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Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)

Registration Statement No. 333-174221

 

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not an offer to sell these securities and are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

(To Prospectus dated May 13, 2011)

 

7,000,000 Common Units

 

Representing Limited Partner Interests

 

 

Teekay Offshore Partners L.P.

 

$         per common unit

 

 

 

We are selling 7,000,000 of our common units, representing limited partner interests. We have granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to 1,050,000 additional common units.

 

Our common units are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “TOO.” The last reported sale price of our common units on the New York Stock Exchange on September 10, 2012 was $28.60 per common unit.

 

Investing in our common units involves risks. Please read “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-7 of this prospectus supplement and page 5 of the accompanying prospectus before you make an investment in our common units.

 

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus are truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

 

		Per common unit				Total
Public offering price		$				$
Underwriting discount		$				$
Proceeds to us (before expenses) from this offering to the public		$				$

 

The underwriters expect to deliver the common units on or about September     , 2012 through the book-entry facilities of The Depository Trust Company.

 

 

 

Joint Book-Running Managers

 

Citigroup		BofA Merrill Lynch		RBC Capital Markets

 

Senior Co-Managers

 

Barclays
		Credit Suisse
				Deutsche Bank Securities
						Raymond James

 

Co-Managers

 

ABN AMRO		ING		Natixis

 

September    , 2012

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this offering of common units. The second part is the accompanying prospectus, which gives more general information, some of which may not apply to this offering of common units. Generally, when we refer to the “prospectus,” we refer to both parts combined. If information varies between this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement.

 

Any statement made in this prospectus or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement or in any other subsequently filed document that is also incorporated by reference into this prospectus modified or supersedes that statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

 

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any “free writing prospectus” we may authorize to be delivered to you. Neither we nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide you with additional or different information. If anyone provides you with additional, different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus or any “free writing prospectus” we may authorize to be delivered to you, as well as the information we previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (or the SEC) that is incorporated by reference herein, is accurate as of any date other than its respective date. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since such dates.

 

We are offering to sell the common units, and are seeking offers to buy the common units, only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus and the offering of the common units in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about and observe any restrictions relating to the offering of the common units and the distribution of this prospectus outside the United States. This prospectus does not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer or solicitation by anyone in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is not authorized or in which the person making such offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation.

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Prospectus Supplement
About This Prospectus Supplement			S-i
Incorporation of Documents by Reference			S-iii
Forward-Looking Statements			S-v
Summary			S-1
Risk Factors			S-7
Use of Proceeds			S-10
Capitalization			S-11
Price Range of Common Units and Distributions			S-12
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations			S-13
Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)			S-20
Legal Matters			S-25
Experts			S-25
Expenses			S-25
Prospectus
About This Prospectus			3
Forward-Looking Statements			3
Teekay Offshore Partners L.P.			4
Risk Factors			5
Use of Proceeds			10
Description of The Common Units			11
Cash Distributions			15
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations			21
Non-United States Tax Considerations			28
Plan of Distribution			31
Service of Process and Enforcement of Civil Liabilities			33
Legal Matters			33
Experts			33
Where You Can Find More Information			34
Incorporation of Documents by Reference			34
Expenses			35

 

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INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

 

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information that we file with the SEC. This means that we can disclose important information to you without actually including the specific information in this prospectus by referring you to other documents filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus. Information that we later provide to the SEC, and which is deemed to be “filed” with the SEC and incorporated into this prospectus, automatically will update information previously filed with the SEC and may replace information in this prospectus.

 

We incorporate by reference into this prospectus the documents listed below:

 

•

our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2011;

 

•

our Reports on Form 6-K furnished to the SEC on May 29, 2012, August 28, 2012 and September 11, 2012;

 

•

all of our subsequent Reports on Form 6-K furnished prior to the termination of this offering that we identify in such Reports as being incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part; and

 

•

the description of our common units contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A/A filed on May 13, 2011, including any subsequent amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

 

These reports contain important information about us, our financial condition and our results of operations.

 

You may obtain any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus from the SEC through its public reference facilities or its website at the addresses provided in “Where You Can Find More Information” in the accompanying prospectus. You also may request a copy of any document incorporated by reference into this prospectus (excluding any exhibits to those documents, unless the exhibit is specifically incorporated by reference in this document), at no cost by visiting our internet website at www.teekayoffshore.com. The information contained in our website, or any other website, is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus and does not constitute a part of this prospectus. You may also make requests for such documents at no cost by writing or calling us at the following address:

 

Teekay Offshore Partners L.P.

4th Floor, Belvedere Building,

69 Pitts Bay Road

Hamilton HM 08, Bermuda

Attn: Corporate Secretary

(441) 298-2530

 

You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with any information. You should not assume that the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of each document.

 

In reviewing any agreements included as exhibits to the registration statement relating to the securities covered by this prospectus or to other SEC filings incorporated by reference into this prospectus, please be aware that these agreements are attached as exhibits to provide you with information regarding their terms and are not intended to provide any other factual or disclosure information about us or the other parties to the agreements. The agreements may contain representations and warranties by each of the parties to the applicable agreement,

 

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which representations and warranties may have been made solely for the benefit of the other parties to the applicable agreement and, as applicable:

 

•

should not in all instances be treated as categorical statements of fact, but rather as a way of allocating the risk to one of the parties if those statements prove to be inaccurate;

 

•

have been qualified by disclosures that may have been made to the other party in connection with the negotiation of the applicable agreement, which disclosures are not necessarily reflected in the agreement;

 

•

may apply standards of materiality in a way that is different from what may be viewed as material to you or other investors; and

 

•

were made only as of the date of the applicable agreement (or such other date or dates as may be specified in the agreement) and are subject to more recent developments.

 

Accordingly, these representations and warranties may not describe the actual state of affairs as of the date they were made or at any other time and should not be relied upon by investors in considering whether to invest in our securities.

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus are forward-looking statements. In addition, we and our representatives may from time to time make other oral or written statements that are also forward-looking statements. Such statements include, in particular, statements about our plans, strategies, business prospects, changes and trends in our business, and the markets in which we operate. In some cases, you can identify the forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “forecast,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “propose,” “potential,” “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology.

 

Forward-looking statements in this prospectus or incorporated by reference herein include, among others, statements about the following matters:

 

•

our distribution policy and our ability to make cash distributions on our units or any increases in quarterly distributions;

 

•

our future financial condition or results of operations and future revenues and expenses;

 

•

our future growth prospects;

 

•

growth prospects of the offshore and tanker markets;

 

•

our potential additional vessel acquisitions and projects, and the timing and cost thereof, including our proposed acquisition of the Voyageur Spirit FPSO unit, anticipated accretion therefrom, and the closing of such acquisition;

 

•

oil fields adjacent to the Petrojarl Varg FPSO unit becoming operational and our ability to service those fields;

 

•

offshore and tanker market fundamentals, including the balance of supply and demand in the offshore and tanker markets and spot tanker charter rates;

 

•

potential newbuilding order cancellations;

 

•

our competitive advantage in the shuttle tanker market;

 

•

the expected lifespan of a new shuttle tanker, FSO unit, FPSO unit and conventional tanker;

 

•

the commencement of service of newbuildings or existing vessels;

 

•

delivery dates of and financing for vessels, including the Cidade de Itajai and Voyageur Spirit FPSO units;

 

•

the expected costs of newbuildings and vessel conversions;

 

•

the estimated sales price or scrap value of vessels;

 

•

estimated capital expenditures and our ability to fund them;

 

•

the duration of drydockings;

 

•

the expected increases in vessel operating expenses and charter rates for our vessels;

 

•

our ability to maintain long-term relationships with major crude oil companies, including our ability to service fields until they no longer produce;

 

•

the derivation of a substantial majority of our revenue from a limited number of customers;

 

•

our ability to leverage to our advantage Teekay Corporation’s relationships and reputation in the shipping industry;

 

•

our continued ability to enter into fixed-rate time charters with customers;

 

•

direct acquisitions from third parties and obtaining offshore projects that we or Teekay Corporation bid on or may be awarded;

 

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•

our ability to maximize the use of our vessels, including the redeployment or disposition of vessels no longer under long-term time charter;

 

•

the ability of the counterparties to our derivative contracts to fulfill their contractual obligations;

 

•

our expected financial flexibility to pursue acquisitions and other expansion opportunities;

 

•

entrance into joint ventures and partnerships with companies;

 

•

anticipated funds for liquidity needs and the sufficiency of cash flows;

 

•

the future valuation of goodwill;

 

•

our expectations as to any impairment of our vessels;

 

•

vessel operating and crewing costs for vessels;

 

•

the potential for losses arising from claims relating to the November 2006 collision of our shuttle tanker the Navion Hispania with the Njord Bravo, an FSO unit, while preparing to load an oil cargo from the Njord Bravo;

 

•

our compliance with covenants under our credit facilities;

 

•

the expected cost of, and our ability to comply with, governmental regulations and maritime self regulatory organization standards applicable to our business;

 

•

the expected impact of heightened environmental and quality concerns of insurance underwriters, regulators and charterers;

 

•

anticipated taxation of our partnership and its subsidiaries and taxation of unitholders;

 

•

our hedging activities relating to foreign exchange, interest rate and spot market risks;

 

•

our exposure to foreign currency fluctuations, particularly in Norwegian Kroner;

 

•

our general and administrative expenses as a public company and expenses under service agreements with other affiliates of Teekay Corporation and for reimbursements of fees and costs of Teekay Offshore GP L.L.C., our general partner; and

 

•

our business strategy and other plans and objectives for future operations.

 

These and other forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those risks discussed in “Risk Factors” set forth in the prospectus and those risks discussed in other reports we file with the SEC and that are incorporated in this prospectus by reference, including, among others, our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2011. The risks, uncertainties and assumptions involve known and unknown risks and are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control.

 

Forward-looking statements are made based upon management’s current plans, expectations, estimates, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events affecting us and, therefore, involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including those risks discussed in “Risk Factors” and otherwise incorporated into this prospectus. We caution that forward-looking statements are not guarantees and that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements.

 

We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of these factors. Further, we cannot assess the effect of each such factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to be materially different from those contained in any forward-looking statement.

 

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RISK FACTORS

 

Before investing in our common units you should carefully consider all of the information included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Although many of our business risks are comparable to those of a corporation engaged in a similar business, limited partner interests are inherently different from the capital stock of a corporation. When evaluating an investment in our common units, you should carefully consider those risks discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” beginning on page 5 of the accompanying prospectus, as well as the discussion of risk factors beginning on page 9 of our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2011. If any of these risks were to occur, our business, financial condition, operating results or cash flows could be materially adversely affected. In that case, our ability to pay distributions on our common units may be reduced, the trading price of our common units could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. In addition, we are subject to the following risks and uncertainties:

 

Risks Relating to the Voyageur Acquisition

 

The pending Voyageur Acquisition may not close as anticipated or it may close with adjusted terms.

 

We expect the Voyageur Acquisition to close in November 2012, subject to applicable closing conditions. If these conditions are not satisfied or waived, we will not complete the Voyageur Acquisition. Conditions that remain to be satisfied include, among others:

 

•

Teekay Corporation having acquired the Voyageur Spirit and related assets pursuant to the terms of its acquisition agreement with Sevan;

 

•

the existing term loan credit facility secured by the Voyageur Spirit being assigned to us on acceptable terms and having been increased from $230 million to at least $320 million, or our having obtained other acceptable debt financing relating to the FPSO unit;

 

•

the release of existing liens on the Voyageur Spirit; and

 

•

the execution and delivery of certain agreements related to the consummation of the Voyageur Acquisition.

 

Conditions to Teekay Corporation’s acquisition of the Voyageur Spirit from Sevan include, among others:

 

•

deployment of the Voyageur Spirit at the North Sea’s Huntington Field and commencement of production by the unit and charter hire payments under the charter;

 

•

the absence of any order or injunction that prohibits the transfer of the Voyageur Spirit to Teekay Corporation;

 

•

the absence of any material adverse effect; and

 

•

the execution and delivery of certain agreements related to the consummation of the vessel acquisition.

 

We cannot assure you that the pending Voyageur Acquisition will close on our expected timeframe, or at all, or close without material adjustment to existing terms. In addition, the closing of this common units offering is not conditioned upon the closing of the Voyageur Acquisition. Accordingly, if you decide to purchase common units in this offering, you should be willing to do so whether or not we complete the Voyageur Acquisition.

 

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We may be unable to realize expected benefits from the Voyageur Acquisition, and the acquisition may harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

 

Similar to the acquisition of any vessel, the Voyageur Acquisition may not result in anticipated profitability or generate cash flow sufficient to justify our investment. In addition, the acquisition exposes us to risks that may harm our business, financial condition and operating results. These risks include that we may:

 

•

fail to obtain the benefits of the Voyageur Spirit charter if the charterer fails to make charter payments because of its financial inability, disagreements with us or otherwise;

 

•

fail to obtain the benefits of the Voyageur Spirit charter if the charterer exercises certain rights to reduce payments under the contract or to terminate the charter;

 

•

be unable to hire, train or retain qualified seafaring personnel to manage and operate the Voyageur Spirit;

 

•

decrease our borrowing capacity as a result of the Voyageur Acquisition, which may reduce our ability to finance further acquisitions;

 

•

incur or assume unanticipated liabilities, losses or costs; or

 

•

incur other significant charges, such as impairment of goodwill or other intangible assets, asset devaluation or restructuring charges.

 

Financing the Voyageur Acquisition will increase our outstanding obligations.

 

In connection with the Voyageur Acquisition, we intend to either enter into a new debt facility in the amount of approximately $330 million or assume an existing $230 million term loan facility secured by the Voyageur Spirit, which we would seek to increase to at least $320 million as part of the Voyageur Acquisition. The existing credit facility contains, and a new facility would contain, restrictive and financial covenants. These covenants may reduce our ability to obtain additional debt financing, to respond to changing business and economic conditions or to fund capital expenditure or working capital needs. In addition, we will have a significant level of debt, which could lead to constraints in our liquidity and working capital.

 

The existing credit facility secured by the Voyageur Spirit requires equal quarterly repayments through October 2016. We anticipate that any increase in the amount of the term loan would become due in a bullet payment at maturity of the existing loan. When such obligations come due, we may be unable to refinance such obligations on acceptable terms, if at all. For a discussion about the risks posed by our borrowings generally, please read “Risk Factors—Our substantial debt levels may limit our flexibility in obtaining additional financing, pursuing other business opportunities and paying distributions to you” in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2011.

 

Tax Risks

 

U.S. tax authorities could treat us as a “passive foreign investment company,” which could have adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. holders.

 

A non-U.S. entity taxed as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes will be treated as a “passive foreign investment company” (or PFIC) for U.S. federal income tax purposes if at least 75% of its gross income for any taxable year consists of certain types of “passive income,” or at least 50% of the average value of the entity’s assets produce or are held for the production of those types of “passive income.” For purposes of these tests, “passive income” includes dividends, interest, and gains from the sale or exchange of investment property and rents and royalties other than rents and royalties that are received from unrelated parties in connection with the active conduct of a trade or business. By contrast, income derived from the performance of services does not constitute “passive income.”

 

There are legal uncertainties involved in determining whether the income derived from our time chartering activities constitutes rental income or income derived from the performance of services, including the decision in

 

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Tidewater Inc. v. United States, 565 F.3d 299 (5th Cir. 2009), which held that income derived from certain time chartering activities should be treated as rental income rather than services income for purposes of a foreign sales corporation provision of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (or the Code). However, the Internal Revenue Service (or IRS) stated in an Action on Decision (AOD 2010-01) that it disagrees with, and will not acquiesce to, the way that the rental versus services framework was applied to the facts in the Tidewater decision, and in its discussion stated that the time charters at issue in Tidewater would be treated as producing services income for PFIC purposes. The IRS’s statement with respect to Tidewater cannot be relied upon or otherwise cited as precedent by taxpayers. Consequently, in the absence of any binding legal authority specifically relating to the statutory provisions governing PFICs, there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court would not follow the Tidewater decision in interpreting the PFIC provisions of the Code. Nevertheless, based on our current assets and operations, we intend to take the position that we are not now and have never been a PFIC, and our counsel, Perkins Coie LLP, is of the opinion that it is more likely than not we are not a PFIC based on representations we have made to them regarding the composition of our assets, the source of our income and the nature of our activities and other operations following this offering. No assurance can be given, however, that the opinion of Perkins Coie LLP would be sustained by a court if contested by the IRS, or that we would not constitute a PFIC for any future taxable year if there were to be changes in our assets, income or operations.

