SEC Form 10-Q filed by Mesabi Trust

Table of Contents

h

​

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

​

FORM 10-Q

​

(Mark One)

​

​

For the quarterly period ended April 30, 2024

​

or

​

​

For the transition period from                   to                 

​

Commission File Number: 1-4488

​

MESABI TRUST

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

​

​

​

(904) 271-2520

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not applicable

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

​

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes ☒ No ☐

​

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

​

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

​

​

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

​

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes ☐ No ☒

​

As of June 10, 2024, there were 13,120,010 Units of Beneficial Interest in Mesabi Trust outstanding.

​

​

​

​

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

​

​

​

Forward-Looking Statements

​

Certain information included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains, or incorporates by reference, not only historical information, but also “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All such forward-looking statements, including those statements regarding estimation of iron ore pellet production, shipments, pricing, royalties and other matters, are based on information from the lessee/operator (and its parent corporation) of the mine located on the lands owned and held in trust for the benefit of the holders of units of beneficial interest of Mesabi Trust (“Mesabi Trust” or the “Trust”). These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking words, such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “project,” “predict,” “intend,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “continue,” “potential,” “plan,” “should,” “assume,” “forecast” and other similar words. Such forward-looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results and future developments could differ materially from the results or developments expressed in or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, volatility of iron ore and steel prices, market supply and demand, competition, environmental hazards, health and safety conditions, regulation or government action, litigation, uncertainties about estimates of reserves, general adverse business and industry economic trends, uncertainties arising from war, terrorist events and other global events, higher or lower customer demand for steel and iron ore, decisions by mine operators regarding curtailments or idling production lines or entire plants, environmental compliance uncertainties, difficulties in obtaining and renewing necessary operating permits, higher imports of steel and iron ore substitutes, processing difficulties, consolidation and restructuring in the domestic steel market, market inputs tied to indexed price adjustment factors found in Cliffs’ customer contracts resulting in future adjustments to royalties payable to Mesabi Trust, and other factors. Further, substantial portions of royalties earned by Mesabi Trust are based on estimated prices that are subject to interim and final adjustments, which can be positive or negative, and are dependent in part on multiple price and inflation index factors under agreements to which Mesabi Trust is not a party and that are not known until after the end of a contract year. It is possible that future negative price adjustments could partially or even completely offset royalties or royalty income that would otherwise be payable to the Trust in any particular quarter, or at year-end, thereby potentially reducing cash available for distribution to the Trust’s Unitholders (as defined below) in future quarters.

For a discussion of the factors, including without limitation, those that could materially and adversely affect Mesabi Trust’s actual results and performance, see “Risk Factors” set forth on pages 4 through 17 of Mesabi Trust’s Annual Report for the year ended January 31, 2024, as updated by Part II, Item 1A of this quarterly report. These risks and uncertainties are not exclusive and further information concerning the Trust, including factors that potentially could materially affect our operating results, financial condition or the market price of the Units, may emerge from time to time. Mesabi Trust undertakes no obligation, other than that imposed by law, to make any revisions to the forward-looking statements contained in this filing or to update them to reflect circumstances occurring after the date of this filing. We advise you, however, to consult any further disclosures we make on related subjects in our future Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Current Reports on Form 8-K that we file with or furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

​

Table of Contents

PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements. (Note 1)

​

Mesabi Trust

Condensed Statements of Income

Three Months Ended April 30, 2024 and 2023

​

​

See Notes to Condensed Financial Statements.

​

​

Table of Contents

Mesabi Trust

Condensed Balance Sheets

April 30, 2024 and January 31, 2024

​

​

See Notes to Condensed Financial Statements.

​

Table of Contents

Mesabi Trust

Condensed Statements of Cash Flows

Three Months Ended April 30, 2024 and 2023

​

​

See Notes to Condensed Financial Statements.

​

​

Table of Contents

Mesabi Trust

​

Notes to Condensed Financial Statements

April 30, 2024 (Unaudited)

​

​

Table of Contents

​

​

Table of Contents

​

​

​

​

​

​

Table of Contents

Item 2. Trustees’ Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

​

This discussion should be read in conjunction with the condensed financial statements and notes presented in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the financial statements and notes in the last filed Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2024 for a full understanding of Mesabi Trust’s financial position and results of operations for the three months ended April 30, 2024.

