CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES AND JUDGEMENTS
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with IFRS requires Management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. These estimates and assumptions are affected by the way TORM applies its accounting policies. An accounting estimate is considered critical if the estimate requires Management to make assumptions about matters subject to significant uncertainty, if different estimates could reasonably have been used, or if changes in the estimate that would have a material impact on the Company's financial position or results of operations are reasonably likely to occur from period to period. Management believes that the accounting estimates applied are appropriate and the resulting balances are reasonable. However, actual results could differ from the original estimates requiring adjustments to these balances in future periods.
Management believes that the following are the significant accounting estimates and judgements used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements:
ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
Carrying amounts of vessels
The Company evaluates the carrying amounts of the vessels (including newbuildings) to determine if events have occurred that would require a modification of their carrying amounts. The valuation of vessels is reviewed based on events and changes in circumstances that would indicate that the carrying amount of the assets might not be recoverable. In assessing the recoverability of the vessels, the Company reviews certain indicators of potential impairment such as reported sale and purchase prices, market demand and general market conditions. Furthermore, market valuations from leading, independent and internationally recognized shipbrokers are obtained on a quarterly basis as part of the review for potential impairment indicators. If an indication of impairment is identified, the need for recognizing an impairment loss is assessed by comparing the carrying amount of the vessels to the higher of the fair value less cost to sell and the value in use.
The review for potential impairment indicators and projection of future discounted cash flows related to the vessels is complex and requires the Company to make various estimates including future freight rates, utilization, earnings from the vessels, future operating and capital expenditure and discount rates. For more information on key assumptions and related sensitivities, please refer to note 8 in these financial statements. All these factors have been historically volatile. The carrying amounts of TORM's vessels may not represent their fair market value at any point in time, as market prices of second-hand vessels to a certain degree tend to fluctuate with changes in charter rates and the cost of newbuildings. However, if the estimated future cash flow or related assumptions in the future experience change, an impairment write-down or reversal of vessels may be required.
JUDGEMENTS
Reverse acquisition
TORM's Restructuring was completed on 13 July 2015 and included inter alia a contribution by OCM Njord Holdings S.à r.l. ("Njord Luxco") of Njord to TORM in exchange for a controlling interest in TORM. The transaction is described in detail in note 27. Management has concluded that the contribution should be accounted for as a reverse acquisition according to IFRS 3 (Revised 2008) – Business Combinations ("IFRS 3"), i.e. Njord is the acquirer and Former TORM is the acquiree. Management's most significant judgements applying to the accounting policies relate to:
· Identification of the acquirer
· Calculation of consideration
Identification of the acquirer
IFRS 3 requires that the determination of the acquirer shall be determined based on the guidance in IFRS 10 – "Consolidated Financial Statements", which means that the acquirer will be the entity that obtains control over the acquiree. The acquirer in a business combination will therefore most often be the entity (Former TORM A/S) legally acquiring the other (Njord) in exchange for cash, other assets or in exchange for issuing its equity interests. However, IFRS 3 states that in some cases the accounting acquirer can be the entity that is legally being acquired, i.e. Njord. The latter is typically the case when the former shareholder (Njord Luxco) of the entity whose shares are being acquired (Njord) owns the majority of shares and controls the majority of votes in the combined entity (TORM) after the transaction.
Following the transaction, Njord Luxco had control with the majority of the share capital and associated votes of Former TORM A/S, which led Management to conclude that the transaction is to be accounted for as a reverse acquisition, i.e. as if Former TORM A/S has been acquired by Njord rather than Former TORM A/S acquiring Njord.
Calculation of consideration
Based on the provision of IFRS 3, Njord's purchase price for a controlling interest in Former TORM A/S is calculated as the fair value of the interest in Njord that the existing shareholders and warrant holders in Former TORM A/S would have received, had the business combination of Former TORM A/S and Njord not been a reverse acquisition. As the issued shares of Former TORM A/S were publicly traded, Management considered whether the fair value of Former TORM A/S would have been a more reliable measure of the consideration. Management believes that the fair value of the interest in Njord that would have been issued represented the fair value of the consideration more reliably than the share price of Former TORM A/S. The share price of Former TORM A/S was very volatile during the period before the Restructuring due to the significant uncertainty about Former TORM A/S' future as an independent group.