 

If the IRS were to determine that we are or have been a PFIC for any taxable year, U.S. unitholders would face adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences. Under the PFIC rules, unless those U.S. unitholders make certain elections available under the Code, such unitholders would be liable to pay tax at ordinary income tax rates plus interest upon certain distributions and upon any gain from the disposition of our common units, as if such distribution or gain had been recognized ratably over the unitholder’s holding period. Please read “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—United States Federal Income Taxation of U.S. Holders—Consequences of Possible PFIC Classification.”

 

The preferential tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income expire for tax years beginning after December 31, 2012, and the absence of legislation extending the term would cause our dividends to be taxed at ordinary graduated tax rates.

 

Certain of our distributions may be treated as qualified dividend income which currently is eligible for preferential rates of U.S. federal income tax to U.S. individual unitholders (and certain other U.S. unitholders). In the absence of legislation extending the term for these preferential tax rates or providing for some other treatment, all dividends received by such U.S. taxpayers in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012 will be taxed at ordinary graduated tax rates. Please read “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—United States Federal Income Taxation of U.S. Holders—Distributions.”

 

Common unitholders may be subject to income tax in one or more non-U.S. countries, including Canada, as a result of owning our common units if, under the laws of any such country, we are considered to be carrying on business there. Such laws may require common unitholders to file a tax return with, and pay taxes to, those countries.

 

We intend that our affairs and the business of each of our subsidiaries is conducted and operated in a manner that minimizes foreign income taxes that may be imposed upon you as a result of owning our common units. However, there is a risk that common unitholders will be subject to tax in one or more countries, including Canada, as a result of owning our common units if, under the laws of any such country, we are considered to be carrying on business there. If common unitholders are subject to tax in any such country, common unitholders may be required to file a tax return with, and pay taxes to, that country based on their allocable share of our income. We may be required to reduce distributions to common unitholders on account of any withholding obligations imposed upon us by that country in respect of such allocation to common unitholders. The United States may not allow a tax credit for any foreign income taxes that common unitholders directly or indirectly incur.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

 

We expect to receive net proceeds of approximately $             million from the sale of common units we are offering (including from our general partner’s related capital contribution to maintain its 2% general partner interest in us), after deducting underwriting discounts and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We expect to receive net proceeds of approximately $             million (including from our general partner’s related capital contribution) if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional common units.

 

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, and the related capital contribution by our general partner, to repay a portion of our outstanding debt under our revolving credit facilities. The proceeds from any exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units will also be used to repay amounts outstanding under our revolving credit facilities. These credit facilities have fluctuating interest rates based on LIBOR plus 0.625% to 3.25%. The credit facilities mature between June 2013 and October 2014. These facilities are available to fund various acquisitions and for working capital and general partnership purposes. We intend to reborrow under our revolving credit facilities to partially finance the Voyageur Acquisition, which is expected to close in November 2012. We intend to finance the remaining purchase price of the Voyageur Acquisition through (a) the issuance by us to Teekay Corporation of $40 million of our common units upon the closing of the Voyageur Acquisition (valued at the same price per unit to the public in this offering) and (b) borrowings under new bank facilities. If the Voyageur Acquisition does not occur, our revolving credit facilities will remain available for general partnership purposes, including other potential acquisitions.

 

Affiliates of certain of the underwriters are lenders under the revolving credit facilities described above and will receive a portion of the net proceeds from this offering. Please read “Underwriting.”

 

This offering is not contingent on the closing of the Voyageur Acquisition.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

 

The following table sets forth our capitalization as of June 30, 2012:

 

•

on a historical basis;

 

•

on an as adjusted basis to give effect to this offering, the related capital contribution by our general partner to maintain its 2% general partner interest in us, and the repayment of a portion of our outstanding debt under our revolving credit facilities with the estimated net proceeds therefrom as described under “Use of Proceeds.”

 

The historical data in the table is derived from, and should be read in conjunction with, our historical financial statements, including accompanying notes, and the section entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” from our Report on Form 6-K for the second quarter of 2012, which is incorporated by reference herein.

 

		As of June 30, 2012
		Actual				As Adjusted(1)(2)
		(in thousands)
Total cash and cash equivalents		$	179,462			$	179,462
Long-term debt, including current portion		$	1,995,441			$
Equity:
Non-controlling interest			40,384				40,384
Partners’ equity			408,275
Accumulated other comprehensive loss			(484	)			(484	)
Total capitalization		$	2,443,616			$

 

(1)

Assumes the underwriters have not exercised their option to purchase additional common units.

(2)

Excludes the issuance of 1,700,022 common units to a group of institutional investors in July 2012 for net proceeds, including our general partner’s 2% proportionate capital contribution, of $45.9 million.

 

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PRICE RANGE OF COMMON UNITS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

 

Our common units are listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “TOO.”

 

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low sales price per common unit, as reported on the New York Stock Exchange, and the amount of quarterly cash distributions declared per unit. The closing sale price of our common units on the New York Stock Exchange on September 10, 2012 was $28.60 per common unit.

 

		Price Ranges								Quarterly Cash Distributions(1)
		High				Low
Years Ended
December 31, 2011		$	31.50			$	22.01
December 31, 2010			29.92				16.89
December 31, 2009			20.15				9.44
December 31, 2008			26.77				6.22
December 31, 2007			37.83				23.49
Quarters Ended
September 30, 2012(2)		$	29.60			$	27.65
June 30, 2012			29.79				26.31			$	0.5125
March 31, 2012			30.14				26.88				0.5125
December 31, 2011			28.54				22.20				0.500
September 30, 2011			30.44				22.01				0.500
June 30, 2011			31.50				27.00				0.500
March 31, 2011			30.68				26.65				0.500
December 31, 2010			29.92				23.02				0.475
September 30, 2010			24.08				19.54				0.475
June 30, 2010			22.50				16.89				0.475
March 31, 2010			21.12				17.91				0.475
Months Ended
September 30, 2012(3)		$	28.86			$	28.15
August 31, 2012			29.14				27.75
July 31, 2012			29.60				27.65
June 30, 2012			28.37				26.38
May 31, 2012			29.79				26.31
April 30, 2012			29.54				28.25
March 31, 2012			30.14				28.34

 

(1)

Distributions are shown for the quarter with respect to which they were declared. Cash distributions are declared and paid within 45 days following the close of each quarter.

(2)

Period beginning July 1, 2012 and ending September 10, 2012.

(3)

Period beginning September 1, 2012 and ending September 10, 2012.

 

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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

 

The following is a discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations that may be relevant to prospective unitholders and, unless otherwise noted in the following discussion, is the opinion of Perkins Coie LLP, our U.S. counsel, insofar as it relates to matters of U.S. federal income tax law and legal conclusions with respect to those matters. The opinion of our counsel is dependent on the accuracy of representations made by us to them, including descriptions of our operations contained herein.

 

This discussion is based upon the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (or the Code), its legislative history, applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder (or Treasury Regulations), judicial decisions and administrative interpretations, all as in effect on the date of this prospectus supplement, and which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect, or are subject to different interpretations. Changes in these authorities may cause the tax consequences to vary substantially from the consequences described below. Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this section to “we,” “our” or “us” are references to Teekay Offshore Partners L.P.

 

This discussion is limited to unitholders who hold their common units as capital assets for tax purposes. This discussion does not address all tax considerations that may be important to a particular unitholder in light of the unitholder’s circumstances, or to certain categories of unitholders that may be subject to special tax rules, such as:

 

•

dealers in securities or currencies,

 

•

traders in securities that have elected the mark-to-market method of accounting for their securities,

 

•

persons whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar,

 

•

persons holding our common units as part of a hedge, straddle, conversion or other “synthetic security” or integrated transaction,

 

•

certain U.S. expatriates,

 

•

financial institutions,

 

•

insurance companies,

 

•

persons subject to the alternative minimum tax,

 

•

persons that actually or under applicable constructive ownership rules own 10% or more of our common units; and

 

•

entities that are tax-exempt for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

If a partnership (including any entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds our common units, the tax treatment of a partner generally will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner in a partnership holding our common units, you should consult your own tax advisor about the U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning and disposing the common units.

 

No ruling has been or will be requested from the Internal Revenue Service (or IRS) regarding any matter affecting us or our unitholders. Instead, we will rely on the opinion of Perkins Coie LLP. Unlike a ruling, an opinion of counsel represents only that counsel’s legal judgment and does not bind the IRS or the courts. Accordingly, the opinions and statements made herein may not be sustained by a court if contested by the IRS.

 

This discussion does not address any U.S. estate tax considerations or tax considerations arising under the laws of any state, local or non-U.S. jurisdiction. Each unitholder is urged to consult its own tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal, state, local and other tax consequences of the ownership or disposition of our common units.

 

 

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Election to be Taxed as a Corporation

 

We have elected to be taxed as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As such, unitholders are not directly subject to U.S. federal income tax on our income, but rather are subject to U.S. federal income tax on distributions received from us and dispositions of units as described below.

 

United States Federal Income Taxation of U.S. Holders

 

As used herein, the term U.S. Holder means a beneficial owner of our common units that is a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien, a corporation or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, that was created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source, or a trust that either is subject to the supervision of a court within the United States and has one or more U.S. persons with authority to control all of its substantial decisions or has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations to be treated as a United States person.

 

Distributions

 

We have elected to be taxed as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Subject to the discussion of passive foreign investment companies (or PFICs) below, any distributions made by us with respect to our common units to a U.S. Holder generally will constitute dividends, which may be taxable as ordinary income or “qualified dividend income” as described in more detail below, to the extent of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of our earnings and profits will be treated first as a nontaxable return of capital to the extent of the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in its common units and thereafter as capital gain. U.S. Holders that are corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes generally will not be entitled to claim a dividends received deduction with respect to any distributions they receive from us. Dividends paid with respect to our common units generally will be treated as “passive category income” or, in the case of certain types of U.S. Holders, “general category income” for purposes of computing allowable foreign tax credits for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

Dividends paid on our common units to a U.S. Holder who is an individual, trust or estate (or a U.S. Individual Holder) will be treated as “qualified dividend income” that is taxable to such U.S. Individual Holder at preferential capital gain tax rates for years beginning before January 1, 2013 provided that: (i) our common units are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States (such as the New York Stock Exchange on which our common units are traded); (ii) we are not a PFIC for the taxable year during which the dividend is paid or the immediately preceding taxable year (we intend to take the position that we are not now and have never been a PFIC, as discussed below); (iii) the U.S. Individual Holder has owned the common units for more than 60 days in the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the date on which the common units become ex-dividend; (iv) the U.S. Individual Holder is not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property; and (v) certain other conditions are met. There is no assurance that any dividends paid on our common units will be eligible for these preferential rates in the hands of a U.S. Individual Holder. Any dividends paid on our common units not eligible for these preferential rates will be taxed as ordinary income to a U.S. Individual Holder. In the absence of legislation extending the term of the preferential tax rates for qualified dividend income, all dividends received by a taxpayer in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012 will be taxed at ordinary graduated tax rates.

 

Special rules may apply to any “extraordinary dividend” paid by us. An extraordinary dividend is, generally, a dividend with respect to a share of stock if the amount of the dividend is equal to or in excess of 10% of a stockholder’s adjusted basis (or fair market value in certain circumstances) in such stock. If we pay an “extraordinary dividend” on our common units that is treated as “qualified dividend income,” then any loss derived by a U.S. Individual Holder from the sale or exchange of such common units will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of such dividend.

 

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Certain U.S. Individual Holders will be subject to a 3.8% tax on, among other things, dividends for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, of this tax on their ownership of our common units.

 

Sale, Exchange or Other Disposition of Common Units

 

Provided we do not constitute a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize taxable gain or loss upon a sale, exchange or other disposition of our common units in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized by the U.S. Holder from such sale, exchange or other disposition and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in such units. Subject to the discussion of extraordinary dividends above, such gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period is greater than one year at the time of the sale, exchange or other disposition, and subject to preferential capital gain tax rates. Such capital gain or loss generally will be treated as U.S.-source gain or loss, as applicable, for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes. A U.S. Holder’s ability to deduct capital losses is subject to certain limitations.

 

Certain U.S. Individual Holders will be subject to a 3.8% tax on, among other things, capital gains from the sale or other disposition of our common units for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, of this tax on their disposition of our common units.

 

Consequences of Possible PFIC Classification

 

A non-U.S. entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes will be a PFIC in any taxable year in which, after taking into account the income and assets of the corporation and certain subsidiaries pursuant to a “look through” rule, either: (i) at least 75% of its gross income is “passive” income; or (ii) at least 50% of the average value of its assets is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income.

 

For purposes of these tests, “passive income” includes dividends, interest, and gains from the sale or exchange of investment property and rents and royalties other than rents and royalties that are received from unrelated parties in connection with the active conduct of a trade or business. By contrast, income derived from the performance of services does not constitute “passive income.”

 

There are legal uncertainties involved in determining whether the income derived from our time chartering activities constitutes rental income or income derived from the performance of services, including the decision in Tidewater Inc. v. United States, 565 F.3d 299 (5th Cir. 2009), which held that income derived from certain time chartering activities should be treated as rental income rather than services income for purposes of a foreign sales corporation provision of the Code. However, the IRS stated in an Action on Decision (AOD 2010-01) that it disagrees with, and will not acquiesce to, the way that the rental versus services framework was applied to the facts in the Tidewater decision, and in its discussion stated that the time charters at issue in Tidewater would be treated as producing services income for PFIC purposes. The IRS’s statement with respect to Tidewater cannot be relied upon or otherwise cited as precedent by taxpayers. Consequently, in the absence of any binding legal authority specifically relating to the statutory provisions governing PFICs, there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court would not follow the Tidewater decision in interpreting the PFIC provisions of the Code. Nevertheless, based on our and our subsidiaries’ current assets and operations, we intend to take the position that we are not now and have never been a PFIC, and our counsel, Perkins Coie LLP, is of the opinion that it is more likely than not that we are not a PFIC based on applicable law, including the Code, legislative history, published revenue rulings and court decisions, and representations we have made to them regarding the composition of our assets, the source of our income and the nature of our activities and other operations following this offering, including:

 

•

the total payments due to us under each of our time charters and our FPSO contracts are substantially in excess of the current bareboat charter rate for comparable vessels;

 

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•

the income derived from our contracts of affreightment and time chartering activities and a portion of the income derived from our FPSO contracts will be greater than 25% of our total gross income at all relevant times; and

 

•

the gross value of our vessels servicing our contracts of affreightment and time charters and a portion of the gross value of vessels servicing our FPSO contracts will exceed the gross value of all other assets we own at all relevant times.

 

An opinion of counsel represents only that counsel’s best legal judgment and does not bind the IRS or the courts. Accordingly, the opinion of Perkins Coie LLP may not be sustained by a court if contested by the IRS. Further, no assurance can be given that we would not constitute a PFIC for any future taxable year if there were to be changes in our or our subsidiaries’ assets, income or operations.

 

As discussed more fully below, if we were to be treated as a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder would be subject to different taxation rules depending on whether the U.S. Holder makes a timely and effective election to treat us as a “Qualified Electing Fund” (a QEF election). As an alternative to making a QEF election, a U.S. Holder should be able to make a “mark-to-market” election with respect to our common units, as discussed below.

 

Taxation of U.S. Holders Making a Timely QEF Election.    If a U.S. Holder makes a timely QEF election (an Electing Holder), the Electing Holder must report each taxable year for U.S. federal income tax purposes the Electing Holder’s pro rata share of our ordinary earnings and net capital gain, if any, for our taxable years that end with or within the Electing Holder’s taxable year, regardless of whether or not the Electing Holder received distributions from us in that year. Such pro rata share would not exceed the income allocable to dividends on our common units, although ordinary earnings could be allocated to a unitholder in a taxable year before the dividend is paid. Such income inclusions would not be eligible for the preferential tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income. The Electing Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common units will be increased to reflect taxed but undistributed earnings and profits. Distributions of earnings and profits that were previously taxed will result in a corresponding reduction in the Electing Holder’s adjusted tax basis in common units and will not be taxed again once distributed. An Electing Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common units. A U.S. Holder makes a QEF election with respect to any year that we are a PFIC by filing IRS Form 8621 with the holder’s timely filed U.S. federal income tax return (including extensions).

