
adversely affected by the consequences of war, the effects of terrorism, civil unrest and governmental actions in countries or
territories that we operate in.
Our operations will be subject to numerous laws and regulations in the form of international conventions and treaties, national,
state and local laws and national and international regulations in force in the jurisdictions in which our vessels operate or are
registered, which can significantly affect the ownership and operation of our vessels. Compliance with such laws and
regulations, where applicable, may require installation of costly equipment or operational changes and may affect the resale
value or useful lives of our vessels. Compliance with such laws and regulations may require us to obtain certain permits or
authorizations prior to commencing operations. Failure to obtain such permits or authorizations could materially impact our
business results of operations, financial conditions and ability to pay dividends by delaying or limiting our ability to accept
charterers. We may also incur additional costs in order to comply with other existing and future regulatory obligations,
including, but not limited to, costs relating to air emissions including greenhouse gases, the management of ballast waters,
maintenance and inspection, development and implementation of emergency procedures and insurance coverage or other
financial assurance of our ability to address pollution incidents.
A failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations may result in administrative and civil penalties, criminal sanctions or
the suspension or termination of our operations. Environmental requirements can also affect the resale value or useful lives of
our vessels, could require a reduction in cargo capacity, ship modifications or operational changes or restrictions, could lead to
decreased availability of insurance coverage for environmental matters or could result in the denial of access to certain
jurisdictional waters or ports or detention in certain ports. Under local, national and foreign laws, as well as international
treaties and conventions, we could incur material liabilities, including clean-up obligations and natural resource damages
liability, in the event that there is a release of hazardous materials from our vessels or otherwise in connection with our
operations. Environmental laws often impose strict liability for remediation of spills and releases of oil and hazardous
substances, which could subject us to liability, without regard to whether we were negligent or at fault. We could also become
subject to personal injury or property damage claims relating to the release of hazardous substances associated with our existing
or historic operations. Violations of, or liabilities under, environmental requirements can result in substantial penalties, fines
and other sanctions, including, in certain instances, seizure or detention of our vessels, and could harm our reputation with
current or potential charterers of our tankers. We will be required to satisfy insurance and financial responsibility requirements
for potential oil (including marine fuel) spills and other pollution incidents. Although we have insurance to cover certain
environmental risks, there can be no assurance that such insurance will be sufficient to cover all such risks or that any claims
will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We have incurred increased costs to comply with revised environmental standards. Additional or new conventions, laws and
regulations may be adopted that could require, among others, the installation of expensive emission control systems and could
adversely affect our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. Low sulfur fuel is more expensive than
standard marine fuel containing 3.5% sulfur content and may become more expensive or difficult to obtain as a result of
increased demand. If the cost differential between low sulfur fuel and high sulfur fuel is significantly higher than anticipated, or
if low sulfur fuel is not available at ports on certain trading routes, it may not be feasible or competitive to operate our vessels
on certain trading routes without installing scrubbers or without incurring deviation time to obtain compliant fuel. Scrubbers
may not be available to be installed on such vessels at a favorable cost or at all if we seek them at a later date. Further, there is a
risk that if the fuel spread between high sulfur fuel oil and low sulfur fuel oil decreases, we may not be able to recover the
investments we have made in our scrubbers with our expected timeframes or at all. In the year ended December 31, 2024, the
Company did not incur any costs for the purchase and installation of scrubbers.
We may operate in a number of countries throughout the world, including countries known to have a reputation for corruption.
We are committed to doing business in accordance with applicable anti-corruption laws and have adopted a code of business
conduct and ethics which is consistent and in full compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (“the
FCPA”) and other anti-bribery legislation. We are subject, however, to the risk that we, our affiliated entities or our or their
respective officers, directors, employees and agents may take actions determined to be in violation of such anti-corruption laws,
including the FCPA. Any such violation could result in substantial fines, sanctions, civil and/or criminal penalties, curtailment
of operations in certain jurisdictions, and might adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition. In
addition, actual or alleged violations could damage our reputation and ability to do business. Furthermore, detecting,
investigating, and resolving actual or alleged violations is expensive and can consume significant time and attention of our
senior management. Though we have implemented monitoring procedures and required policies, guidelines, contractual terms
and audits, these measures may not prevent or detect failures by our agents or intermediaries regarding compliance.
We may be, from time to time, involved in various litigation matters and arbitration proceedings. These matters may include,
among other things, contract disputes, personal injury claims, environmental claims or proceedings, asbestos and other toxic
Frontline Plc - Annual Report and Financial Statements 2024 41