All references in this discussion and in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to iron ore products “shipped” or “shipments” shall include iron ore products that are actually shipped from Silver Bay, Minnesota and/or stockpiled for intercompany use that Cleveland Cliffs Inc. (“Cliffs”) has deemed shipped, as referenced by the parties to, and in accordance with, the Amended Assignment of Peters Lease. Following the outcome of the 2019 arbitration, Cliffs began accruing royalty payments to the Trust for both DR pellets and standard pellets to be sold for internal use at facilities owned by Cliffs or its subsidiaries. As a result, the Trust recognizes revenue for internal use pellets upon production of those pellets, regardless of pellet grade. Pellets produced by Northshore Mining Company (“Northshore” or “NMC”) that are not designated for internal use by Cliffs, or its subsidiaries, and instead are intended for sale to third parties in arms’-length sales, continue to be recognized as revenue upon shipment from Silver Bay, Minnesota.

Background

Mesabi Trust, formed pursuant to the Agreement of Trust, is a trust organized under the laws of the State of New York.  Mesabi Trust holds all of the interests formerly owned by Mesabi Iron Company (“MIC”), including all right, title and interest in the Amendment of Assignment, Assumption and Further Assignment of Peters Lease dated August 17, 1989 among the trustees of Mesabi Trust, Bruce D. Sherling, as Trustee in Bankruptcy for the Estate of Reserve Mining Company, and Cypress Northshore Mining Corporation, predecessor to Northshore (referred to as the “Amended Assignment of Peters Lease” or the “Royalty Agreement”), the Amendment of Assignment, Assumption and Further Assignment of Cloquet Lease (the “Amended Assignment of Cloquet Lease” and together with the Amended Assignment of Peters Lease, the “Amended Assignment Agreements”), the beneficial interest in a trust organized under the laws of the State of Minnesota to administer the Mesabi Fee Lands (as defined below) as the trust corpus in compliance with the laws of the State of Minnesota on July 18, 1961 (the “Mesabi Land Trust”) and all other assets and property identified in the Agreement of Trust.  The Amended Assignment of Peters Lease relates to an Indenture made as of April 30, 1915 among East Mesaba Iron Company (“East Mesaba”), Dunka River Iron Company (“Dunka River”) and Claude W. Peters (the “Peters Lease”) and the Amended Assignment of Cloquet Lease relates to an Indenture made May 1, 1916 between Cloquet Lumber Company and Claude W. Peters (the “Cloquet Lease”).

The Agreement of Trust specifically prohibits the Trustees of the Mesabi Trust (the “Trustees”) from entering into or engaging in any business. This prohibition applies even to business activities the Trustees may deem necessary or proper for the preservation and protection of the Trust Estate. Accordingly, the Trustees’ activities in connection with the administration of Trust assets are limited to collecting income, paying expenses and liabilities, distributing net income to the holders of Certificates of Beneficial Interest in Mesabi Trust (“Unitholders”) after the payment of, or provision for, such expenses and liabilities, and protecting and conserving the assets held by the Trust.

The Trustees do not intend to expand their responsibilities beyond those permitted or required by the Agreement of Trust, the Amendment to the Agreement of Trust dated October 25, 1982 (the “Amendment”), and those required under applicable law. Mesabi Trust has no employees, but it engages independent consultants to assist the Trustees in, among other things, monitoring the volume and sales prices of iron ore products shipped, based on information supplied to the Trustees by Northshore, the lessee/operator of the lands leased under the Peters Lease and Cloquet Lease (the “Peters Lease Lands” and “Cloquet Lease Lands,” respectively) and the 20% fee interest of certain lands that are particularly described in, and subject to a mining lease under, the Peters Lease (the “Mesabi Fee Lands,” and together with the Peters Lease Lands and Cloquet Lease Lands, the “Mesabi Trust Lands”), and its parent company, Cliffs. References to Northshore or NMC in this quarterly report, unless the context requires otherwise, are applicable to Cliffs as well.