 

If a U.S. Holder has not made a timely QEF election with respect to the first year in the holder’s holding period of our common units during which we qualified as a PFIC, the holder may be treated as having made a timely QEF election by filing a QEF election with the holder’s timely filed U.S. federal income tax return (including extensions) and, under the rules of Section 1291 of the Code, a “deemed sale election” to include in income as an “excess distribution” (described below) the amount of any gain that the holder would otherwise recognize if the holder sold the holder’s common units on the “qualification date”. The qualification date is the first day of our taxable year in which we qualified as a “qualified electing fund” with respect to such U.S. Holder. In addition to the above rules, under very limited circumstances, a U.S. Holder may make a retroactive QEF election if the holder failed to file the QEF election documents in a timely manner. If a U.S. Holder makes a timely QEF election for one of our taxable years, but did not make such election with respect to the first year in the holder’s holding period of our common units during which we qualified as a PFIC and the holder did not make the deemed sale election described above, the holder also will be subject to the more adverse rules described below.

 

A U.S. Holder’s QEF election will not be effective unless we annually provide the holder with certain information concerning our income and gain, calculated in accordance with the Code, to be included with the holder’s U.S. federal income tax return. We have not provided our U.S. Holders with such information in prior taxable years and do not intend to provide such information in the current taxable year. Accordingly,

 

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U.S. Holders will not be able to make an effective QEF election at this time. If, contrary to our expectations, we determine that we are or will be a PFIC for any taxable year, we will provide U.S. Holders with the information necessary to make an effective QEF election with respect to our common units.

 

Taxation of U.S. Holders Making a “Mark-to-Market” Election.    If we were to be treated as a PFIC for any taxable year and, as we anticipate, our units were treated as “marketable stock,” then, as an alternative to making a QEF election, a U.S. Holder would be allowed to make a “mark-to-market” election with respect to our common units, provided the U.S. Holder completes and files IRS Form 8621 in accordance with the relevant instructions and related Treasury Regulations. If that election is made for the first year a U.S. Holder holds or is deemed to hold our common units and for which we are a PFIC, the U.S. Holder generally would include as ordinary income in each taxable year that we are a PFIC the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the U.S. Holder’s common units at the end of the taxable year over the holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common units. The U.S. Holder also would be permitted an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common units over the fair market value thereof at the end of the taxable year that we are a PFIC, but only to the extent of the net amount previously included in income as a result of the mark-to-market election. A U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the holder’s common units would be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss recognized. Gain recognized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common units in taxable years that we are a PFIC would be treated as ordinary income, and any loss recognized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of the common units in taxable years that we are a PFIC would be treated as ordinary loss to the extent that such loss does not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included in income by the U.S. Holder. Because the mark-to-market election only applies to marketable stock, however, it would not apply to a U.S. Holder’s indirect interest in any of our subsidiaries that were also determined to be PFICs.

 

If a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election for one of our taxable years and we were a PFIC for a prior taxable year during which such holder held our common units and for which (i) we were not a QEF with respect to such holder and (ii) such holder did not make a timely mark-to-market election, such holder would also be subject to the more adverse rules described below in the first taxable year for which the mark-to-market election is in effect and also to the extent the fair market value of the U.S. Holder’s common units exceeds the holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common units at the end of the first taxable year for which the mark-to-market election is in effect.

 

Taxation of U.S. Holders Not Making a Timely QEF or Mark-to-Market Election.    If we were to be treated as a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder who does not make either a QEF election or a “mark-to-market” election for that year (a Non-Electing Holder) would be subject to special rules resulting in increased tax liability with respect to (i) any excess distribution (i.e., the portion of any distribution received by the Non-Electing Holder on our common units in a taxable year in excess of 125% of the average annual distributions received by the Non-Electing Holder in the three preceding taxable years or, if shorter, the Non-Electing Holder’s holding period for the common units), and (ii) any gain realized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of units. Under these special rules:

 

•

the excess distribution or gain would be allocated ratably over the Non-Electing Holder’s aggregate holding period for the common units;

 

•

the amount allocated to the current taxable year and any taxable year prior to the taxable year we were first treated as a PFIC with respect to the Non-Electing Holder would be taxed as ordinary income in the current taxable year;

 

•

the amount allocated to each of the other taxable years would be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the highest rate of tax in effect for the applicable class of taxpayer for that year; and

 

•

an interest charge for the deemed deferral benefit would be imposed with respect to the resulting tax attributable to each such other taxable year.

 

 

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If we were treated as a PFIC for any taxable year and a Non-Electing Holder who is an individual dies while owning our common units, such holder’s successor generally would not receive a step-up in tax basis with respect to such units. In addition, a U.S. Holder is required to file an annual report with the IRS for each taxable year in which we are treated as a PFIC with respect to the U.S. Holder’s common units.

 

U.S. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the applicability, availability and advisability of, and procedure for, making QEF, Mark-to-Market Elections and other available elections with respect to us, and the U.S. federal income tax consequences of making such elections.

 

Consequences of Possible Controlled Foreign Corporation Classification

 

If CFC Unitholders (generally, U.S. Holders who each own, directly, indirectly or constructively, 10% or more of the total combined voting power of our outstanding units entitled to vote) own directly, indirectly or constructively more than 50% of either the total combined voting power of our outstanding units entitled to vote or the total value of all of our outstanding units, we generally would be treated as a controlled foreign corporation, or a CFC.

 

CFC Unitholders are treated as receiving current distributions of their shares of certain income of the CFC without regard to any actual distributions and are subject to other burdensome U.S. federal income tax and administrative requirements but generally are not also subject to the requirements generally applicable to owners of a PFIC. In addition, a person who is or has been a CFC Unitholder may recognize ordinary income on the disposition of units of the CFC. Although we do not believe we are or will become a CFC, U.S. persons owning a substantial interest in us should consider the potential implications of being treated as a CFC Unitholder in the event we become a CFC in the future.

 

The U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders who are not CFC Unitholders would not change in the event we become a CFC in the future.

 

U.S. Return Disclosure Requirements for U.S. Individual Holders

 

U.S. Individual Holders who hold certain specified foreign assets with values in excess of certain dollar thresholds are required to report such assets on IRS Form 8938 with their U.S. federal income tax return subject to certain exceptions, including an exception for foreign assets held in accounts maintained by U.S. financial institutions. Interests in foreign entities, which would include our common units, are specified foreign assets for this purpose. Penalties apply for failure to properly complete and file Form 8938. You are encouraged to consult with your tax advisor regarding the filing of this form.

 

United States Federal Income Taxation of Non-U.S. Holders

 

A beneficial owner of our common units (other than a partnership, including any entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is not a U.S. Holder is a Non-U.S. Holder.

 

Distributions

 

Distributions we make to a Non-U.S. Holder will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax or withholding tax if the Non-U.S. Holder is not engaged in a U.S. trade or business. If the Non-U.S. Holder is engaged in a U.S. trade or business, distributions we make will be subject to U.S. federal income tax to the extent those distributions constitute income effectively connected with that Non-U.S. Holder’s U.S. trade or business. However, distributions made to a Non-U.S. Holder that is engaged in a trade or business may be exempt from taxation under an income tax treaty if the income represented thereby is not attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder.

 

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Sale, Exchange or Other Disposition of Common Units

 

The U.S. federal income taxation of Non-U.S. Holders on any gain resulting from the disposition of our common units generally is the same as described above regarding distributions. However, an individual Non-U.S. Holder may be subject to tax on gain resulting from the disposition of our common units if the holder is present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year in which such disposition occurs and meet certain other requirements.

 

Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

 

In general, payments of distributions or the proceeds of a disposition of common units to a non-corporate U.S. Holder will be subject to information reporting requirements. These payments to a non-corporate U.S. Holder also may be subject to backup withholding if the non-corporate U.S. Holder:

 

•

fails to timely provide an accurate taxpayer identification number;

 

•

is notified by the IRS that it has failed to report all interest or distributions required to be shown on its U.S. federal income tax returns; or

 

•

in certain circumstances, fails to comply with applicable certification requirements.

 

Non-U.S. Holders may be required to establish their exemption from information reporting and backup withholding on payments within the United States, or through a U.S. payor, by certifying their status on IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8ECI or W-8IMY, as applicable.

 

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, a unitholder generally may obtain a credit for any amount withheld against its liability for U.S. federal income tax (and a refund of any amounts withheld in excess of such liability) by accurately completing and timely filing a return with the IRS.

 

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UNDERWRITING (CONFLICTS OF INTEREST)

 

Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and RBC Capital Markets, LLC are acting as the joint book-running managers of this offering and as the representatives of the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions stated in the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus supplement, each underwriter named below has severally agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to that underwriter, the number of our common units set forth opposite the underwriter’s name.

 

Underwriter		Number of Common  Units
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith                  Incorporated
RBC Capital Markets, LLC
Barclays Capital Inc.
Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.
Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
ABN AMRO Securities (USA) LLC
ING Financial Markets LLC
Natixis Securities Americas LLC
Total			7,000,000

 

The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the common units included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to purchase all the common units (other than those covered by the option to purchase additional common units described below) if they purchase any of the common units.

 

Common units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus supplement. Any common units sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount from the initial public offering price not to exceed $             per common unit. If not all of the common units are sold at the initial offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and the other selling terms.

 

If the underwriters sell more common units than the total number set forth in the table above, we have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 30 days from the date of this prospectus supplement, to purchase up to 1,050,000 additional common units at the public offering price less the underwriting discount. To the extent the option is exercised, each underwriter must purchase a number of additional common units approximately proportionate to that underwriter’s initial purchase commitment. Any common units issued or sold under the option will be issued and sold on the same terms and conditions as the other common units that are the subject of this offering.

 

We, Teekay Holdings Limited, our general partner and each of our general partner’s officers and directors have agreed that, for a period of 60 days from the date of this prospectus supplement, we and they will not, without the prior written consent of Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and RBC Capital Markets, LLC, dispose of or hedge any of our common units or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common units, subject to certain exceptions. Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and RBC Capital Markets, LLC, in their sole discretion, may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice. The representatives have no present intent or arrangement to release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements. The release of any lock-up is considered on a case-by-case basis. Factors in deciding whether to release any common units may include the length of time before the lock-up period expires, the number of common units involved, the reason for the requested release, market conditions, the trading price of our common units, historical trading volume of our common units and whether the person seeking the release is an officer, director or affiliate of us.

 

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Our common units are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “TOO.”

 

The following table shows the underwriting discounts and commissions that we will pay to the underwriters in connection with this offering. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units.

 

		Paid by Teekay Offshore Partners L.P.
		No Exercise				Full Exercise
Per Unit		$				$
Total		$				$

 

We estimate that our total expenses for this offering will be approximately $350,000 (exclusive of the underwriting discount and commissions).

 

In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell common units in the open market. Purchases and sales in the open market may include short sales, purchases to cover short positions, which may include purchases pursuant to the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units, and stabilizing purchases.

 

•

Short sales involve secondary market sales by the underwriters of a greater number of common units than they are required to purchase in the offering.

 

•

“Covered” short sales are sales of common units in an amount up to the number of common units represented by the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units.

 

•

“Naked” short sales are sales of common units in an amount in excess of the number of common units represented by the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units.

 

•

Covering transactions involve purchases of common units either pursuant to the underwriters’ option to purchase additional common units or in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover short positions.

 

•

To close a naked short position, the underwriters must purchase common units in the open market after the distribution has been completed. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the common units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.

 

•

To close a covered short position, the underwriters must purchase common units in the open market after the distribution has been completed or must exercise the option to purchase additional common units. In determining the source of common units to close the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of common units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase common units through the option to purchase additional common units.

 

•

Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase common units so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum.

 

Purchases to cover short positions and stabilizing purchases, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own accounts, may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the common units. They may also cause the price of the common units to be higher than the price that would otherwise exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct these transactions on the New York Stock Exchange, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. If the underwriters commence any of these transactions, they may discontinue them at any time.

 

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The address of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. is 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013. The address of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated is One Bryant Park, New York, New York 10036. The address of RBC Capital Markets, LLC is Three World Financial Center, 200 Vesey Street, New York, New York 10281.

 

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

As described in “Use of Proceeds,” we expect to use the net proceeds of this offering to repay a portion of our outstanding indebtedness under our revolving credit facilities. Affiliates of ABN AMRO Securities (USA) LLC, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., ING Financial Markets LLC and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated are lenders under such revolving credit facilities, and will receive a portion of the net proceeds. An affiliate of ABN AMRO Securities (USA) LLC will receive more than 5% of the net proceeds of this offering. In accordance with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Rule 5121, the appointment of a “qualified independent underwriter” is not necessary in connection with this offering.

 

The underwriters are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. Certain of the underwriters and their affiliates have performed various investment and commercial banking and advisory services for us and our affiliates, including Teekay Corporation, Teekay LNG Partners L.P. and Teekay Tankers Ltd., for which they have received customary fees and expenses. In addition, an affiliate of ING Financial Markets LLC is expected to be a lender in the bank financing required to complete the Voyageur Acquisition, for which it is expected to receive customary fees. The underwriters and their affiliates may, from time to time, engage in transactions with and perform services for us and our affiliates, including Teekay Corporation, Teekay LNG Partners L.P. and Teekay Tankers Ltd. in the ordinary course of their business for which they may receive customary fees and reimbursement of expenses.

 

In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (which may include bank loans and/or credit default swaps) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers and may at any time hold long and short positions in such securities and instruments. Such investment and securities activities may involve our securities and instruments.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Germany

 

This document has not been prepared in accordance with the requirements for a securities or sales prospectus under the German Securities Prospectus Act (Wertpapierprospektgesetz), the German Sales Prospectus Act (Verkaufsprospektgesetz), or the German Investment Act (Investmentgesetz). Neither the German Federal Financial Services Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht—BaFin) nor any other German authority has been notified of the intention to distribute the common units in Germany. Consequently, the common units may not be distributed in Germany by way of public offering, public advertisement or in any similar manner and this document and any other document relating to the offering, as well as information or statements contained therein, may not be supplied to the public in Germany or used in connection with any offer for subscription of the common units to the public in Germany or any other means of public marketing. The common units are being offered and sold in Germany only to qualified investors which are referred to in Section 3, paragraph 2 no. 1 in connection with Section 2 no. 6 of the German Securities Prospectus Act, Section 8f paragraph 2 no. 4 of the German Sales Prospectus Act, and in Section 2 paragraph 11 sentence 2 no.1 of the German Investment Act. This document is strictly for use of the person who has received it. It may not be forwarded to other persons or published in Germany.

 

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Notice to Prospective Investors in the Netherlands

 

The common units may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in the Netherlands, other than to qualified investors (gekwalificeerde beleggers) within the meaning of Article 1:1 of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act (Wet op het financieel toezicht).

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland

 

This prospectus is being communicated in Switzerland to a small number of selected investors only. Each copy of this document is addressed to a specifically named recipient and may not be copied, reproduced, distributed or passed on to third parties. The common units are not being offered to the public in Switzerland, and neither this prospectus, nor any other offering materials relating to the common units may be distributed in connection with any such public offering.

 

We have not been registered with the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA as a foreign collective investment scheme pursuant to Article 120 of the Collective Investment Schemes Act of June 23, 2006 (or CISA). Accordingly, the common units may not be offered to the public in or from Switzerland, and neither this prospectus, nor any other offering materials relating to the common units may be made available through a public offering in or from Switzerland. The common units may only be offered and this prospectus may only be distributed in or from Switzerland by way of private placement exclusively to qualified investors (as this term is defined in the CISA and its implementing ordinance).

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom

 

We may constitute a “collective investment scheme” as defined by section 235 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (or FSMA) that is not a “recognised collective investment scheme” for the purposes of FSMA (or CIS) and that has not been authorised or otherwise approved. As an unregulated scheme, it cannot be marketed in the United Kingdom to the general public, except in accordance with FSMA. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are only being distributed in the United Kingdom to, and are only directed at (i) investment professionals falling within the description of persons in Article 14(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Promotion of Collective Investment Schemes) Order 2001, as amended (or the CIS Promotion Order) or Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (or the Financial Promotion Order) or (ii) high net worth companies and other persons falling with Article 22(2)(a) to (d) of the CIS Promotion Order or Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Financial Promotion Order, or (iii) to any other person to whom it may otherwise lawfully be made, (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). The common units are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such common units will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area

 

In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area that has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a relevant member state), other than Germany, with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that relevant member state (the relevant implementation date), an offer of securities described in this prospectus may not be made to the public in that relevant member state other than:

 

•

to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive;

 

•

to fewer than 100 or, if the Relevant Member State has implemented the relevant provision of the 2010 PD Amending Directive, 150, natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), as permitted under the Prospectus Directive, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the relevant Dealer or Dealers nominated by the Issuer for any such offer; or

 

•

in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive;

 

provided that no such offer of securities shall require us or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive.

