In Re Lykes Bros. Steamship Co.

233 B.R. 497, 1997 Bankr. LEXIS 2070, 1997 WL 1100227
CourtUnited States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedJuly 17, 1997
DocketBankruptcy 95-10453-BKC-8P1
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 233 B.R. 497 (In Re Lykes Bros. Steamship Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Bankruptcy Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In Re Lykes Bros. Steamship Co., 233 B.R. 497, 1997 Bankr. LEXIS 2070, 1997 WL 1100227 (Fla. 1997).

Opinion

AMENDED ORDER (A) CONFIRMING DÉBTOR’S FIRST AMENDED PLAN OF REORGANIZATION, AS MODIFIED, PURSUANT TO 11 U.S.C. § 1129 AND (B) APPROVING TRANSFER OF CERTAIN OF DEBTORS ASSETS TO, AND ASSUMPTION OF CERTAIN OBLIGATIONS BY, LYKES LINES LIMITED, LLC

ALEXANDER L. PASKAY, Chief Judge.

LYKES BROS. STEAMSHIP CO., INC., as debtor and as debtor in possession (“Debtor”), having filed with this Court its First Amended Plan of Reorganization dated as of March 7,1997 (the “Plan,” and as modified by (i) the Modifica *498 tion to Debtor’s First Amended Plan of Reorganization Pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1127(a) dated April 2, 1997 (the “Modification”), (ii) the Second Modification to Debtor’s First Amended Plan of Reorganization Pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1127(a) dated April 11, 1997 (the “Second Modification”), and (in) the Amended and Restated Third Modification to Debtor’s First Amended Plan of Reorganization Pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1127(b) dated July 16, 1997 (the “Amended and Restated Third Modification”), 1 collectively, the “Modified Plan”) 2 , IT IS ADJUDGED, DETERMINED AND FOUND after hearing and due and sufficient notice to all Creditors and interested parties and sufficient cause appearing therefor, that:

A. PURPOSE OF THIS AMENDED CONFIRMATION ORDER

As set forth in Paragraphs 27 and 28 of this Order (the “Confirmation Order”), the Original Plan was confirmed by order dated April 15, 1997 (defined hereinbelow as the April 15 Confirmation Order). The April 15 Confirmation Order was not the subject of any timely-filed appeal and is now final. The Amended and Restated Third Modification represents a narrow and limited modification of the Original Plan, and nothing herein suggests that any unchanged provisions of the April 15 Confirmation Order are being modified or ruled on anew. This Confirmation Order is intended, however, to incorporate in one single order all of the Confirmation rulings, whether part of the April 15 Confirmation Order or whether relating to the Amended and Restated Third Modification.

B. JURISDICTION AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

1. This Court has jurisdiction over the Debtor, the Debtor’s Chapter 11 case, all of the Debtor’s Properties, contracts and assets, wherever located, all Claims against and Equity Interests in the Debt- or, and all Creditors of the Debtor pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1334. Based upon the granting of the “Motion to Compromise with Lykes Lines” (as defined below), this Court has jurisdiction over the assets owned by the Debtor’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Lykes Lines, Inc. (“Lykes Lines”), which are to be conveyed by the Debtor to the “Purchaser” (as defined below) at the Closing, free and clear of all liens, claims and encumbrances, following the Debtor’s acquisition of title to those assets by foreclosure or otherwise. Confirmation of the Modified Plan is a “core proceeding” pursuant to, without limitation, 28 U.S.C. §§ 157(b)(2)(A), (L) and (0), and this Court has jurisdiction to enter a final order with respect thereto.

2. All capitalized terms used in this Confirmation Order but not defined herein shall have the meaning ascribed to such terms in the Modified Plan.

3. The Debtor, a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Louisiana, filed a Voluntary Petition for Relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code on October 11, 1995 (the “Petition Date”). The Debtor was authorized by order of this Court and Sections 1107 and 1108 of the Bankruptcy Code to continue the operation and management of its business as debtor in possession.

4. The Debtor is a major international liner shipping company and vessel operating common carrier with roots going back to 1900. The Debtor’s vessels regularly *499 carry goods in three trade routes on scheduled itineraries between ports on five continents and between ports in many foreign countries. The carriage and delivery of cargo by the Debtor generates a stream of revenue which funds vessel-related expenses, payroll, ground transportation, and other operating expenses.

5. Since the 1920s, the Debtor has owned and chartered significant numbers of United States-flagged vessels. At present, all of the Debtor’s North Atlantic service vessels and its three Pacesetter Class Vessels are United States documented and flagged vessels. 3 The Debtor is currently party to an Operating-Differential Subsidy contract (the “ODS Contract”) with the Maritime Administration, United States Department of Transportation (“MarAd”), which terminates on December 31, 1997. 4 The Debtor is also currently party to two contracts (the “MSC Contracts”) with the United States Navy Military Sealift Command (“MSC”) for the carriage of priority or preference cargo for the United States military. In late 1996, the Debtor filed applications to enroll all of its eligible United States-flagged vessels in the Maritime Security Program promulgated pursuant to the Maritime Security Act of 1996, Public Law 104-239 (“MSP”), and entered into, subject to Court approval, contracts under the MSP (the “MSP Contracts”) with MarAd for three of its four Pacific Class Vessels. 5

6. In the first ten months following its Chapter 11 filing, the Debtor was largely engaged in efforts to stabilize its business operations, including negotiating long-term agreements for its continued use of some 30,000 containers and chassis, settling issues related to its fleet composition, determining the amount of maritime liens on its vessels, and otherwise maintaining its customer base and regularizing its business operations. During this time, this Court fixed April 5, 1996 as the bar date for the filing of Proofs of Claim. Notice of this bar date was mailed to all Creditors of the Debtor and published throughout the world in accordance with this Court’s orders. At various times thereafter, this Court set supplemental bar dates for the filing of maritime lien claims on specific vessels, requiring further service and publication . of notices of these bar dates throughout the world. Appropriate affidavits and certificates have been filed in the record regarding such service and publication.

7.Beginning in the Summer of 1996, the Debtor focused its efforts on locating an investor or strategic partner in order to fund a plan of reorganization. On December 27, 1996, following extensive discussions, the Debtor and Lykes Lines entered into a letter of intent with Canadian Pacific Limited (the “CP Letter”).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
233 B.R. 497, 1997 Bankr. LEXIS 2070, 1997 WL 1100227, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-lykes-bros-steamship-co-flmb-1997.