​

Leasehold royalty income constitutes the principal source of the Trust’s revenue. The income of the Trust is highly dependent upon the activities and operations of Northshore. Royalty rates and the resulting royalty payments received by the Trust are determined in accordance with the terms of the Trust’s leases and assignments of leases.

​

Three types of royalties, as well as royalty bonuses, comprise the Trust’s leasehold royalty income:

​

Table of Contents

​

​

​

​

The current royalty rate schedule became effective on August 17, 1989 pursuant to the Amended Assignment Agreements, which the Trust entered into with Cyprus Northshore Mining Corporation (“Cyprus NMC”). Pursuant to the Amended Assignment Agreements, overriding royalties are determined by both the volume and selling price of iron ore products shipped. In 1994, Cyprus NMC was sold by its parent corporation to Cliffs and renamed Northshore Mining Company. Cliffs now operates Northshore as a wholly owned subsidiary.

Under the relevant agreements, Northshore has the right to mine and ship iron ore products from lands other than Mesabi Trust Lands. Northshore alone determines whether to conduct mining operations on Mesabi Trust Lands and/or such other lands based on its current mining and engineering plan. The Trustees do not exert any influence over mining operational decisions. To encourage the use of iron ore products from Mesabi Trust Lands, Mesabi Trust receives royalties on stated percentages of iron ore shipped, whether or not the iron ore products are from Mesabi Trust Lands. Mesabi Trust receives royalties at the greater of (i) the aggregate quantity of iron ore products shipped that were mined from Mesabi Trust Lands, and (ii) a portion of the aggregate quantity of all iron ore products shipped that were mined from any lands, such portion being 90% of the first four million tons shipped during such year, 85% of the next two million tons shipped during such year, and 25% of all tonnage shipped during such year in excess of six million tons. The royalty percentage paid to the Trust increases as the aggregate tonnage of iron ore products shipped, attributable to the Trust, in any calendar year increases past each of the ton volume thresholds. Assuming a consistent sales price per ton throughout a calendar year, shipments of iron ore product attributable to the Trust later in the year generate a higher royalty to the Trust, as total shipments for the year exceed the one million ton thresholds.

During the course of its typical fiscal year, some portion of royalties expected to be paid to Mesabi Trust is based in part on estimated prices for certain iron ore products sold under some of the Cliffs’ customer contracts. The Cliffs’ customer contracts use estimated prices which are subject to interim and final pricing adjustments, which can be positive or negative, and are dependent in part on multiple price and inflation index factors that are not known until after the end of a contract year. Even though Mesabi Trust is not a party to the Cliffs’ customer contracts, these adjustments can result in significant variations in royalties payable to Mesabi Trust (and, in turn, the resulting amount available for distribution to Unitholders by the Trust) from quarter to quarter and on a comparative historical basis, and these variations, which can be positive or negative, cannot be predicted by the Trust. In either case, these price adjustments will impact future royalties payable to the Trust and, in turn, will impact cash reserves that may become available for distribution to Unitholders.

Historically, sales volumes under most of its multi-year supply agreements with Cliffs’ customers are largely dependent on customer requirements and contain a base price that is adjusted annually using one or more adjustment factors. The factors that could result in price adjustments under Cliffs’ customer contracts include changes in the Platts 62% Price, hot-rolled coil steel price, the

Table of Contents

Atlantic Basin pellet premium, published Platts international indexed freight rates and changes in specified producer price indices, including those for industrial commodities, fuel and steel.

As also described elsewhere in this report, the Trust receives a bonus royalty equal to a percentage of the gross proceeds of iron ore products (mined from Mesabi Trust Lands) shipped and sold at prices above the Adjusted Threshold Price. Although 97.4% of all the iron ore products shipped during calendar 2023 was sold at prices higher than the Adjusted Threshold Price, the Trustees are unable to project whether Cliffs will continue to be able to sell iron ore products at prices above the applicable Adjusted Threshold Price, entitling the Trust to any future bonus royalty payments.

As previously disclosed, on May 1, 2022, Cliffs idled Northshore, and the idle continued until April 2023. On April 25, 2023, Cliffs announced a partial restart of some operations at Northshore and that Cliffs would continue to treat Northshore as a swing operation. The Trustees have not been provided with any additional information regarding the anticipated volume of production, stockpiling or shipping of iron ore products at the Northshore operations in Babbitt and Silver Bay, Minnesota.