 

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For purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer of securities to the public” in any relevant member state means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the securities, as the expression may be varied in that member state by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that member state, and the expression “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including the 2010 PD Amending Directive, to the extent implemented in the Relevant Member State), and includes any relevant implementing measure in the Relevant Member State, and includes any relevant implementing measure in each relevant member state. The expression 2010 PD Amending Directive means Directive 2010/73/EU.

 

We have not authorized and do not authorize the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary on their behalf, other than offers made by the underwriters with a view to the final placement of the securities as contemplated in this prospectus. Accordingly, no purchaser of the securities, other than the underwriters, is authorized to make any further offer of the securities on behalf of us or the underwriters.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

 

The validity of the common units offered hereby and certain other legal matters with respect to the laws of the Republic of The Marshall Islands will be passed upon for us by our counsel as to Marshall Islands law, Watson, Farley & Williams (New York) LLP. Certain other legal matters will be passed upon for us by Perkins Coie LLP, Portland, Oregon. Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. will pass upon certain legal matters in connection with the offering on behalf of the underwriters.

 

EXPERTS

 

The consolidated financial statements of Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. for the year ended December 31, 2011 appearing in its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2011, and the effectiveness of Teekay Offshore Partners L.P.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2011, have been audited by KPMG LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their reports thereon included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon the reports and upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

The consolidated financial statements of Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. at December 31, 2010, and for the two years in the period ended December 31, 2010 appearing in its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2011 have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statements have been incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

The audited special purpose financial statements of Piranema Production Group included as Exhibit 99.1 to the Report on Form 6-K furnished to the SEC by Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. on September 11, 2012, have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers AS, independent accountants, given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

EXPENSES

 

The following table sets forth estimated costs and expenses, other than the underwriting discount, we expect to incur in connection with the issuance and distribution of the common units covered by this prospectus.

 

Legal fees and expenses		$	215,000
Accounting fees and expenses		$	100,000
Printing costs		$	25,000
Transfer agent fees		$	10,000
Total		$	350,000

 

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PROSPECTUS

 

$750,000,000

 

 

Teekay Offshore Partners L.P.

 

Common Units Representing Limited Partner Interests

 

 

 

We may offer from time to time common units, which represent limited partnership interests in Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. The common units offered by this prospectus will have an aggregate offering price of up to $750,000,000.

 

We may offer these securities directly or to or through underwriters, dealers or other agents. The names of any underwriters or dealers will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Our common units are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “TOO.”

 

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer to sell securities we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about those securities and the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. This prospectus may be used to offer and sell securities only if accompanied by a prospectus supplement. You should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement carefully before you invest. You should also read the documents we refer to in the “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Documents by Reference” sections of this prospectus for information about us and our financial statements.

 

Limited partnerships are inherently different than corporations. You should carefully consider each of the factors described or referred to under “Risk Factors” beginning on page 5 of this prospectus before you make an investment in our securities.

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

May 13, 2011

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

		Page
About This Prospectus			3
Forward-Looking Statements			3
Teekay Offshore Partners L.P.			4
Risk Factors			5
Use of Proceeds			10
Description of The Common Units			11
Number of Units			11
Issuance of Additional Securities			11
Meetings; Voting			11
Call Right			12
Exchange Listing			12
Transfer Agent and Registrar			12
Transfer of Common Units			13
Other Matters			13
Summary of Our Partnership Agreement			14
Cash Distributions			15
Distribution of Available Cash			15
Operating Surplus and Capital Surplus			15
Distributions of Available Cash From Operating Surplus			18
Incentive Distribution Rights			18
Percentage Allocations of Available Cash from Operating Surplus			19
Distributions From Capital Surplus			19
Adjustment to the Minimum Quarterly Distribution and Target Distribution Levels			20
Distributions of Cash Upon Liquidation			20
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations			21
Election to be Taxed as a Corporation			22
United States Federal Income Taxation of U.S. Holders			22
United States Federal Income Taxation of Non-U.S. Holders			26
Backup Withholding and Information Reporting			27
Non-United States Tax Considerations			28
Marshall Islands Tax Considerations			28
Canadian Federal Income Tax Considerations			28
Plan Of Distribution			31
Service of Process and Enforcement of Civil Liabilities			33
Legal Matters			33
Experts			33
Where You Can Find More Information			34
Incorporation of Documents by Reference			34
Expenses			35

 

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone else to give you different information. If anyone provides you with additional, different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not offering these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, as well as the information we previously filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (or SEC) that is incorporated by reference into this prospectus, is accurate as of any date other than its respective date. We will disclose material changes in our affairs in an amendment to this prospectus, a prospectus supplement or a future filing with the SEC incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

 

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form F-3 that we have filed with the SEC using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may sell the common units described in this prospectus in one or more offerings up to an aggregate offering price of $750,000,000. This prospectus generally describes us and the securities we may offer. Each time we offer securities with this prospectus, we will provide this prospectus and a prospectus supplement that will describe, among other things, the specific amounts and prices of the securities being offered and the terms of the offering. The prospectus supplement may also add to, update or change information in this prospectus. If information varies between this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, references in this prospectus to “Teekay Offshore Partners,” “we,” “us” and “our” and similar terms refer to Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, except that those terms, when used in this prospectus in connection with the common units described herein, shall mean specifically Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. References in this prospectus to “Teekay Corporation” refer to Teekay Corporation and/or any one or more of its subsidiaries.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all references in this prospectus to “dollars” and “$” are to, and amounts are presented in, U.S. Dollars, and financial information presented in this prospectus is prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (or GAAP).

 

You should read carefully this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, and the additional information described below under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Documents by Reference.”

 

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any prospectus supplements are forward-looking statements. In addition, we and our representatives may from time to time make other oral or written statements that are also forward-looking statements. Such statements include, in particular, statements about our plans, strategies, business prospects, changes and trends in our business, and the markets in which we operate. In some cases, you can identify the forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “forecast,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “propose,” “potential,” “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology.

 

Forward-looking statements are made based upon management’s current plans, expectations, estimates, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events affecting us. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those risks discussed in “Risk Factors” set forth in this prospectus and those risks discussed in other reports we file with the SEC and that are incorporated into this prospectus by reference, including, without limitation, our Annual Report on Form 20-F. The risks, uncertainties and assumptions involve known and unknown risks and are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. We caution that forward-looking statements are not guarantees and that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements.

 

We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of these factors. In addition, we cannot assess the effect of each such factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to be materially different from those contained in any forward-looking statement.

 

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TEEKAY OFFSHORE PARTNERS L.P.

 

Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. is an international provider of marine transportation, oil production and storage services to the offshore oil industry. We were formed in August 2006 by Teekay Corporation (NYSE:TK), a leading provider of marine services to the global oil and gas industries, to further develop its operations in the offshore market. Our growth strategy focuses on expanding our fleet of shuttle tankers, floating storage and offtake (or FSO) units and floating production, storage and offloading (or FPSO) units under long-term, fixed-rate time charters or contracts. We intend to continue our practice of acquiring shuttle tankers, FSO units and FPSO units as needed for approved projects only after the long-term charters for the projects have been awarded, rather than ordering vessels on a speculative basis. We may enter into joint ventures and partnerships with companies that may provide increased access to these opportunities or we may engage in vessel or business acquisitions. We seek to leverage the expertise, relationships and reputation of Teekay Corporation and its affiliates to pursue these growth opportunities in the offshore sectors and may consider other opportunities to which our competitive strengths are well suited. We view our conventional tanker fleet primarily as a source of stable cash flow. Teekay Corporation indirectly owns and controls our general partner and beneficially owns a substantial interest in us, including a 2% general partner interest.

 

Our operations are conducted through, and our operating assets are owned by, our subsidiaries. Most of our fleet is indirectly owned through our 100% ownership interest in our operating company, Teekay Offshore Operating L.P., a Marshall Islands limited partnership. Our general partner, Teekay Offshore GP L.L.C., a Marshall Islands limited liability company, has an economic interest in us and manages our operations and activities. Our general partner does not receive any management fee or other compensation in connection with its management of our business, but it is entitled to be reimbursed for all direct and indirect expenses incurred on our behalf. Pursuant to services agreements between us and our subsidiaries, on the one hand, and other subsidiaries of Teekay Corporation, on the other hand, the Teekay Corporation subsidiaries provide to us substantially all of our administrative services and to our subsidiaries substantially all of their strategic consulting, advisory, ship management, technical and administrative services.

 

We are a limited partnership organized under the laws of the Republic of The Marshall Islands. Our principal executive offices are located at 4th Floor, Belvedere Building, 69 Pitts Bay Road, Hamilton HM 08, Bermuda, and our phone number is (441) 298-2530. Our principal operating office is located at Suite 2000, Bentall 5, 550 Burrard Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6C 2K2, and our telephone number at such address is (604) 683-3529. Our website address is www.teekayoffshore.com. The information contained in our website is not part of this prospectus.

 

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RISK FACTORS

 

Before investing in our common units, you should carefully consider all of the information included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Although many of our business risks are comparable to those of a corporation engaged in a similar business, limited partner interests are inherently different from the capital stock of a corporation. When evaluating an investment in our common units, you should carefully consider the following risk factors together with all other information included in this prospectus, including those risks discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our latest Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and information included in any applicable prospectus supplement.

 

If any of these risks were to occur, our business, financial condition, operating results or cash flows could be materially adversely affected. In that case, we might be unable to pay distributions on our common units, the trading price of our common units could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

 

Risks Inherent in an Investment in Us

 

Our partnership agreement limits our general partner’s fiduciary duties to our unitholders and restricts the remedies available to unitholders for actions taken by our general partner.

 

Our partnership agreement contains provisions that reduce the standards to which our general partner would otherwise be held by Marshall Islands law. For example, our partnership agreement:

 

•

permits our general partner to make a number of decisions in its individual capacity, as opposed to in its capacity as our general partner. Where our partnership agreement permits, our general partner may consider only the interests and factors that it desires, and in such cases it has no duty or obligation to give any consideration to any interest of, or factors affecting us, our affiliates or our unitholders. Decisions made by our general partner in its individual capacity are made by its sole owner, Teekay Corporation, and not by the board of directors of our general partner. Examples include the exercise of its call right, its voting rights with respect to the units it owns, its registration rights and its determination whether to consent to any merger or consolidation of the partnership;

 

•

provides that our general partner is entitled to make other decisions in “good faith” if it reasonably believes that the decision is in our best interests;

 

•

generally provides that affiliated transactions and resolutions of conflicts of interest not approved by the conflicts committee of the board of directors of our general partner and not involving a vote of unitholders must be on terms no less favorable to us than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties or be “fair and reasonable” to us and that, in determining whether a transaction or resolution is “fair and reasonable,” our general partner may consider the totality of the relationships between the parties involved, including other transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to us; and

 

•

provides that our general partner and its officers and directors will not be liable for monetary damages to us or our limited partners for any acts or omissions unless there has been a final and non-appealable judgment entered by a court of competent jurisdiction determining that the general partner or those other persons acted in bad faith or engaged in fraud, willful misconduct or gross negligence.

 

In order to become a limited partner of our partnership, a common unitholder agrees to be bound by the provisions in the partnership agreement, including the provisions discussed above.

 

Fees and cost reimbursements, which our general partner determines for services provided to us, are substantial and reduce our cash available for distribution to our common unitholders.

 

Prior to making any distribution on the common units, we pay fees for services provided to us and our operating subsidiaries by certain subsidiaries of Teekay Corporation, and we reimburse our general partner for all

 

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expenses it incurs on our behalf. These fees are negotiated on our behalf by our general partner, and our general partner also determines the amounts it is reimbursed. These fees and expenses include all costs incurred in providing certain advisory, ship management, technical and administrative services to us and our operating subsidiaries. The payment of fees to Teekay Corporation and reimbursement of expenses to our general partner could adversely affect our ability to pay cash distributions to our common unitholders.

 

Our general partner, which is owned and controlled by Teekay Corporation, makes all decisions on our behalf, subject to the limited voting rights of our common unitholders. Even if public unitholders are dissatisfied, they cannot remove our general partner without Teekay Corporation’s consent.

 

Unlike the holders of common stock in a corporation, unitholders have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business and, therefore, limited ability to influence management’s decisions regarding our business. Unitholders did not elect our general partner or its board of directors and have no right to elect our general partner or its board of directors on an annual or other continuing basis. Teekay Corporation, which owns and controls our general partner, appoints our general partner’s board of directors. Our general partner makes all decisions on our behalf. If the unitholders are dissatisfied with the performance of our general partner, they have little ability to remove our general partner. As a result of these limitations, the price at which the common units trade could be diminished because of the absence or reduction of a takeover premium in the trading price.

 

The vote of the holders of at least 66²/₃% of all outstanding units voting together as a single class is required to remove the general partner. As of the date of this prospectus, Teekay Corporation owned a sufficient number of units to prevent the removal of the general partner.

 

In addition, unitholders’ voting rights are further restricted by our partnership agreement provision providing that any units held by a person that owns 20% or more of any class of units then outstanding, other than our general partner, its affiliates, their transferees, and persons who acquired such units with the prior approval of the board of directors of our general partner, cannot vote on any matter. Our partnership agreement also contains provisions limiting the ability of unitholders to call meetings or to acquire information about our operations, as well as other provisions limiting the unitholders’ ability to influence the manner or direction of management.

 

The control of our general partner may be transferred to a third party without unitholder consent.

 

On or after December 31, 2016, our general partner may transfer its general partner interest to a third party in a merger or in a sale of all or substantially all of its assets without the consent of the unitholders. In addition, our partnership agreement does not restrict the ability of the members of our general partner from transferring their respective membership interests in our general partner to a third party. In the event of any such transfer, the new members of our general partner would be in a position to replace the board of directors and officers of our general partner with their own choices and to control the decisions taken by the board of directors and officers.

 

Our partnership agreement restricts the voting rights of unitholders owning 20% or more of our common units.

 

Our partnership agreement restricts unitholders’ voting rights by providing that any units held by a person that owns 20% or more of any class of units then outstanding, other than our general partner, its affiliates, their transferees and persons who acquired such units with the prior approval of the board of directors of our general partner, cannot vote on any matter. The partnership agreement also contains provisions limiting the ability of unitholders to call meetings or to acquire information about our operations, as well as other provisions limiting the unitholders’ ability to influence the manner or direction of management.

 

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In establishing cash reserves, our general partner may reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to unitholders.

 

Our partnership agreement requires our general partner to deduct from our operating surplus cash reserves that it determines are necessary to fund our future operating expenditures. These reserves affect the amount of cash available for distribution by us to our unitholders. Furthermore, our partnership agreement requires our general partner each quarter to deduct from operating surplus estimated maintenance capital expenditures, as opposed to actual expenditures, which could reduce the amount of available cash for distribution.

 

We can borrow money to pay distributions, which would reduce the amount of credit available to operate our business.

 

Our partnership agreement allows us to make working capital borrowings to pay distributions. Accordingly, we can make distributions on all our units even though cash generated by our operations may not be sufficient to pay such distributions. Any working capital borrowings by us to make distributions may reduce the amount of working capital borrowings we can make for operating our business.

 

Unitholders may have liability to repay distributions.

 

Under certain circumstances, unitholders may have to repay amounts wrongfully distributed to them. Under the Marshall Islands Limited Partnership Act (or Marshall Islands Act), we may not make a distribution to unitholders if the distribution would cause our liabilities to exceed the fair value of our assets. Marshall Islands law provides that for a period of three years from the date of the impermissible distribution, limited partners who received the distribution and who knew at the time of the distribution that it violated Marshall Islands law will be liable to the limited partnership for the distribution amount. Purchasers of units who become limited partners are liable for the obligations of the transferring limited partner to make contributions to the partnership that are known to the purchaser at the time it became a limited partner and for unknown obligations if the liabilities could be determined from the partnership agreement. Liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interest and liabilities that are non-recourse to the partnership are not counted for purposes of determining whether a distribution is permitted.

 

We may issue additional equity securities without unitholder approval, which would dilute their ownership interests.

 

Our general partner, without the approval of our unitholders, may cause us to issue an unlimited number of additional units or other equity securities of equal or senior rank. The issuance by us of additional common units or other equity securities will have the following effects:

 

•

our unitholders’ proportionate ownership interest in us will decrease;

 

•

the amount of cash available for distribution on each unit may decrease;

 

•

the relative voting strength of each previously outstanding unit may be diminished; and

 

•

the market price of the common units may decline.

 

Our general partner has a call right that may require common unitholders to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price.

