FORM
6-K
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Report
of Foreign Private Issuer
Pursuant
to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of
the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For
the month of January 2008
Commission
File Number
TOP
SHIPS INC.
(Translation
of registrant’s name into English)
1
VAS. SOFIAS & MEG.
ALEXANDROU
STREET
151
24, MAROUSSI
ATHENS,
GREECE
(Address
of principal executive offices)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under
cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form
20-F [ X ] Form 40-F
[ ]
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted
by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ___
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted
by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)7: ___
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained
in
this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant
to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Yes
[ ] No [ X ]
If
“Yes” is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in
connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): ________.
INFORMATION
CONTAINED IN THIS FORM 6-K REPORT
Attached
to this report on Form 6-K as Exhibit 1 is the press release issued by Top
Ships
Inc. (the “Company”) on January 2, 2008, announcing its new ticker symbol,
“TOPS”.
EXHIBIT
1
NEWS
RELEASE
for January 02, 2008
Contact: Michael
Mason
(investors) Stamatis
Tsantanis, CFO
Allen
&
Caron
Inc. TOP
Ships Inc.
212
691
8087 011
30 210 812 8199
michaelm@allencaron.com snt@toptankers.com
TOP
SHIPS ANNOUNCES NEW TRADING SYMBOL
ATHENS
(January 2, 2008) …Top Tankers (NasdaqGS:TOPT) announced today that effective as of the open of
market
trading tomorrow, January 3, 2008, the Company’s shares will begin trading under the new
trading symbol
“TOPS.” This concludes actions to be taken by the Company in
connection with the change of its name to “TOP SHIPS Inc.” as announced on
December 17, 2007.
About
TOP Ships
Inc.
TOP
Ships Inc., formerly known as TOP Tankers Inc., is an international provider
of
worldwide seaborne crude oil and petroleum products and of drybulk
transportation services. Upon delivery of one tanker to its new owners, the
Company will operate a fleet of 19 tankers, consisting of 11 double-hull Suezmax
tankers and 8 double-hull Handymax tankers, with a total carrying capacity
of
approximately 2.0 million dwt, of which 78% are sister ships, and two drybulk
vessels. It expects delivery of four more drybulk vessels between January and
March 2008. Thirteen of the Company’s 19 tankers will be on time
charter contracts with an average initial term of over two years with all but
three of the time charters including profit sharing agreements. Three of the
Company’s drybulk vessels will have period charter contracts for an average
period of 18 months.
Forward-Looking
Statement
Certain
statements and information included in this release constitute “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of the Federal Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995 provides safe harbor protections for forward-looking statements in order
to
encourage companies to provide prospective information about their
business. Forward-looking statements reflect our current views with
respect to future events and financial performance and may include statements
concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance,
and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements
of historical facts.
The
Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary
statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words “believe,”
“anticipate,” “intends,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “plan,” “potential,”
“will,” “may,” “should,” “expect,” “pending” and similar expressions identify
forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release
are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon
further assumptions, including without limitation, our management’s examination
of historical operating trends, data contained in our records and other data
available from third parties. Although we believe that these assumptions were
reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to
significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible
to
predict and are beyond our control, we cannot assure you that we will achieve
or
accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections.
In
addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in our view,
could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the
forward-looking statements include the strength of world economies and
currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates
and vessel values, failure of a seller to deliver one or more vessels or of
a
buyer to accept delivery of one or more vessels, inability to procure
acquisition financing, default by one or more charterers of our ships, changes
in the demand for crude oil and petroleum products, changes in demand for dry
bulk shipping capacity, changes in our operating expenses, including bunker
prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for our vessels, availability
of financing and refinancing, changes in governmental rules and regulations
or
actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or
future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions,
potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events,
vessels breakdowns and instances of off-hires and other factors. Please see
our
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a more complete
discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized.
TOP
TANKERS INC.
(registrant)
Dated: January
2,
2008 By:
/s/ Evangelos J.
Pistiolis
Evangelos
J.
Pistiolis
Chief
Executive
Officer
SK
23116 0001
842697