In order to calculate the royalties owed by Northshore to Mesabi Trust, the Royalty Agreement requires that Northshore make sales of iron ore products to third parties on an arm’s-length basis without regard to any other business relationship between Northshore and the third-party buyer of the iron ore products. In order to calculate royalties on less than arm’s-length sales (including sales from Northshore to Cliffs’ corporate affiliates), the Royalty Agreement requires reference to the highest contract price obtained by Northshore in the preceding four calendar quarters in a sale to a buyer not affiliated with Northshore and made on an arms’-length basis without regard to any other business relationship. Since Cliffs’ acquisition of ArcelorMittal USA in late-2020, and accelerating after Cliffs’ Toledo HBI plant came online in mid-2021, Northshore has increased the proportion of iron ore mined from the Mesabi Trust Lands that it sells to Cliffs’ corporate affiliates and decreased the proportion of such iron ore that it sells to third parties in arms’-length transactions. Cliffs’ public statements beginning in third quarter of 2021 have indicated that Cliffs will be limiting the tonnage of iron ore pellets that it sells to third parties from all of its mines, and particularly Northshore. Cliffs’ royalty reports have not shown any additional third party arms’-length sale transactions of iron ore pellets since reporting two low volume shipments of iron ore pellets to a single third-party customer in June 2023. On April 30, 2024, Mesabi Trust received the quarterly royalty report of iron ore shipments out of Silver Bay, Minnesota during the quarter ended March 31, 2024 (the “Royalty Report”) from Cliffs. Cliff's’ Royalty Report used the higher price from these two June 2023 transactions to set the price for royalty purposes for subsequent shipments intended for Cliffs’ affiliates’ internal consumption beginning in July 2023. The Trustees are continuing due diligence review of these transactions to evaluate whether such transactions meet the requirements of the Royalty Agreement. See “Risk Factors --- Risks Related to Pass – Through Trust Structure of Mesabi Trust – – The limited or lack of arms’-length third-party sales of iron ore pellets (processed at Northshore using Mesabi Trust’s iron ore) by Cliffs could lead to uncertainty under the Royalty Agreement with respect to the calculation of royalties, which could in turn result in potential disputes regarding the amount of royalties owed to the Trust,” as set forth on page 6 of Mesabi Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024 (filed April 24, 2024).

Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, the Corporate Trustee of Mesabi Trust, performs certain administrative functions for Mesabi Trust. The Trust maintains a website at www.mesabi-trust.com. The Trust makes available (free of charge) its annual, quarterly and current reports (and any amendments thereto) filed with the SEC through its website as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing or furnishing such material with or to the SEC.

​

Results of Operations

​

Comparison of Iron Ore Pellet Production and Shipments for the Three Months Ended April 30, 2024 and April 30, 2023

​

As shown in the table below, during the three months ended April 30, 2024, production and shipments of iron ore pellets at Northshore from Mesabi Trust Lands both totaled 978,498 tons. By comparison, pellet production and shipments for the comparable period in 2023 were both 155,300 tons. The increase in production and shipments is attributable to a full quarter of operations of Northshore’s facilities during the three months ended April 30, 2024 as compared to the three months ended April 30, 2023, when Northshore’s facilities were idled until late April. For the three months ended April 30, 2024, 100% of shipments originated from Trust lands.

Comparison of Royalty Income for the Three Months Ended April 30, 2024 and April 30, 2023

​

As reflected in the table below, the Trust’s total royalty income for the three months ended April 30, 2024 increased by $4,299,292 to $6,010,608 as compared to the three months ended April 30, 2023. The increase in total royalty income is attributable to a full quarter of operations of Northshore’s facilities during the three months ended April 30, 2024 as compared to the three months

Table of Contents

ended April 30, 2023, when Northshore’s facilities were idled until late April, offset by a lower price per ton on shipped quantities or iron ore pellets during the three months ended April 30, 2024 as compared to the three months ended April 30, 2023.