 

If at any time our general partner and its affiliates hold more than 80% of the then-issued and outstanding partnership securities of any class, our general partner will have the right, which it may assign in whole or in part to any of its affiliates or to us, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the remaining partnership securities of the class held by unaffiliated persons as of a record date to be selected by our general partner, on at least 10 but not more than 60 days’ notice. The purchase price in this event is the greater of (x) the average of the daily closing prices of the partnership securities of such class over the 20 trading days preceding the date three days before notice of exercise of the call right is first mailed and (y) the highest price paid by our general partner or any of its

 

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affiliates for partnership securities of such class during the 90-day period preceding the date such notice is first mailed. As a result of our general partner’s right to purchase outstanding partnership securities, a holder of partnership securities may have the holder’s partnership securities purchased at an undesirable time or price. Common unitholders may also incur a tax liability upon a sale of their units.

 

Increases in interest rates may cause the market price of our common units to decline.

 

An increase in interest rates may cause a corresponding decline in demand for equity investments in general, and in particular for yield-based equity investments such as our common units. Any such increase in interest rates or reduction in demand for our common units resulting from other relatively more attractive investment opportunities may cause the trading price of our common units to decline.

 

We have been organized as a limited partnership under the laws of the Republic of The Marshall Islands, which does not have a well-developed body of partnership law.

 

Our partnership affairs are governed by our partnership agreement and by the Marshall Islands Act. The provisions of the Marshall Islands Act resemble provisions of the limited partnership laws of a number of states in the United States, most notably Delaware. The Marshall Islands Act also provides that it is to be applied and construed to make it uniform with the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act and, so long as it does not conflict with the Marshall Islands Act or decisions of the Marshall Islands courts, interpreted according to the non-statutory law (or case law) of the courts of the State of Delaware. There have been, however, few, if any, court cases in the Marshall Islands interpreting the Marshall Islands Act, in contrast to Delaware, which has a fairly well-developed body of case law interpreting its limited partnership statute. Accordingly, we cannot predict whether Marshall Islands courts would reach the same conclusions as Delaware courts. For example, the rights of our unitholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our general partner under Marshall Islands law are not as clearly established as under judicial precedent in existence in Delaware. As a result, unitholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions by our general partner and its officers and directors than would unitholders of a limited partnership formed in the United States.

 

Because we are organized under the laws of the Marshall Islands, it may be difficult to serve us with legal process or enforce judgments against us, our directors or our management.

 

We are organized under the laws of the Marshall Islands, and all of our assets are located outside of the United States. Our business is operated primarily from our offices in Bermuda, Norway and Singapore. In addition, our general partner is a Marshall Islands limited liability company and a majority of its directors and officers are non-residents of the United States, and all or a substantial portion of the assets of these non-residents are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States if you believe that your rights have been infringed under securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Marshall Islands and of other jurisdictions may prevent or restrict you from enforcing a judgment against our assets or the assets of our general partner or its directors and officers. For more information regarding the relevant laws of the Marshall Islands, please read “Service of Process and Enforcement of Civil Liabilities.”

 

Tax Risks

 

U.S. tax authorities could treat us as a “passive foreign investment company,” which could have adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. holders.

 

A foreign entity taxed as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes will be treated as a “passive foreign investment company” (or PFIC) for U.S. federal income tax purposes if at least 75% of its gross income for any taxable year consists of certain types of “passive income,” or at least 50% of the average value of the entity’s assets produce or are held for the production of those types of “passive income.” For purposes of these tests, “passive income” includes dividends, interest, and gains from the sale or exchange of investment property and rents and royalties, other than rents and royalties that are received from unrelated parties in connection with

 

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the active conduct of a trade or business. By contrast, income derived from the performance of services does not constitute “passive income.”

 

There are legal uncertainties involved in determining whether the income derived from our time chartering activities constitutes rental income or income derived from the performance of services, including the decision in Tidewater Inc. v. United States, 565 F.3d 299 (5th Cir. 2009), which held that income derived from certain time chartering activities should be treated as rental income rather than services income for purposes of a foreign sales corporation provision of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (or the Code). However, the Internal Revenue Service (or IRS) stated in an Action on Decision (AOD 2010-001) that it disagrees with, and will not acquiesce to, the way that the rental versus services framework was applied to the facts in the Tidewater decision, and in its discussion stated that the time charters at issue in Tidewater would be treated as producing services income for PFIC purposes. The IRS’s statement with respect to Tidewater cannot be relied upon or otherwise cited as precedent by taxpayers. Consequently, in the absence of any binding legal authority specifically relating to the statutory provisions governing PFICs, there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court would not follow the Tidewater decision in interpreting the PFIC provisions of the Code. Nevertheless, based on our current assets and operations, we intend to take the position that we are not now and have never been a PFIC, and our counsel, Perkins Coie LLP, is of the opinion that it is more likely than not we are not a PFIC based on representations we have made to them regarding the composition of our assets, the source of our income and the nature of our activities and other operations following this offering. No assurance can be given, however, that the opinion of Perkins Coie LLP would be sustained by a court if contested by the IRS, or that we would not constitute a PFIC for any future taxable year if there were to be changes in our assets, income or operations.

 

If the IRS were to determine that we are or have been a PFIC for any taxable year, U.S. unitholders will face adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences. Under the PFIC rules, unless those U.S. unitholders timely make certain elections available under the Code, such unitholders would be liable to pay tax at ordinary income tax rates plus interest upon certain distributions and upon any gain from the disposition of our common units, as if such distribution or gain had been recognized ratably over the unitholder’s holding period. Please read “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—United States Federal Income Taxation of U.S. Holders—Consequences of Possible PFIC Classification” beginning on page 22 of this prospectus.

 

The preferential tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income expire for tax years beginning after December 31, 2012, and the absence of legislation extending the term would cause our dividends to be taxed at ordinary graduated tax rates.

 

Certain of our distributions may be treated as qualified dividend income eligible for preferential rates of U.S. federal income tax to U.S. individual unitholders (and certain other U.S. unitholders). In the absence of legislation extending the term for these preferential tax rates or providing for some other treatment, all dividends received by such U.S. taxpayers in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012 will be taxed at ordinary graduated tax rates. Please read “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—United States Federal Income Taxation of U.S. Holders—Distributions” beginning on page 21 of this prospectus.

 

Common unitholders may be subject to income tax in one or more non-U.S. countries, including Canada, as a result of owning our common units if, under the laws of any such country, we are considered to be carrying on business there. Such laws may require common unitholders to file a tax return with, and pay taxes to, those countries.

 

We intend that our affairs and the business of each of our subsidiaries is conducted and operated in a manner that minimizes foreign income taxes or which may be imposed upon you as a result of owning our common units. However, there is a risk that common unitholders will be subject to tax in one or more countries, including Canada, as a result of owning our common units if, under the laws of any such country, we are considered to be carrying on business there. If common unitholders are subject to tax in any such country, common unitholders may be required to file a tax return with, and pay taxes to, that country based on their allocable share of our income. We may be required to reduce distributions to common unitholders on account of any withholding obligations imposed upon us by that country in respect of such allocation to common unitholders. The United States may not allow a tax credit for any foreign income taxes that common unitholders directly or indirectly incur.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

 

Unless we specify otherwise in any prospectus supplement, we will use the net proceeds from our sale of securities covered by this prospectus for general partnership purposes, which may include, among other things:

 

•

paying or refinancing all or a portion of our indebtedness outstanding at the time; and

 

•

funding working capital, capital expenditures or acquisitions.

 

The actual application of proceeds from the sale of any particular offering of securities covered by this prospectus will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to the offering.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMON UNITS

 

Our common units represent limited partner interests in us. The holders of units are entitled to participate in partnership distributions and exercise the rights and privileges available to limited partners under our partnership agreement. For a description of the relative rights and privileges of holders of common units and our general partner in and to partnership distributions, please read “Cash Distributions.”

 

Number of Units

 

The number of our common units outstanding, and those held by Teekay Corporation, which owns our general partner, are provided in our Annual Report on Form 20-F and in the quarterly reports we provide on Form 6-K. The common units represent an aggregate 98% limited partner interest and the general partner interest represents a 2% general partner interest in us.

 

Issuance of Additional Securities

 

Our partnership agreement authorizes us to issue an unlimited number of additional partnership securities and rights to buy partnership securities for the consideration and on the terms and conditions determined by our general partner without the approval of our unitholders.

 

We may fund acquisitions through the issuance of additional common units or other equity securities. Holders of any additional common units we issue will be entitled to share equally with the then-existing holders of common units in our distributions of available cash. In addition, the issuance of additional common units or other equity securities interests may dilute the value of the interests of the then-existing holders of common units in our net assets.

 

In accordance with Marshall Islands law and the provisions of our partnership agreement, we may also issue additional partnership securities interests that, as determined by the general partner, have special voting or other rights to which the common units are not entitled.

 

Upon issuance of additional partnership securities, our general partner will have the right, but not the obligation, to make additional capital contributions to the extent necessary to maintain its 2% general partner interest in us. In addition, our general partner and its affiliates have the right, which it may from time to time assign in whole or in part to any of its affiliates, to purchase common units or other equity securities whenever, and on the same terms that, we issue those securities to persons other than our general partner and its affiliates, to the extent necessary to maintain its and its affiliates’ percentage interest, including its interest represented by common units, that existed immediately prior to each issuance. Other holders of common units do not have similar preemptive rights to acquire additional common units or other partnership securities.

 

Meetings; Voting

 

Unlike the holders of common stock in a corporation, the holders of our units have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business. They have no right to elect our general partner (who manages our operations and activities), or the directors of our general partner, on an annual or other continuing basis. On those matters that are submitted to a vote of unitholders, each record holder of a unit may vote according to the holder’s percentage interest in us, although additional limited partner interests having special voting rights could be issued. However, if at any time any person or group, other than our general partner and its affiliates, or a direct or subsequently approved transferee of our general partner or its affiliates or a transferee approved by the board of directors of our general partner, acquires, in the aggregate, beneficial ownership of 20% or more of any class of units then outstanding, that person or group will lose voting rights on all of its units and the units may not be voted on any matter and will not be considered to be outstanding when sending notices of a meeting of unitholders, calculating required votes, determining the presence of a quorum, or for other similar purposes.

 

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The common units held by our general partners or any of its affiliates are not entitled to vote on approval of the withdrawal of our general partner or the transfer by our general partner of its general partner interest or incentive distribution rights under some circumstances. Removal of our general partner requires:

 

•

a 662/3% vote of all outstanding units, voting as a single class; and

 

•

the election of a successor general partner by the holders of a majority of the outstanding common units.

 

Except as described above regarding a person or group owning 20% or more of any class of units then outstanding, unitholders as of the record date will be entitled to notice of, and to vote at, any meetings of our limited partners and to act upon matters for which approvals may be solicited. Any action that is required or permitted to be taken by the unitholders may be taken either at a meeting of the unitholders or without a meeting if consents in writing describing the action so taken are signed by holders of the number of units necessary to authorize or take that action at a meeting. Meetings of the unitholders may be called by our general partner or by unitholders owning at least 20% of the outstanding units of the class for which a meeting is proposed. Unitholders may vote either in person or by proxy at meetings. The holders of a majority of the outstanding units of the class or classes for which a meeting has been called, represented in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum unless any action by the unitholders requires approval by holders of a greater percentage of the units, in which case the quorum will be the greater percentage.

 

Common units held in nominee or street name account will be voted by the broker or other nominee in accordance with the instruction of the beneficial owner unless the arrangement between the beneficial owner and his nominee provides otherwise.

 

Call Right

 

If at any time our general partner and its affiliates hold more than 80% of the then-issued and outstanding partnership securities of any class, our general partner will have the right, which it may assign in whole or in part to any of its affiliates or to us, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the remaining partnership securities of the class held by unaffiliated persons as of a record date to be selected by our general partner, on at least 10 but not more than 60 days’ notice. The purchase price in this event is the greater of (x) the average of the daily closing prices of the partnership securities of such class over the 20 trading days preceding the date three days before notice of exercise of the call right is first mailed and (y) the highest price paid by our general partner or any of its affiliates for partnership securities of such class during the 90-day period preceding the date such notice is first mailed.

 

As a result of our general partner’s right to purchase outstanding partnership securities, a holder of partnership securities may have the holder’s partnership securities purchased at an undesirable time or price.

 

Exchange Listing

 

Our common units are listed on the New York Stock Exchange, where they trade under the symbol “TOO.”

 

Transfer Agent and Registrar

 

BNY Mellon Shareowner Services serves as registrar and transfer agent for our common units. We pay all fees charged by the transfer agent for transfers of common units, except the following, which must be paid by unitholders:

 

•

surety bond premiums to replace lost or stolen certificates, taxes and other governmental charges;

 

•

special charges for services requested by a holder of a common unit; and

 

•

other similar fees or charges.

 

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There is no charge to unitholders for disbursements of our cash distributions. We will indemnify the transfer agent, its agents and each of their stockholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence or intentional misconduct of the indemnified person or entity.

 

Transfer of Common Units

 

By transfer of common units in accordance with our partnership agreement, each transferee of common units automatically shall be admitted as a limited partner with respect to the common units transferred when such transfer and admission is reflected in our books and records. Our general partner will cause any transfers to be recorded on our books and records no less frequently than quarterly. Each transferee automatically shall be deemed to:

 

•

represent that the transferee has the capacity, power and authority to become bound by our partnership agreement;

 

•

agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of, and to have executed, our partnership agreement;

 

•

grants powers of attorney to officers of our general partner and any liquidator of us as specified in our partnership agreement; and

 

•

give the consents and approvals contained in our partnership agreement.

 

We are entitled to treat the nominee holder of a common unit as the absolute owner. In that case, the beneficial holder’s rights are limited solely to those that it has against the nominee holder as a result of any agreement between the beneficial owner and the nominee holder.

 

Common units are securities and are transferable according to the laws governing transfer of securities. In addition to other rights acquired upon transfer, the transferor gives the transferee the right to become a limited partner in our partnership for the transferred common units.

 

Other Matters

 

Merger, Sale, or Other Disposition of Assets.    A merger or consolidation of us requires the consent of our general partner, in addition to the approval of the holders of units representing a unit majority. However, our general partner will have no duty or obligation to consent to any merger or consolidation and may decline to do so free of any fiduciary duty or obligation whatsoever to us or the limited partners, including any duty to act in good faith or in the best interests of us or the limited partners. In addition, our partnership agreement generally prohibits our general partner, without unitholder approval, from causing us to sell, exchange, or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets. Our general partner may, however, mortgage, pledge, hypothecate, or grant a security interest in all or substantially all of our assets without unitholder approval. Our general partner may also sell all or substantially all of our assets under a foreclosure or other realization upon those encumbrances without unitholder approval. The unitholders are not entitled to dissenters’ rights of appraisal under our partnership agreement or applicable law in the event of a conversion, merger or consolidation, a sale of substantially all of our assets, or any other transaction or event.

 

Registration Rights.    Under our partnership agreement, we have agreed to register for resale under the Securities Act of 1933 and applicable state securities laws any common units or other partnership securities proposed to be sold by our general partner or any of its affiliates or their assignees if an exemption from the registration requirements is not otherwise available or advisable. These registration rights continue for two years following any withdrawal or removal of Teekay Offshore GP L.L.C. as our general partner. We are obligated to pay all expenses incidental to the registration, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions.

 

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Summary of Additional Important Provisions of Our Partnership Agreement and Conflicts of Interest Matters

 

A copy of our partnership agreement is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. A summary of the important provisions of our partnership agreement and the rights and privileges of our unitholders is included in our registration statement on Form 8-A/A as filed with the SEC on May 13, 2011, including any subsequent amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description. In addition to the partnership agreement summary, the Form 8-A/A also describes (1) conflicts of interest that may arise as a result of the relationship between our general partner and its affiliates, including Teekay Corporation, on the one hand, and us and our unaffiliated limited partners on the other hand, and (2) the fiduciary duties our general partner owes us, and possible limitations on those duties. Please read “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Documents by Reference.”

 

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CASH DISTRIBUTIONS

 

Distribution of Available Cash

 

General

 

Within approximately 45 days after the end of each quarter, we distribute all of our available cash to unitholders of record on the applicable record date.

 

Available Cash

 

Available cash generally means, for each fiscal quarter, all cash on hand at the end of the quarter (including our proportionate share of cash on hand of certain subsidiaries we do not wholly own):

 

•

less the amount of cash reserves (including our proportionate share of cash reserves of certain subsidiaries we do not wholly own) established by our general partner to:

 

•

provide for the proper conduct of our business (including reserves for future capital expenditures and for our anticipated credit needs);

 

•

comply with applicable law, any debt instruments, or other agreements; or

 

•

provide funds for distributions to our unitholders and to our general partner for any one or more of the next four quarters;

 

•

plus all cash on hand (including our proportionate share of cash on hand of certain subsidiaries we do not wholly own) on the date of determination of available cash for the quarter resulting from working capital borrowings made after the end of the quarter. Working capital borrowings are generally borrowings that are made under our credit agreements and in all cases are used solely for working capital purposes or to pay distributions to partners.

