiscal quarters immediately prior to such incurrence or issuance would have been 2.0 to 1.0, as determined on a pro forma basis as if the debt had been incurred or the stock issued at the beginning of such four-quarter period;


•	Create, incur or assume any lien, except certain permitted liens;

•

Restrict or encumber the ability of any restricted subsidiary to (i) pay dividends on or make any other distributions with respect to its equity interests, (ii) pay indebtedness owed to the Company or any restricted subsidiary, (iii) make loans or advances to the Company or any of its restricted subsidiaries or (iv) sell, lease or transfer properties or assets to the Company or any restricted subsidiary;


•	Carry out certain mergers or consolidations with another entity, or sell, assign or lease all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, unless


*	No default under the Indenture has occurred or would occur as a result of such merger or sale, and

The Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of the Company or its successor for the four most recently completed fiscal quarters immediately prior to such merger or sale would have been 2.0 to 1.0, as determined on a pro forma basis as if the merger or sale and any related financing transactions had occurred at the beginning of such four-quarter period, which would permit the Company or its successor to incur additional indebtedness under the Indenture;


•	Create unrestricted subsidiaries; or


•	Enter into certain transactions with affiliates of the Company.

These and other restrictive covenants contained in the Indenture are subject to important exceptions and qualifications. All of the Company's subsidiaries are currently restricted subsidiaries.

As of September 30, 2013, the Company was in compliance with these covenants.

In connection with the offering of the Notes, the Company entered into a consent agreement with CMB as administrative agent and lender under the Company’s senior secured credit facility. See “— Revolving Line of Credit” below.

In connection with the issuance of the Notes, the Company and the Notes Guarantors entered into a second lien intercreditor agreement dated as of May 13, 2013 (the “Intercreditor Agreement”) with, among others, CMB, as administrative agent, first lien representative for the first lien secured parties and collateral agent for the first lien secured parties, the trustee under the Indenture and the collateral agent for the second lien secured parties. The Intercreditor Agreement provides, among other things, that the liens on the collateral securing the Notes and related obligations will be junior and subordinate in all respects to the liens on the collateral securing the Company's senior secured credit facility and related obligations.

Revolving Line of Credit

On May 29, 2012, the Company amended the terms of its senior secured credit facility (the “Credit Facility”) with CMB, as administrative agent and lender. The First Amendment to the Credit Agreement and Loan Documents (the “First Amendment”) modified certain provisions of the Company’s senior credit agreement with CMB that it had entered into on March 25, 2010. The maturity date of any outstanding debt under the Credit Facility remains March 24, 2015.

As amended by the First Amendment, the Credit Facility provides that the Company may make revolving credit borrowings in U.S. Dollars, Euros, British Pounds Sterling or Canadian Dollars up to an amount not to exceed the U.S. Dollar equivalent of $175.0 million. The Company also agreed that no additional borrowings may be made at any time at which the outstanding indebtedness under the revolving line of credit (principal, accrued interest and fees) exceeds the U.S. Dollar equivalent of $175.0 million. The First Amendment eliminated sub-facility limits under the Credit Facility.

The Company’s obligations under the Credit Facility continue to be guaranteed by certain of its material U.S. subsidiaries that remain as parties to the Credit Facility. In addition, INOVA Geophysical continues to provide a bank stand-by letter of credit as credit support for the Company’s obligations under the Credit Facility. The Company also entered into a credit support agreement with INOVA Geophysical whereby the Company has agreed to indemnify INOVA Geophysical for any and all losses sustained by INOVA Geophysical that arise out of INOVA Geophysical’s guarantee.

As amended by the First Amendment, the interest rates per annum on borrowings under the Credit Facility are, at the Company’s option:


•	an alternate base rate equal to the sum of (i) the greatest of (a) the prime rate of CMB, (b) a federal funds effective rate plus 0.50%, or (c) an adjusted LIBOR-based rate plus 1.0%, and (ii) an applicable interest margin of 1.4% (reduced from 2.5%); or


•	for eurodollar borrowings and borrowings in Euros, Pounds Sterling or Canadian Dollars, the sum of (i) an adjusted LIBOR-based rate, and (ii) an applicable interest margin of 2.4% (reduced from 3.5%).

As of September 30, 2013, no borrowed amounts were outstanding under the Credit Facility.

The Credit Facility contains covenants that restrict the Company, subject to certain exceptions, from:

•

incurring additional indebtedness (including certain capital lease obligations), granting or incurring additional liens on the Company's properties, pledging shares of the Company's subsidiaries, entering into certain merger or other change-in-control transactions, entering into certain transactions with the Company's affiliates, making certain sales or other dispositions of assets, making certain investments, acquiring other businesses and entering into sale-leaseback transactions with respect to the Company's properties;


•	paying cash dividends on the Company's common stock; and


•	repurchasing and acquiring the Company's capital stock, unless there is no event of default under the Credit Facility and the amount of such repurchases does not exceed an amount equal to (i) 25% of the Company's consolidated net income for the prior fiscal year, less (ii) the amount of any cash dividends paid on the Company's common stock.

The Credit Facility requires compliance with certain financial covenants, including the following:


•	maintain a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio, as defined, in an amount equal to at least 1.125 to 1;


•	not exceed a maximum leverage ratio, as defined, of 3.25 to 1; and


•	maintain a minimum tangible net worth of at least 60% of the Company’s tangible net worth as of March 31, 2010, as defined.

The fixed charge coverage ratio is defined as the ratio of (i) the Company’s consolidated EBITDA, as defined in the Credit Facility, less cash income tax expense, non-financed capital expenditures and capitalized research and development costs to (ii) the sum of scheduled payments of lease payments and payments of principal indebtedness, interest expense actually paid and cash dividends, in each case for the four consecutive fiscal quarters most recently ended. The leverage ratio is defined as the ratio of (x) total funded consolidated debt, capital lease obligations and issued letters of credit (net of cash collateral) to (y) the Company's consolidated EBITDA for the four consecutive fiscal quarters most recently ended.

The Credit Facility contains customary event of default provisions, including a “change of control” event, the occurrence of which could lead to an acceleration of the Company's obligations under the Credit Facility. The Credit Facility also provides that certain acts of bankruptcy, insolvency or liquidation of INOVA Geophysical or BGP, Inc., China National Petroleum Corporation (“BGP”) would constitute additional events of default under the Credit Facility.

As of September 30, 2013, the Company was in compliance with these financial covenants and the Company expects to remain in compliance with these financial covenants for at least the next 12 months.

In connection with the Company’s offering of the Notes, on April 12, 2013, the Company, the Notes Guarantors and CMB, as administrative agent and lender under the Credit Facility, entered into a consent agreement related to the Credit Facility that permitted the Company and the Notes Guarantors to, among other things, (i) issue the Notes and related guarantees and (ii) invest a cumulative aggregate amount of up to $100 million in OceanGeo from and after February 26, 2013.