​

The table below shows that the base overriding royalties increased $2,455,847 and the bonus royalties increased by $1,742,293 for the three months ended April 30, 2024, as compared to the three months ended April 30, 2023. Fee royalties increased by $101,152 over the same period. The increase in the base overriding royalties, bonus royalties and fee royalties is attributable to the operations of Northshore’s facilities during the three months ended April 30, 2024 as compared to the three months ended April 30, 2023, when Northshore’s facilities were partially idled.

​

The table below summarizes the components of Mesabi Trust’s total royalty income for the three months ended April 30, 2024 and April 30, 2023, respectively:

​

​

Comparison of Net Income, Expenses and Distributions for the Three Months Ended April 30, 2024 and April 30, 2023

​

Net income for the three months ended April 30, 2024 was $3,483,785, an increase of $2,460,646 as compared to the three months ended April 30, 2023. The increase in net income for the three months ended April 30, 2024 is attributable to a full quarter of operations of Northshore’s facilities during the three months ended April 30, 2024 as compared to the three months ended April 30, 2023, when Northshore’s facilities were idled until late April. The Trust’s expenses for the three months ended April 30, 2024 were $2,766,787, an increase of $1,941,077 compared to the expenses for the three months ended April 30, 2023. The increase in expenses was primarily attributable to an increase in legal fees and expenses incurred for the three months ended April 30, 2024 (primarily related to the pending arbitration), as compared to the prior comparable period. The table below summarizes the Trust’s income and expenses for the three months ended April 30, 2024 and April 30, 2023, respectively.

​

​

As presented on the “Trust’s Condensed Statements of Operations” on page 3 of this quarterly report, the Trust’s net income per unit increased $0.1875 per unit to $0.2655 per unit for the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2024 as compared to the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2023. On April 16, 2024, the Trust declared a distribution of $0.29 per unit payable on May 20, 2024 to Unitholders of record on April 30, 2024. Comparatively, the Trust declared no distribution during the quarter ended April 30, 2023.

​

On a quarterly basis, the Trustees review a variety of financial and economic data and information impacting the Trust, and upon the Trustees’ determination, distributions may be declared approximately ten weeks after the Trustees receive a quarterly royalty report from Northshore and Cliffs and the Trust receives the actual royalty payment with respect to royalty income that is payable for iron ore shipments through the end of each prior calendar quarter. Royalty payments may include pricing adjustments with respect to shipments made during prior periods. The Trust accounts for and reports accrued income receivable based on shipments during the last month of each of the Trust’s fiscal quarters (April, July, October and January) and price adjustments under Cliffs’ customer contracts (which can be positive or negative and can result in significant variations in royalties received by Mesabi Trust and cash available for distribution to Unitholders) as reported to the Trust by Northshore. The Trust accounts for these amounts by using estimated prices and reports such amounts as revenue even though accrued income receivable is not available for distribution to Unitholders until it is received by the Trust. Accordingly, distributions declared by the Trust are not equivalent to the Trust’s net income during the periods reported in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

​

Comparison of Unallocated Reserve as of April 30, 2024, April 30, 2023 and January 31, 2024

​

As set forth in the table below, Unallocated Reserve increased from $12,461,353 as of April 30, 2023 to $20,654,125 as of April 30, 2024. The increase in Unallocated Reserve as of April 30, 2024, as compared to April 30, 2023, is primarily the result of an increase in the unallocated cash and cash equivalents, accrued income receivable and contract asset and a decrease in the contract liability. The increase in the unallocated cash and cash equivalents is attributable to an increase in royalties received in the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2024, as compared to the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2023, offset by the declared distribution of $3,804,803

Table of Contents

as of April 30, 2024. The increase in the accrued income receivable portion of the Unallocated Reserve is attributable to an increase in shipments in the last month of the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2024 as compared to the prior comparable period. The increase in the contract asset portion of the Unallocated Reserve is attributable to estimates of variable consideration related to shipments calendar year-to-date through April 30, 2024, with no offsetting contract liability, as compared to April 30, 2023, when a net contract liability existed. The net contract liability portion of the unallocated reserve at April 30, 2023 was offset by royalties paid to the Trust in the second quarter of fiscal year 2024. See “Note 2” for further discussion of contract asset and contract liability.