 

Minimum Quarterly Distribution

 

Common unitholders are entitled under our partnership agreement to receive a quarterly distribution of $0.35 per unit, or $1.40 per unit per year, to the extent we have sufficient available cash from our operations after we establish cash reserves and pay fees and expenses, including payments to our general partner. Our general partner has the authority to determine the amount of our available cash for any quarter. This determination, as well as all determinations made by our general partner, must be made in good faith. There is no guarantee that we will pay the minimum quarterly distribution on our common units in any quarter, and we will be prohibited from making any distributions to our unitholders if it would cause an event of default, or an event of default is existing, under our credit facilities.

 

Operating Surplus and Capital Surplus

 

General

 

All cash distributed to unitholders is characterized as either “operating surplus” or “capital surplus.” We treat distributions of available cash from operating surplus differently than distributions of available cash from capital surplus.

 

Definition of Operating Surplus

 

Operating surplus, for any period, generally means:

 

•

$15 million; plus

 

•

all of our cash receipts (including our proportionate share of cash receipts of certain subsidiaries we do not wholly own) after the closing of our initial public offering, excluding cash from (1) borrowings, other than

 

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working capital borrowings, (2) sales of equity and debt securities, (3) sales or other dispositions of assets outside the ordinary course of business, (4) termination of interest rate swap agreements, (5) capital contributions or (6) corporate reorganizations or restructurings; plus

 

•

working capital borrowings (including our proportionate share of working capital borrowings for certain subsidiaries we do not wholly own) made after the end of a quarter but before the date of determination of operating surplus for the quarter; plus

 

•

interest paid on debt incurred (including periodic net payments under related interest rate swap agreements) and cash distributions paid on equity securities issued, in each case (and including our proportionate share of such interest and cash distributions paid by certain subsidiaries we do not wholly own), to finance all or any portion of the construction, replacement or improvement of a capital asset such as vessels during the period from such financing until the earlier to occur of the date the capital asset is put into service or the date that it is abandoned or disposed of; plus

 

•

interest paid on debt incurred (including periodic net payments under related interest rate swap agreements) and cash distributions paid on equity securities issued, in each case (and including our proportionate share of such interest and cash distributions paid by certain subsidiaries we do not wholly own), to pay the construction period interest on debt incurred (including periodic net payments under related interest rate swap agreements), or to pay construction period distributions on equity issued, to finance the construction projects described in the immediately preceding bullet; less

 

•

all of our operating expenditures (including our proportionate share of operating expenditures of certain subsidiaries we do not wholly own) after the closing of our initial public offering and the repayment of working capital borrowings, but not (1) the repayment of other borrowings, (2) actual maintenance capital expenditures, or expansion capital expenditures or investment capital expenditures, (3) transaction expenses (including taxes) related to interim capital transactions or (4) distributions; less

 

•

estimated maintenance capital expenditures and the amount of cash reserves (including our proportionate share of cash reserves of certain subsidiaries we do not wholly own) established by our general partner to provide funds for future operating expenditures.

 

If a working capital borrowing, which increases operating surplus, is not repaid during the 12-month period following the borrowing, it will be deemed repaid at the end of such period, thus decreasing operating surplus at such time. When such working capital borrowing is in fact repaid, it will not be treated as a reduction in operating surplus because operating surplus will have been previously reduced by the deemed repayment.

 

As described above, operating surplus includes a provision that enables us, if we choose, to distribute as operating surplus up to $15 million of cash we have received or will receive from non-operating sources since the time of our initial public offering, such as asset sales, issuances of securities and long-term borrowing, that would otherwise be distributed as capital surplus. In addition, the effect of including, as described above, certain cash distributions on equity securities or interest payments on debt in operating surplus would also be to increase operating surplus by the amount of any such cash distributions or interest payments. As a result, we may distribute as operating surplus up to the amount of any such cash distributions or interest payments of cash we receive from non-operating sources.

 

Capital Expenditures

 

For purposes of determining operating surplus, maintenance capital expenditures are those capital expenditures required to maintain over the long term the operating capacity of or the revenue generated by capital assets, and expansion capital expenditures are those capital expenditures that increase the operating capacity of or the revenue generated by capital assets. To the extent, however, that capital expenditures associated with acquiring a new vessel increase the revenues or the operating capacity of our fleet, those capital expenditures would be classified as expansion capital expenditures.

 

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Investment capital expenditures are those capital expenditures that are neither maintenance capital expenditures nor expansion capital expenditures. Investment capital expenditures largely consist of capital expenditures made for investment purposes.

 

Examples of investment capital expenditures include traditional capital expenditures for investment purposes, such as purchases of securities, as well as other capital expenditures that might be made in lieu of such traditional investment capital expenditures, such as the acquisition of a capital asset for investment purposes.

 

Examples of maintenance capital expenditures include capital expenditures associated with drydocking a vessel or acquiring a new vessel to the extent such expenditures are incurred to maintain the operating capacity of or the revenue generated by our fleet. Maintenance capital expenditures also include interest (and related fees) on debt incurred and distributions on equity issued to finance the construction of a replacement vessel and paid during the construction period, which we define as the period beginning on the date of entry into a binding construction contract and ending on the earlier of the date that the replacement vessel commences commercial service or the date that the replacement vessel is abandoned or disposed of. Debt incurred to pay or equity issued to fund construction period interest payments, and distributions on such equity, are also considered maintenance capital expenditures.

 

Because maintenance capital expenditures may be very large and vary significantly in timing, the amount of actual maintenance capital expenditures may differ substantially from period to period, which could cause similar fluctuations in the amounts of operating surplus, adjusted operating surplus, and available cash for distribution to our unitholders if we subtracted actual maintenance capital expenditures from operating surplus each quarter. Accordingly, to eliminate the effect on operating surplus of these fluctuations, our partnership agreement requires that an amount equal to an estimate of the average quarterly maintenance capital expenditures necessary to maintain the operating capacity of or the revenue generated by our capital assets over the long term be subtracted from operating surplus each quarter, as opposed to the actual amounts spent. The amount of estimated maintenance capital expenditures deducted from operating surplus is subject to review and change by the board of directors of our general partner at least once a year, provided that any change must be approved by the board’s conflicts committee. The estimate is made at least annually and whenever an event occurs that is likely to result in a material adjustment to the amount of our maintenance capital expenditures, such as a major acquisition or the introduction of new governmental regulations that will affect our fleet. For purposes of calculating operating surplus, any adjustment to this estimate is prospective only.

 

The use of estimated maintenance capital expenditures in calculating operating surplus has the following effects:

 

•

it reduces the risk that actual maintenance capital expenditures in any one quarter will be large enough to make operating surplus less than the minimum quarterly distribution to be paid on all the units for that quarter and subsequent quarters;

 

•

it reduces the need for us to borrow under our working capital facility to pay distributions; and

 

•

it is more difficult for us to raise our distribution on our units above the minimum quarterly distribution and pay incentive distributions to our general partner.

 

Definition of Capital Surplus

 

Capital surplus generally is generated only by:

 

•

borrowings other than working capital borrowings;

 

•

sales of debt and equity securities; and

 

•

sales or other dispositions of assets for cash, other than inventory, accounts receivable and other current assets sold in the ordinary course of business or non-current assets sold as part of normal retirements or replacements of assets.

 

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Characterization of Cash Distributions

 

We treat all available cash distributed as coming from operating surplus until the sum of all available cash distributed since we began operations equals the operating surplus as of the most recent date of determination of available cash. We treat any amount distributed in excess of operating surplus, regardless of its source, as capital surplus. As described above, operating surplus does not reflect actual cash on hand that is available for distribution to our unitholders. For example, it includes a provision that enables us, if we choose, to distribute as operating surplus up to $15 million of cash we have received or will receive from non-operating sources since the time of our initial public offering, such as asset sales, issuances of securities and long-term borrowings that would otherwise be distributed as capital surplus. We do not anticipate that we will make any distributions from capital surplus.

 

Distributions of Available Cash From Operating Surplus

 

We make distributions of available cash from operating surplus in the following manner:

 

•

first, 98% to all unitholders, pro rata, and 2% to our general partner, until we distribute for each outstanding unit an amount equal to the minimum quarterly distribution for that quarter; and

 

•

thereafter, in the manner described in “Incentive Distribution Rights” below.

 

The percentage interests set forth above assume that our general partner maintains its 2% general partner interest and has not transferred the incentive distribution rights and that we do not issue additional classes of equity securities.

 

Incentive Distribution Rights

 

Incentive distribution rights represent the right to receive an increasing percentage of quarterly distributions of available cash from operating surplus after the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels have been achieved. Our general partner currently holds the incentive distribution rights, but may transfer these rights separately from its general partner interest. Except for transfers of incentive distribution rights to an affiliate or another entity as part of our general partner’s merger or consolidation with or into, or sale of all or substantially all of its assets to such entity, the approval of a majority of our common units (excluding common units held by our general partner and its affiliates), voting separately as a class, generally is required for a transfer of the incentive distributions rights to a third party prior to December 31, 2016. Any transfer by our general partner of the incentive distribution rights would not change the percentage allocations of quarterly distributions with respect to such rights.

 

If for any quarter we have distributed available cash from operating surplus to the common unitholders in an amount equal to the minimum quarterly distribution, then we distribute any additional available cash from operating surplus for that quarter among the unitholders and our general partner in the following manner:

 

•

first, 98% to all unitholders, pro rata, and 2% to our general partner, until each unitholder receives a total of $0.4025 per unit for that quarter (the “first target distribution”);

 

•

second, 85% to all unitholders, pro rata, and 15% to our general partner, until each unitholder receives a total of $0.4375 per unit for that quarter (the “second target distribution”);

 

•

third, 75% to all unitholders, pro rata, and 25% to our general partner, until each unitholder receives a total of $0.525 per unit for that quarter (the “third target distribution”); and

 

•

thereafter, 50% to all unitholders, pro rata, and 50% to our general partner.

 

The percentage interests set forth above assume that our general partner maintains its 2% general partner interest and has not transferred the incentive distribution rights and that we do not issue additional classes of equity securities.

 

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Percentage Allocations of Available Cash From Operating Surplus

 

The following table illustrates the percentage allocations of the additional available cash from operating surplus between the unitholders and our general partner up to the various target distribution levels. The amounts set forth under “Marginal Percentage Interest in Distributions” are the percentage interests of the unitholders and our general partner in any available cash from operating surplus we distribute up to and including the corresponding amount in the column “Total Quarterly Distribution Target Amount,” until available cash from operating surplus we distribute reaches the next target distribution level, if any. The percentage interests shown for the unitholders and our general partner for the minimum quarterly distribution are also applicable to quarterly distribution amounts that are less than the minimum quarterly distribution. The percentage interests shown for our general partner include its 2% general partner interest and assume our general partner has contributed any capital necessary to maintain its 2% general partner interest and has not transferred the incentive distribution rights.

 

		Total Quarterly Distribution Target Amount		Marginal Percentage Interest in Distributions
				Unitholders				General Partner
Minimum Quarterly Distribution		$0.35			98	%			2	%
First Target Distribution		up to $0.4025			98	%			2	%
Second Target Distribution		above $0.4025 up to $0.4375			85	%			15	%
Third Target Distribution		above $0.4375 up to $0.525			75	%			25	%
Thereafter		above $0.525			50	%			50	%

 

Distributions From Capital Surplus

 

How Distributions From Capital Surplus Are Made

 

We make distributions of available cash from capital surplus, if any, in the following manner:

 

•

first, 98% to all unitholders, pro rata, and 2% to our general partner, until we distribute for each common unit an amount of available cash from capital surplus equal to the initial public offering price of our common units; and

 

•

thereafter, we make all distributions of available cash from capital surplus as if they were from operating surplus.

 

The preceding paragraph is based on the assumption that our general partner maintains its 2% general partner interest and that we do not issue additional classes of equity securities.

 

Effect of a Distribution From Capital Surplus

 

Our partnership agreement treats a distribution of capital surplus as the repayment of the initial unit price from our initial public offering on December 19, 2006, which is a return of capital. Each time a distribution of capital surplus is made, the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels will be reduced in the same proportion as the distribution had to the fair market value of the common units prior to the announcement of the distribution. Because distributions of capital surplus will reduce the minimum quarterly distribution, after any of these distributions are made, it may be easier for our general partner to receive incentive distributions. However, any distribution of capital surplus before the minimum quarterly distribution is reduced to zero cannot be applied to the payment of the minimum quarterly distribution.

 

Once we distribute capital surplus on a unit issued in our initial public offering in an amount equal to the initial unit price, we will reduce the minimum quarterly distribution and the target distribution levels to zero. We will then make all future distributions from operating surplus, with 50% being paid to the holders of units and 50% to our general partner. The percentage interests shown for our general partner include its 2% general partner

 

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interest and assume the general partner maintains its 2% general partner interest and has not transferred the incentive distribution rights.

 

Adjustment to the Minimum Quarterly Distribution and Target Distribution Levels

 

In addition to adjusting the minimum quarterly distribution and target distribution levels to reflect a distribution of capital surplus, if we combine our units into fewer units or subdivide our units into a greater number of units, we will proportionately adjust:

 

•

the minimum quarterly distribution;

 

•

the target distribution levels; and

 

•

the initial unit price.

 

For example, if a two-for-one split of the common units should occur, the minimum quarterly distribution, the target distribution levels and the initial unit price would each be reduced to 50% of its initial level. We will not make any adjustment by reason of the issuance of additional units for cash or property.

 

Distributions of Cash Upon Liquidation

 

If we dissolve in accordance with our partnership agreement, we will sell or otherwise dispose of our assets in a process called liquidation. We will apply the proceeds of liquidation in the manner set forth below.

 

If, as of the date three trading days prior to the announcement of the proposed liquidation, the average closing price of our common units for the preceding 20 trading days (or the current market price) is greater than the initial public offering unit price (less any prior capital surplus distributions and any prior cash distributions made in connection with a partial liquidation), then the proceeds of the liquidation will be applied as follows:

 

•

first, 98% to the common unitholders, pro rata, and 2% to our general partner, until we distribute for each outstanding common unit an amount equal to the current market price of our common units; and

 

•

thereafter, 50% to all unitholders, pro rata, 48% to holders of incentive distribution rights and 2% to our general partner.

 

If, as of the date three trading days prior to the announcement of the proposed liquidation, the current market price of our common units is equal to or less than the initial public offering unit price (less any prior capital surplus distributions and any prior cash distributions made in connection with a partial liquidation), then the proceeds of the liquidation will be applied as follows:

 

•

first, 98% to the common unitholders, pro rata, and 2% to our general partner, until we distribute for each outstanding common unit an amount equal to the initial public offering unit price (less any prior capital surplus distributions and any prior cash distributions made in connection with a partial liquidation);

 

•

thereafter, 50% to all unitholders, pro rata, 48% to holders of incentive distribution rights and 2% to our general partner.

 

The immediately preceding two paragraphs are based on the assumption that our general partner maintains its 2% general partner interest and that we do not issue additional classes of equity securities.

 

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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

 

The following is a discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations that may be relevant to prospective unitholders and, unless otherwise noted in the following discussion, is the opinion of Perkins Coie LLP, our U.S. counsel, insofar as it relates to matters of U.S. federal income tax law and legal conclusions with respect to those matters. The opinion of our counsel is dependent on the accuracy of representations made by us to them, including descriptions of our operations contained herein.

 

This discussion is based upon the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (or the Code), final and temporary regulations thereunder (or Treasury Regulations), court decisions and administrative interpretations, all as in effect on the date of this prospectus, and which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. Changes in these authorities may cause the tax consequences to vary substantially from the consequences described below. Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this section to “we,” “our” or “us” are references to Teekay Offshore Partners L.P.

 

This discussion is limited to unitholders who hold their common units as a capital asset for tax purposes. This discussion does not address all tax considerations that may be important to a particular unitholder in light of the unitholder’s circumstances, or to certain categories of unitholders that may be subject to special tax rules, such as:

 

•

dealers in securities or currencies,

 

•

traders in securities that have elected the mark-to-market method of accounting for their securities,

 

•

persons whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar,

 

•

persons holding our common units as part of a hedge, straddle, conversion or other “synthetic security” or integrated transaction,

 

•

certain U.S. expatriates,

 

•

financial institutions,

 

•

insurance companies,

 

•

persons subject to the alternative minimum tax,

 

•

persons that actually or under applicable constructive ownership rules own 10% or more of our common units, and

 

•

entities that are tax-exempt for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

If a partnership (including any entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds our common units, the tax treatment of a partner generally will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner of a partnership holding our common units, you should consult your own tax advisor about the U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning and disposing the common units.

 

No ruling has been or will be requested from the Internal Revenue Service (or IRS) regarding any matter affecting us or our unitholders. Instead, we will rely on the opinion of Perkins Coie LLP. Unlike a ruling, an opinion of counsel represents only that counsel’s legal judgment and does not bind the IRS or the courts. Accordingly, the opinions and statements made herein may not be sustained by a court if contested by the IRS.

 

This discussion does not address any U.S. estate tax considerations or tax considerations arising under the laws of any state, local or non-U.S. jurisdiction. Each unitholder is urged to consult its own tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal, state, local and other tax consequences of the ownership or disposition of our common units.

 

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Election to be Taxed as a Corporation

 

We have elected to be taxed as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As such, unitholders are not directly subject to U.S. federal income tax on our income, but rather are subject to U.S. federal income tax on distributions received from us and dispositions of units as described below.

 

United States Federal Income Taxation of U.S. Holders

 

As used herein, the term U.S. Holder means a beneficial owner of our common units that is a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien, a corporation or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, that was created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source, or a trust that either is subject to the supervision of a court within the United States and has one or more U.S. persons with authority to control all of its substantial decisions or has a valid election in effect under applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations to be treated as a United States person.

 

Distributions

 

We have elected to be taxed as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Subject to the discussion of passive foreign investment companies (or PFICs) below, any distributions made by us with respect to our common units to a U.S. Holder generally will constitute dividends, which may be taxable as ordinary income or “qualified dividend income” as described in more detail below, to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of our earnings and profits will be treated first as a nontaxable return of capital to the extent of the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in its common units and thereafter as capital gain. U.S. Holders that are corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes generally will not be entitled to claim a dividends received deduction with respect to any distributions they receive from us. Dividends paid with respect to our common units generally will be treated as “passive category income” or, in the case of certain types of U.S. Holders, “general category income” for purposes of computing allowable foreign tax credits for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

Dividends paid on our common units to a U.S. Holder who is an individual, trust or estate (or an Individual U.S. Holder) will be treated as “qualified dividend income” that currently is taxable to such Individual U.S. Holder at preferential capital gain tax rates provided that: (i) our common units are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States (such as the New York Stock Exchange on which our common units are traded); (ii) we are not a PFIC for the taxable year during which the dividend is paid or the immediately preceding taxable year (we intend to take the position that we are not now and have never been a PFIC, as discussed below); (iii) the Individual U.S. Holder has owned the common units for more than 60 days in the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the date on which the common units become ex-dividend; (iv) the Individual U.S. Holder is not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property; and (v) certain other conditions are met. There is no assurance that any dividends paid on our common units will be eligible for these preferential rates in the hands of an Individual U.S. Holder. Any dividends paid on our common units not eligible for these preferential rates will be taxed at ordinary graduated tax rates. In the absence of legislation extending the term of the preferential tax rates for qualified dividend income, all dividends received by a taxpayer in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012 will be taxed at ordinary graduated tax rates.

 

Special rules may apply to any “extraordinary dividend” paid by us. An extraordinary dividend is, generally, a dividend with respect to a share of stock if the amount of the dividend is equal to or in excess of 10% of a stockholder’s adjusted basis (or fair market value in certain circumstances) in such stock. If we pay an “extraordinary dividend” on our common units that is treated as “qualified dividend income,” then any loss derived by an Individual U.S. Holder from the sale or exchange of such common units will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of such dividend.

 

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Certain U.S. Holders who are individuals, estates or trusts will be subject to a 3.8% tax on, among other things, dividends for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, of this tax on their ownership of our common units.

 

Sale, Exchange or Other Disposition of Common Units

 

Assuming we do not constitute a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize taxable gain or loss upon a sale, exchange or other disposition of our common units in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized by the U.S. Holder from such sale, exchange or other disposition and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in such units. Subject to the discussion of extraordinary dividends above, such gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period is greater than one year at the time of the sale, exchange or other disposition, and subject to preferential capital gain tax rates. Such capital gain or loss generally will be treated as U.S.-source gain or loss, as applicable, for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes. A U.S. Holder’s ability to deduct capital losses is subject to certain limitations.

 

Certain U.S. Holders who are individuals, estates or trusts will be subject to a 3.8% tax on, among other things, capital gains from the sale or other disposition of stock for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, of this tax on their disposition of our common units.

 

Consequences of Possible PFIC Classification

 

A non-U.S. entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes will be a PFIC in any taxable year in which, after taking into account the income and assets of the corporation and certain subsidiaries pursuant to a “look through” rule, either: (i) at least 75% of its gross income is “passive” income; or (ii) at least 50% of the average value of its assets is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income. For purposes of these tests, “passive income” includes dividends, interest, and gains from the sale or exchange of investment property and rents and royalties other than rents and royalties that are received from unrelated parties in connection with the active conduct of a trade or business. By contrast, income derived from the performance of services does not constitute “passive income.”

 

There are legal uncertainties involved in determining whether the income derived from our time chartering activities constitutes rental income or income derived from the performance of services, including the decision in Tidewater Inc. v. United States, 565 F.3d 299 (5th Cir. 2009), which held that income derived from certain time chartering activities should be treated as rental income rather than services income for purposes of a foreign sales corporation provision of the Code. However, the IRS stated in an Action on Decision (AOD 2010-001) that it disagrees with, and will not acquiesce to, the way that the rental versus services framework was applied to the facts in the Tidewater decision, and in its discussion stated that the time charters at issue in Tidewater would be treated as producing services income for PFIC purposes. The IRS’s statement with respect to Tidewater cannot be relied upon or otherwise cited as precedent by taxpayers. Consequently, in the absence of any binding legal authority specifically relating to the statutory provisions governing PFICs, there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court would not follow the Tidewater decision in interpreting the PFIC provisions of the Code. Nevertheless, based on our and our subsidiaries’ current assets and operations, we intend to take the position that we are not now and have never been a PFIC, and our counsel, Perkins Coie LLP, is of the opinion that it is more likely than not that we are not a PFIC based on applicable law, including the Code, legislative history, published revenue rulings and court decisions, and representations we have made to them regarding the composition of our assets, the source of our income and the nature of our activities and other operations following this offering, including:

 

•

the total payments due to us under each of our time charters and our FPSO contracts are substantially in excess of the current bareboat charter rate for comparable vessels;

 

•

the income derived from our contracts of affreightment, time chartering activities and our FPSO contracts will be greater than 25% of our total gross income at all relevant times; and

 

•

the gross value of our vessels servicing our contracts of affreightment, time charters and FPSO contracts will exceed the gross value of all other assets we own at all relevant times.

 

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An opinion of counsel represents only that counsel’s best legal judgment and does not bind the IRS or the courts. Accordingly, the opinion of Perkins Coie LLP may not be sustained by a court if contested by the IRS. Further, no assurance can be given that we would not constitute a PFIC for any future taxable year if there were to be changes in our or our subsidiaries’ assets, income or operations.

 

As discussed more fully below, if we were to be treated as a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder would be subject to different taxation rules depending on whether the U.S. Holder makes a timely and effective election to treat us as a “Qualified Electing Fund” (a QEF election). As an alternative to making a QEF election, a U.S. Holder should be able to make a “mark-to-market” election with respect to our common units, as discussed below.

 

Taxation of U.S. Holders Making a Timely QEF Election.    If a U.S. Holder makes a timely QEF election (an Electing Holder), the Electing Holder must report each taxable year for U.S. federal income tax purposes the Electing Holder’s pro rata share of our ordinary earnings and net capital gain, if any, for our taxable year that ends with or within the Electing Holder’s taxable year, regardless of whether or not the Electing Holder received distributions from us in that year. Such income inclusions would not be eligible for the preferential tax rates applicable to “qualified dividend income.” The Electing Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common units will be increased to reflect taxed but undistributed earnings and profits. Distributions of earnings and profits that were previously taxed will result in a corresponding reduction in the Electing Holder’s adjusted tax basis in common units and will not be taxed again once distributed. An Electing Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common units. A U.S. Holder makes a QEF election with respect to any year that we are a PFIC by filing IRS Form 8621 with the holder’s timely filed U.S. federal income tax return (including extensions).

 

If a U.S. Holder has not made a timely QEF election with respect to the first year in the holder’s holding period of our common units during which we qualified as a PFIC, the holder may be treated as having made a timely QEF election by filing a QEF election with the holder’s timely filed U.S. federal income tax return (including extensions) and, under the rules of Section 1291 of the Code, a “deemed sale election” to include in income as an “excess distribution” (described below) the amount of any gain that the holder would otherwise recognize if the holder sold the holder’s common units on the “qualification date.” The qualification date is the first day of our taxable year in which we qualified as a “qualified electing fund” with respect to such U.S. Holder. In addition to the above rules, under very limited circumstances, a U.S. Holder may make a retroactive QEF election if the holder failed to file the QEF election documents in a timely manner. If a U.S. Holder makes a timely QEF election for one of our taxable years, but did not make such election with respect to the first year in the holder’s holding period of our common units during which we qualified as a PFIC and the holder did not make the deemed sale election described above, the holder also will be subject to the more adverse rules described below.

 

A U.S. Holder’s QEF election will not be effective unless we annually provide the holder with certain information concerning our income and gain, calculated in accordance with the Code, to be included with the holder’s U.S. federal income tax return. We have not provided our U.S. Holders with such information in prior taxable years and do not intend to provide such information in the current taxable year. Accordingly, U.S. Holders will not be able to make an effective QEF election at this time. If, contrary to our expectations, we determine that we are or will be a PFIC for any taxable year, we will provide U.S. Holders with the information necessary to make an effective QEF election with respect to our common units.

 

Taxation of U.S. Holders Making a “Mark-to-Market” Election.    If we were to be treated as a PFIC for any taxable year and, as we anticipate, our units were treated as “marketable stock,” then, as an alternative to making a QEF election, a U.S. Holder would be allowed to make a “mark-to-market” election with respect to our common units, provided the U.S. Holder completes and files IRS Form 8621 in accordance with the relevant instructions and related Treasury Regulations. If that election is made for the first year a U.S. Holder holds or is

 

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deemed to hold our common units and for which we are a PFIC, the U.S. Holder generally would include as ordinary income in each taxable year that we are a PFIC the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the U.S. Holder’s common units at the end of the taxable year over the holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common units. The U.S. Holder also would be permitted an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common units over the fair market value thereof at the end of the taxable year that we are a PFIC, but only to the extent of the net amount previously included in income as a result of the mark-to-market election. A U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the holder’s common units would be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss recognized. Gain recognized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common units in taxable years that we are a PFIC would be treated as ordinary income, and any loss recognized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of the common units in taxable years that we are a PFIC would be treated as ordinary loss to the extent that such loss does not exceed the net mark-to-market gains previously included in income by the U.S. Holder. Because the mark-to-market election only applies to marketable stock, however, it would not apply to a U.S. Holder’s indirect interest in any of our subsidiaries that were also determined to be PFICs.

 

If a U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election for one of our taxable years and we were a PFIC for a prior taxable year during which such holder held our common units and for which (i) we were not a QEF with respect to such holder and (ii) such holder did not make a timely mark-to-market election, such holder would also be subject to the more adverse rules described below in the first taxable year for which the mark-to-market election is in effect and also to the extent the fair market value of the U.S. Holder’s common units exceeds the holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common units at the end of the first taxable year for which the mark-to-market election is in effect.

 

Taxation of U.S. Holders Not Making a Timely QEF or Mark-to-Market Election.    If we were to be treated as a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder who does not make either a QEF election or a “mark-to-market” election for that year (a Non-Electing Holder) would be subject to special rules resulting in increased tax liability with respect to (i) any excess distribution (i.e., the portion of any distributions received by the Non-Electing Holder on our common units in a taxable year in excess of 125% of the average annual distributions received by the Non-Electing Holder in the three preceding taxable years or, if shorter, the Non-Electing Holder’s holding period for the common units), and (ii) any gain realized on the sale, exchange or other disposition of the units. Under these special rules:

 

•

the excess distribution or gain would be allocated ratably over the Non-Electing Holder’s aggregate holding period for the common units;

 

•

the amount allocated to the current taxable year and any taxable year prior to the taxable year we were first treated as a PFIC with respect to the Non-Electing Holder would be taxed as ordinary income in the current taxable year; and

 

•

the amount allocated to each of the other taxable years would be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the highest rate of tax in effect for the applicable class of taxpayers for that year; and

 

•

an interest charge for the deemed deferral benefit would be imposed with respect to the resulting tax attributable to each such other taxable year.

 

If we were treated as a PFIC for any taxable year and a Non-Electing Holder who is an individual dies while owning our common units, such holder’s successor generally would not receive a step-up in tax basis with respect to such common units. In addition, a U.S. Holder is required to file an annual report with the IRS for each taxable year after 2010 in which we are treated as a PFIC with respect to the U.S. Holder’s common units.

 

U.S. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the applicability, availability and advisability of, and procedure for, making QEF, Mark-to-Market Elections and other available elections with respect to us, and the U.S. federal income tax consequences of making such elections.

 

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Consequences of Possible Controlled Foreign Corporation Classification

 

If CFC Unitholders (generally, U.S. Holders who each own, directly, indirectly or constructively, 10% or more of the total combined voting power of our outstanding units entitled to vote) own directly, indirectly or constructively more than 50% of either the total combined voting power of our outstanding units entitled to vote or the total value of all of our outstanding units, we generally would be treated as a controlled foreign corporation, or a CFC.

 

CFC Unitholders are treated as receiving current distributions of their shares of certain income of the CFC without regard to any actual distributions and are subject to other burdensome U.S. federal income tax and administrative requirements but generally are not also subject to the requirements generally applicable to owners of a PFIC. In addition, a person who is or has been a CFC Unitholder may recognize ordinary income on the disposition of units of the CFC. Although we do not believe we are or will become a CFC, U.S. persons owning a substantial interest in us should consider the potential implications of being treated as a CFC Unitholder in the event we become a CFC in the future.

 

The U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders who are not CFC Unitholders would not change in the event we become a CFC in the future.

 

U.S. Return Disclosure Requirements for Individual U.S. Holders

 

Individual U.S. Holders that hold certain specified foreign financial assets, including stock in a foreign corporation that is not held in an account maintained by a financial institution, will be subject to additional U.S. return disclosure obligations if the aggregate value of all such assets exceeds $50,000 (and related penalties for failure to disclose). Investors are encouraged to consult with their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of this disclosure requirement to their investment in our common units.

 

United States Federal Income Taxation of Non-U.S. Holders

 

A beneficial owner of our common units (other than a partnership, including any entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is not a U.S. Holder is a Non-U.S. Holder.

 

Distributions

 

Distributions we make to a Non-U.S. Holder will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax or withholding tax if the Non-U.S. Holder is not engaged in a U.S. trade or business. If the Non-U.S. Holder is engaged in a U.S. trade or business, distributions we make will be subject to U.S. federal income tax to the extent those distributions constitute income effectively connected with that Non-U.S. Holder’s U.S. trade or business. However, distributions made to a Non-U.S. Holder that is engaged in a trade or business may be exempt from taxation under an income tax treaty if the income represented thereby is not attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment maintained by the Non-U.S. Holder.

 

Sale, Exchange or Other Disposition of Common Units

 

The U.S. federal income taxation of Non-U.S. Holders on any gain resulting from the disposition of our common units generally is the same as described above regarding distributions. However, an individual Non-U.S. Holder may be subject to tax on gain resulting from the disposition of our common units if the holder is present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year in which such disposition occurs and meets certain other requirements.

 

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Backup Withholding and Information Reporting

 

In general, payments of distributions or the proceeds of a disposition of common units to a non-corporate U.S. Holder will be subject to information reporting requirements. These payments to a non-corporate U.S. Holder also may be subject to backup withholding if the non-corporate U.S. Holder:

 

•

fails to timely provide an accurate taxpayer identification number;

 

•

is notified by the IRS that it has failed to report all interest or distributions required to be shown on its U.S. federal income tax returns; or

 

•

in certain circumstances, fails to comply with applicable certification requirements.

 

Non-U.S. Holders may be required to establish their exemption from information reporting and backup withholding on payments within the United States, or through a U.S. payor, by certifying their status on IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8ECI or W-8IMY, as applicable.