​

The Trust’s Unallocated Reserve as of April 30, 2024 decreased by $321,018 to $20,654,125, as compared to the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024. The decrease in the Unallocated Reserve as of April 30, 2024, as compared to January 31, 2024, is primarily the result of a decrease in unallocated cash and cash equivalents and accrued income receivable, offset by an increase in the contract asset. The decrease in the unallocated cash and cash equivalents portion of the Unallocated Reserve is attributable to an increase in expenses paid of $2,770,086 during the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2024 compared to expenses paid of $1,043,405 during the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2024 which was due to an increase in legal fees and related expenses primarily related to pending arbitration (commenced in October 2022). The increase in the contract asset portion of the Unallocated Reserve is attributable to estimates of variable considerations related to the shipments calendar year-to-date through April 30, 2024, as compared to only one month of shipments for the quarter ended January 31, 2024.

​

It is possible that future negative price adjustments could offset, or even eliminate, future royalties or royalty income that would otherwise be payable to the Trust in any particular quarter, or at year end, thereby potentially reducing cash available for distribution to the Trust’s Unitholders in future quarters. See the discussion under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page 4 of the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024 (filed April 24, 2024).

Each quarter, as authorized by the Agreement of Trust, the Trustees will reevaluate all relevant factors including all costs, expenses, obligations, and present and future liabilities of the Trust (whether fixed or contingent) in determining a prudent level of unallocated reserve in light of the unpredictable nature of the iron ore industry, current and projected future mining operations and current economic conditions. Although the actual amount of the Unallocated Reserve will fluctuate from time to time and may increase or decrease from its current level, it is currently anticipated that future distributions will be highly dependent upon royalty income as it is received and the level of Trust expenses. The amount of future royalty income available for distribution will be subject to the volume of iron ore product shipments and the dollar level of sales by Northshore. Shipping activity is greatly reduced during the winter months. As previously disclosed, on April 25, 2023, Cliffs announced that “higher levels of steel production have led to the partial restart of some operations at … [its] iron ore mining and pelletizing swing facility at Northshore earlier this month.” Cliffs also announced that it “…will continue to treat that facility as our swing operation. And at this time, we still do not expect to operate Northshore in full any time this year.” The Trustees have not been provided with any additional information regarding the anticipated volume of production, stockpiling or shipping of iron ore products at the Northshore operations in Babbitt and Silver Bay, Minnesota. General adverse business and industry economic trends, uncertainties arising from war, terrorist events, the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and other global events, higher or lower customer demand for steel and iron ore, decisions by mine operators regarding curtailments or idling production lines or entire plants, environmental compliance uncertainties, difficulties in obtaining and renewing necessary operating permits, higher imports of steel and iron ore substitutes, processing difficulties and consolidation and restructuring in the domestic steel market may adversely affect the amount and timing of such future shipments and sales. The Trustees will continue to monitor the economic and other circumstances of the Trust to strike a responsible balance between distributions to Unitholders and the need to maintain adequate reserves at a prudent level, given the unpredictable nature of the iron ore and steel industry, the Trust’s dependence on the actions of Cliffs/Northshore, and the fact that the Trust essentially has no other liquid assets.

Table of Contents

Recent Developments

​

Receipt of Quarterly Royalty Report and Royalty Payment from Cliffs

On April 30, 2024, Mesabi Trust received the quarterly royalty report of iron ore shipments out of Silver Bay, Minnesota during the quarter ended March 31, 2024 (the “Royalty Report”) from Cliffs, the parent company of Northshore.

As reported to Mesabi Trust by Cliffs in the Royalty Report, based on shipments of iron ore products by Northshore during the three months ended March 31, 2024, Mesabi Trust was credited with a base royalty of $2,106,086. For the three months ended March 31, 2024, Mesabi Trust was also credited with a bonus royalty in the amount of $2,520,601. The royalty payment received by the Trust also included an increase of $279,222 as a result of positive adjustments related to prior quarters. In addition, a royalty payment of $153,738 was paid to the Mesabi Land Trust. Accordingly, the total royalty payments received by Mesabi Trust on April 30, 2024 from Cliffs were $5,059,648.