 

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, a unitholder generally may obtain a credit for any amount withheld against its liability for U.S. federal income tax (and a refund of any amounts withheld in excess of such liability) by accurately completing and timely filing a return with the IRS.

 

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NON-UNITED STATES TAX CONSIDERATIONS

 

Marshall Islands Tax Considerations

 

The following discussion is based upon the opinion of Watson, Farley & Williams (New York) LLP, our counsel as to matters of the laws of the Republic of The Marshall Islands, and the current laws of the Republic of The Marshall Islands and is applicable only to persons who do not reside in, maintain offices in or engage in business in the Republic of The Marshall Islands.

 

Because we, OPCO and our respective subsidiaries do not, and we do not expect that we, OPCO or our respective subsidiaries will, conduct business or operations in the Republic of The Marshall Islands, and because all documentation related to this offering will be executed outside of the Republic of The Marshall Islands, under current Marshall Islands law you will not be subject to Marshall Islands taxation or withholding on distributions, including upon a return of capital, we make to you as a unitholder. In addition, you will not be subject to Marshall Islands stamp, capital gains or other taxes on the purchase, ownership or disposition of common units, and you will not be required by the Republic of The Marshall Islands to file a tax return relating to the common units.

 

It is the responsibility of each unitholder to investigate the legal and tax consequences, under the laws of pertinent jurisdictions, including the Marshall Islands, of its investment in us. Accordingly, each unitholder is urged to consult its tax counsel or other advisor with regard to those matters. Further, it is the responsibility of each unitholder to file all state, local and non-U.S., as well as U.S. federal, tax returns that may be required of him.

 

Canadian Federal Income Tax Considerations

 

The following discussion is a summary of the material Canadian federal income tax considerations under the Income Tax Act (Canada) (or the Canada Tax Act ), as of the date of this prospectus, that we believe are relevant to holders of common units who, for the purposes of the Canada Tax Act and the Canada-United States Tax Convention 1980 (or the Canada-U.S. Treaty ) are, at all relevant times, resident in the United States and entitled to all of the benefits of the Canada-U.S. Treaty and who deal at arm’s length with us and Teekay Corporation (or U.S. Resident Holders ). This discussion takes into account all proposed amendments to the Canada Tax Act and the regulations thereunder that have been publicly announced by or on behalf of the Minister of Finance (Canada) prior to the date hereof and assumes that such proposed amendments will be enacted substantially as proposed. However, no assurance can be given that such proposed amendments will be enacted in the form proposed or at all.

 

A U.S. Resident Holder will not be liable to tax under the Canada Tax Act on any income or gains allocated by us to the U.S. Resident Holder in respect of such U.S. Resident Holder’s common units, provided that (a) we do not carry on business in Canada for purposes of the Canada Tax Act and (b) such U.S. Resident Holder does not hold such common units in connection with a business carried on by such U.S. Resident Holder through a permanent establishment in Canada for purposes of the Canada-U.S. Treaty.

 

A U.S. Resident Holder will not be liable to tax under the Canada Tax Act on any income or gain from the sale, redemption or other disposition of such U.S. Resident Holder’s common units, provided that, for purposes of the Canada-U.S. Treaty, such common units do not, and did not at any time in the twelve-month period preceding the date of disposition, form part of the business property of a permanent establishment in Canada of such U.S. Resident Holder.

 

In this regard, we believe that our activities and affairs and the activities and affairs of OPCO, a Marshall Island limited partnership in which we own a 100% limited partnership interest, are conducted in a manner that both we and OPCO are not carrying on business in Canada and that U.S. Resident Holders should not be

 

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considered to be carrying on business in Canada for purposes of the Canada Tax Act or the Canada-U.S. Treaty solely by reason of the acquisition, holding, disposition or redemption of their common units. We intend that this is and continues to be the case, notwithstanding that Teekay Shipping Limited (a subsidiary of Teekay Corporation that is resident and based in Bermuda) provides certain services to Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. and OPCO and obtains some or all such services under subcontracts with Canadian service providers, as described below.

 

Our election to be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes has no effect for purposes of the Canada Tax Act. Therefore, we are treated as a partnership for Canadian federal income tax purposes. Under the Canada Tax Act, a resident of Canada (which may include a foreign corporation the central management and control of which is in Canada) is subject to Canadian tax on its world-wide income, subject to any relief that may be provided by any relevant tax treaty. A non-resident corporation or individual that carries on a business in Canada directly or through a partnership, including through a partnership that owns an interest in another partnership, is subject to tax in Canada on income attributable to its business (or that of the partnership or the partnership’s interest in another partnership, as the case may be) carried on in Canada. The taxation under the Canada Tax Act is subject to the provisions of any relevant tax treaty.

 

The Canada Tax Act contains special rules that provide that qualifying international shipping corporations will not be considered to be resident in Canada even if they are, in whole or in part, managed from Canada. Further, the Canada Tax Act and many of the tax treaties to which Canada is a party also contain special exemptions for profits derived from international shipping operations.

 

We and OPCO have entered into agreements with Teekay Shipping Limited for the provision of administrative services. Certain of OPCO’s operating subsidiaries have entered into agreements with Teekay Shipping Limited for the provision of advisory, technical, ship management and administrative services. Certain of the services that Teekay Shipping Limited provides to us, to OPCO and to OPCO’s operating subsidiaries under the services agreements are and may in the future be obtained by Teekay Shipping Limited under subcontracts with a Canadian subsidiary of Teekay Corporation.

 

The special rules in the Canada Tax Act and various relevant tax treaties relating to qualifying international shipping corporations and income from international shipping operations may provide relief to OPCO’s operating subsidiaries to the extent that the services provided to them by Canadian entities would otherwise result in such operating subsidiaries being considered to be resident in Canada or to be taxable in Canada on certain income from such operations by virtue of carrying on business in Canada. However, such rules would not apply to us or OPCO, as holding limited partnerships, or to our general partner or U.S. Resident Holders. While we do not believe it to be the case, if the arrangements we have entered into result in our being considered to carry on business in Canada for purposes of the Canada Tax Act, U.S. Resident Holders would be considered to be carrying on business in Canada and may be required to file Canadian tax returns and, subject to any relief provided under the Canada-U.S. Treaty, would be subject to taxation in Canada on any income that is considered to be attributable to the business carried on by us in Canada. The Canada-U.S. Treaty contains a treaty benefit denial rule which may have the effect of denying relief thereunder from Canadian taxation to U.S. Resident Holders in respect of any income attributable to a business carried on by us in Canada and any other Canadian source income earned by us.

 

We believe that we and OPCO can each conduct our respective activities and affairs in a manner so that U.S. Resident Holders should not be considered to be carrying on business in Canada solely as a consequence of the acquisition, holding, disposition or redemption of our common units. Consequently, we believe that U.S. Resident Holders should not be subject to tax filing or other tax obligations in Canada under the Canada Tax Act. However, although we do not intend to do so, there can be no assurance that the manner in which we and OPCO carry on our respective activities will not change from time to time as circumstances dictate or warrant in a manner that may cause U.S. Resident Holders to be carrying on business in Canada for purposes of the Canada

 

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Tax Act. Further, the relevant Canadian federal income tax law may change by legislation or judicial interpretation and the Canadian taxing authorities may take a different view than we have of the current law.

 

It is the responsibility of each U.S. Resident Holder to investigate the legal and tax consequences, under the laws of pertinent jurisdictions, including Canada, of an investment in us. Accordingly, each prospective U.S. Resident Holder is urged to consult, and depend upon, such unitholder’s tax counsel or other advisor with regard to those matters. Further, it is the responsibility of each U.S. Resident Holder to file all state, local and non-U.S., as well as U.S. federal, tax returns that may be required of such unitholder.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

 

We may sell the securities offered by this prospectus and applicable prospectus supplements:

 

•

through underwriters or dealers;

 

•

through agents;

 

•

directly to purchasers; or

 

•

through a combination of any such methods of sale.

 

If underwriters are used to sell securities, we will enter into an underwriting agreement or similar agreement with them at the time of the sale to them. In that connection, underwriters may receive compensation from us in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions and may also receive commissions from purchasers of the securities for whom they may act as agent. Any such underwriter, dealer or agent may be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933.

 

The applicable prospectus supplement relating to the securities will set forth, among other things:

 

•

the offering terms, including the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents;

 

•

the purchase price of the securities and the proceeds to us from such sale;

 

•

any underwriting discounts, concessions, commissions and other items constituting compensation to underwriters, dealers or agents;

 

•

any initial public offering price;

 

•

any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid by underwriters or dealers to other dealers; and

 

•

any securities exchanges on which the securities may be listed.

 

If underwriters or dealers are used in the sale, the securities will be acquired by the underwriters or dealers for their own account and may be resold from time to time in one or more transactions in accordance with the rules of the New York Stock Exchange:

 

•

at a fixed price or prices that may be changed;

 

•

at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

 

•

at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

 

•

at negotiated prices.

 

The securities may be offered to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by one or more managing underwriters or directly by one or more of such firms. Unless otherwise set forth in an applicable prospectus supplement, the obligations of underwriters or dealers to purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions precedent and the underwriters or dealers will be obligated to purchase all the securities if any are purchased. Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid by underwriters or dealers to other dealers may be changed from time to time.

 

Securities may be sold directly by us from time to time, at prevailing market prices or otherwise. From time to time, Teekay Holdings Limited, a subsidiary of Teekay Corporation, may sell common units representing limited partnership interests in us, at prevailing market prices or otherwise. Securities may also be sold through agents designated by us from time to time, at prevailing market prices or otherwise. Any agent involved in the offer or sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus and a prospectus supplement is delivered will be named, and any commissions payable by us to such agent will be set forth, in the prospectus supplement. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, any such agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment.

 

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If so indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters, dealers or agents to solicit offers from certain specified institutions to purchase securities from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. Such contracts will be subject to any conditions set forth in the prospectus supplement and the prospectus supplement will set forth the commissions payable for solicitation of such contracts. The underwriters and other persons soliciting such contracts will have no responsibility for the validity or performance of any such contracts.

 

Underwriters, dealers and agents may be entitled under agreements entered into with us to be indemnified by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, or to contribution by us to payments which they may be required to make. The terms and conditions of such indemnification will be described in an applicable prospectus supplement.

 

Underwriters, dealers and agents may be customers of, engage in transactions with, or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.

 

Any underwriters to whom securities are sold by us for public offering and sale may make a market in such securities, but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for any securities.

 

Certain persons participating in any offering of securities may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities offered. In connection with any such offering, the underwriters or agents, as the case may be, may purchase and sell securities in the open market. These transactions may include over-allotment and stabilizing transactions and purchases to cover syndicate short positions created in connection with the offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of certain bids or purchases for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the securities and syndicate short positions involve the sale by the underwriters or agents, as the case may be, of a greater number of securities than they are required to purchase from us in the offering. The underwriters may also impose a penalty bid, whereby selling concessions allowed to syndicate members or other broker-dealers for the securities sold for their account may be reclaimed by the syndicate if such securities are repurchased by the syndicate in stabilizing or covering transactions. These activities may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the securities, which may be higher than the price that might otherwise prevail in the open market, and if commenced, may be discontinued at any time. These transactions may be effected on the New York Stock Exchange, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. These activities will be described in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

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SERVICE OF PROCESS AND ENFORCEMENT OF CIVIL LIABILITIES

 

Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. is organized under the laws of the Republic of The Marshall Islands as a limited partnership. Our general partner is organized under the laws of the Republic of The Marshall Islands as a limited liability company. The Republic of The Marshall Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides protections for investors to a significantly lesser extent.

 

Most of the directors and officers of our general partner and those of our subsidiaries are residents of countries other than the United States. Substantially all of our and our subsidiaries’ assets and a substantial portion of the assets of the directors and officers of our general partner are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for United States investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us, our general partner, our subsidiaries or the directors and officers of our general partner or to realize against us or them judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States. However, we have expressly submitted to the jurisdiction of the U.S. federal and New York state courts sitting in the City of New York for the purpose of any suit, action or proceeding arising under the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States, and we have appointed Watson, Farley & Williams (New York) LLP to accept service of process on our behalf in any such action.

 

Watson, Farley & Williams (New York) LLP, our counsel as to Marshall Islands law, has advised us that there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Republic of The Marshall Islands would (1) recognize or enforce against us, our general partner or our general partner’s directors or officers judgments of courts of the United States based on civil liability provisions of applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws or (2) impose liabilities against us, our general partner or our general partner’s directors and officers in original actions brought in the Republic of The Marshall Islands, based on these laws.

 

LEGAL MATTERS

 

Unless otherwise stated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the validity of the securities and certain other legal matters with respect to the laws of the Republic of The Marshall Islands will be passed upon for us by our counsel as to Marshall Islands law, Watson, Farley & Williams (New York) LLP. Certain other legal matters will be passed upon for us by Perkins Coie LLP, Portland, Oregon, who may rely upon the opinion of Watson, Farley & Williams (New York) LLP, for all matters of Marshall Islands law. Any underwriter will be advised about other issues relating to any offering by its own legal counsel.

 

EXPERTS

 

The consolidated financial statements of Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. included in its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2010, and the effectiveness of Teekay Offshore Partners L.P.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2010, have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their reports thereon included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statements are, and audited financial statements to be included in subsequently filed documents will be, incorporated herein in reliance upon the reports of Ernst & Young LLP pertaining to such financial statements and the effectiveness of our internal control over our financial reporting as of December 31, 2010 (to the extent covered by consents filed with the SEC) given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

 

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form F-3 regarding the securities covered by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information found in the registration statement. For further information regarding us and the securities offered in this prospectus, you may wish to review the full registration statement, including its exhibits. In addition, we file annual, quarterly and other reports with and furnish information to the SEC. You may inspect and copy any document we file with or furnish to the SEC at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of this material can also be obtained upon written request from the Public Reference Section of the SEC at that address, at prescribed rates, or from the SEC’s website on the internet at www.sec.gov free of charge. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on public reference rooms. You can also obtain information about us at the offices of the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., 20 Broad Street, New York, New York 10005.

 

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (or the Exchange Act) from, among other things, certain rules prescribing the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our executive officers, directors and principal unitholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we are not required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act, including the filing of quarterly reports or current reports on Form 8-K. However, we intend to make available quarterly reports containing our unaudited interim financial information for the first three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year.

 

INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

 

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus information that we file with the SEC. This means that we can disclose important information to you without actually including the specific information in this prospectus by referring you to other documents filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus. Information that we later provide to the SEC, and which is deemed to be “filed” with the SEC, automatically will update information previously filed with the SEC, and may replace information in this prospectus.

 

We incorporate by reference into this prospectus the documents listed below:

 

•

our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010;

 

•

all subsequent Annual Reports on Form 20-F filed prior to the termination of this offering;

 

•

all subsequent Reports on Form 6-K furnished to the SEC prior to the termination of this offering that we identify in such Reports as being incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part; and

 

•

the description of our common units contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A/A filed on May 13, 2011, including any subsequent amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

 

These reports contain important information about us, our financial condition and our results of operations.

 

You may obtain any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus from the SEC through its public reference facilities or its website at the addresses provided above. You also may request a copy of any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus (excluding any exhibits to those documents, unless the

 

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exhibit is specifically incorporated by reference in this document), at no cost, by visiting our internet website at www.teekayoffshore.com, or by writing or calling us at the following address:

 

Teekay Offshore Partners, L.P.

4th Floor, Belvedere Building,

69 Pitts Bay Road

Hamilton HM 08, Bermuda

Attn: Corporate Secretary

(441) 298-2530

 

You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with any information. You should not assume that the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of each document. The information contained in our website is not part of this prospectus.

 

EXPENSES

 

The following table sets forth costs and expenses, other than any underwriting discounts and commissions, we expect to incur in connection with the issuance and distribution of the common units covered by this prospectus. All amounts are estimated except the SEC registration fee.

 

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee		$	77,348
Legal fees and expenses			*
Accounting fees and expenses			*
Printing costs			*
Transfer agent fees			*
Miscellaneous			*
Total		$	*

 

*

To be provided in a prospectus supplement or in a Report on Form 6-K subsequently incorporated by reference into this prospectus.

 

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7,000,000 Common Units

 

Representing Limited Partner Interests

 

 

Teekay Offshore Partners L.P.

 

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

 

 

Citigroup

BofA Merrill Lynch

RBC Capital Markets

 

 

 

Barclays

Credit Suisse

Deutsche Bank Securities

Raymond James

 

 

 

ABN AMRO

ING

Natixis

 

September     , 2012