The royalties paid to Mesabi Trust are based on the volume of iron ore pellets and other products produced or shipped during the quarter and the year to date, the pricing of iron ore product sales, and the percentage of iron ore pellet production and shipments from Mesabi Trust lands rather than from non-Mesabi Trust lands. In the first calendar quarter of 2024, Cliffs credited Mesabi Trust with 1,006,692 tons of iron ore shipped, as compared to zero (0) tons shipped during the first calendar quarter of 2023.

Cliffs’ Royalty Report reflected no additional third party arms’-length sale transactions of iron ore pellets since reporting two low volume shipments of iron ore pellets to a single third-party customer in June 2023. Cliff's’ Royalty Report used the higher price from these two June 2023 transactions to set the price for royalty purposes for subsequent shipments intended for Cliffs’ affiliates’ internal consumption beginning in July 2023. The Trustees are continuing due diligence review of these transactions to evaluate whether such transactions meet the requirements of the Royalty Agreement. Since the September 30, 2021 arbitration award, Cliffs has publicly commented on its intention to limit or reduce third-party sales of iron ore products comprised of iron mined from Mesabi Trust lands. Following the 2021 arbitration award and Cliffs’ subsequent idling of Northshore, Cliffs has engaged in fewer third-party sales and such third-party sales have been at lower volumes than the volumes historically reported by Cliffs. See “Risk Factors --- Risks Related to Pass – Through Trust Structure of Mesabi Trust – – The limited or lack of arms’-length third-party sales of iron ore pellets (processed at Northshore using Mesabi Trust’s iron ore) by Cliffs could lead to uncertainty under the Royalty Agreement with respect to the calculation of royalties, which could in turn result in potential disputes regarding the amount of royalties owed to the Trust,” as set forth on page 6 of Mesabi Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024 (filed April 24, 2024).

The volume of iron ore pellets (and other iron ore products) produced or shipped by Northshore varies from quarter to quarter and year to year based on a number of factors, including, among others, Cliffs’ decisions to idle Northshore operations (which occurred from May 2022 until April 2023), the requested delivery schedules of customers (including affiliates), general economic conditions in the iron ore industry, and production schedules and weather conditions on the Great Lakes. These multiple factors can result in significant variations in royalties received by Mesabi Trust (and in turn, the resulting funds available for distribution to Unitholders by Mesabi Trust) from quarter to quarter and from year to year. These variations, which can be positive or negative, cannot be predicted by the Trustees of Mesabi Trust. Based on the above factors, and as indicated by Mesabi Trust’s historical distribution payments, the royalties received by Mesabi Trust, and the distributions paid to Unitholders, if any, in any particular quarter are not necessarily indicative of royalties that will be received, or distributions that will be paid, if any, in any subsequent quarter or full year.

The Trustees of Mesabi Trust have received no specific updates concerning Cliffs’ plans with respect to Northshore iron ore operations. The last reported Cliffs’ public announcements made in April 2023 included that Northshore was then being partially restarted and would be run at less than full capacity for the remainder of 2023, and that Cliffs would continue to treat Northshore as a swing operation. With respect to calendar year 2024, Northshore has not advised Mesabi Trust of its expected shipments of iron ore products, or what percentage of 2024 shipments will be from Mesabi Trust iron ore.

Trust’s Announcement of Twenty-Nine Cents Distribution

On April 16, 2024, Mesabi Trust issued a press release announcing that the Trustees of Mesabi Trust declared a distribution of twenty-nine cents ($0.29) per Unit of Beneficial Interest payable on May 20, 2024 to Mesabi Trust Unitholders of record at the close of business on April 30, 2024.

The Trustees’ April 16, 2024 announcement of a twenty-nine cents ($0.29) per Unit distribution, as compared to no distribution announced by the Trust during April 2023, reflects an increase in the distribution, which increase is primarily attributable to the restart of Northshore operations in April 2023, and to an increase in the total royalties received by the Trust in January 2024, as compared to the total royalties received by the Trust in January 2023. In particular, the Trust’s receipt of total royalty payments of

Table of Contents

$6,432,434 on January 30, 2024 from Cliffs, the parent company of Northshore, was higher than the total royalty payments of zero dollars ($0.00) received by the Trust from Cliffs in January 2023.

The distribution announced April 16, 2024 also reflects that, until July 30, 2023, the Trust had received no royalties in the Trust’s three previous fiscal quarters, as well as the current continuing uncertainties related to previous announcements by Cliffs about its intention to continue to treat Northshore as a swing operation. Accordingly, the Trustees’ distribution decision also reflects their determination to maintain an appropriate level of reserves in order to make adequate provision to meet current and future expenses and present and future liabilities (whether fixed or contingent) that may arise in the future.

The Trustees have received no specific updates on Cliffs’ plans for the current year concerning Northshore iron ore operations. The Trustees’ distribution announcement also considered numerous other factors, including uncertainties resulting from Cliffs’ prior announcements to increase the use of scrap iron in its vertical supply chain planning, the potential volatility in the iron ore and steel industries generally, national and global economic uncertainties, the cost and expense related to the Trust’s pending arbitration against Northshore and Cliffs, and further potential disturbances from global unrest.

Forward-Looking Statements

This report contains certain forward-looking statements based on Cliffs’ publicly announced plans with respect to Northshore in the future, which statements are intended to be made under the safe harbor protections of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Cliffs’ implementation of, or changes to, these plans are beyond Mesabi Trust’s control. As such, such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially. Additional information concerning these and other risks and uncertainties is contained in Mesabi Trust’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024 (filed April 24, 2024). Mesabi Trust undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any of the forward-looking statements made herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Important Factors Affecting Mesabi Trust

​

The Agreement of Trust specifically prohibits the Trustees from entering into or engaging in any business. This prohibition seemingly applies even to business activities the Trustees deem necessary or proper for the preservation and protection of the Trust’s assets. Accordingly, the Trustees’ activities in connection with the administration of Trust assets are limited to collecting income, paying expenses and liabilities, distributing net income to Mesabi Trust’s Unitholders after the payment of, or provision for, such expenses and liabilities, monitoring royalties and protecting and conserving the held assets.

Neither Mesabi Trust nor the Trustees have any control over the operations and activities of Northshore, except within the framework of the Amended Assignment of Peters Lease. Cliffs alone controls (i) historical operating data, including iron ore production volumes, decisions to reduce or idle the Northshore plant and mining operations, marketing of iron ore products, operating and capital expenditures as they relate to Northshore, environmental and other liabilities and the effects of regulatory changes; (ii) plans for Northshore’s future operating and capital expenditures; (iii) geological data relating to ore reserves; (iv) projected production of iron ore products; (v) contracts between Cliffs and Northshore with their customers; and (vi) the decision to mine off Mesabi Trust and/or state lands, based on Cliffs’ current mining and engineering plan. The Trustees do not exert any influence over mining operational decisions at Northshore, nor do the Trustees provide any input regarding the ore reserve estimated at Northshore as reported by Cliffs. While the Trustees request relevant information from Cliffs and Northshore in accordance with the Royalty Agreement for use in periodic reports as part of their evaluation of Mesabi Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures, the Trustees do not control this information and they rely on the information in Cliffs’ periodic and current filings with the SEC to provide accurate and timely information in Mesabi Trust’s reports filed with the SEC.

In accordance with the Agreement of Trust and the Amendment, the Trustees are entitled to, and in fact do, rely upon certain experts in good faith, including (i) the independent consultants with respect to monthly production and shipment reports, which include figures on crude ore production and iron ore pellet shipments, and discussions concerning the condition and accuracy of the scales and plans regarding the development of Mesabi Trust’s mining property; and (ii) the accounting firm they have contracted with for non-audit services, including reviews of financial data related to shipping and sales reports provided by Northshore and a review of the schedule of leasehold royalties payable to Mesabi Trust.

For a discussion of additional factors, including but not limited to those that could adversely affect Mesabi Trust’s actual results and performance, see “Risk Factors” set forth on pages 4 through 17 of Mesabi Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year-ended January 31, 2024 (filed April 24, 2024).

Table of Contents

Iron Ore Pricing and Contract Adjustments

​

Historically, when Cliffs produces iron ore for arms’-length sales to third party customers, some portion of the royalties paid to Mesabi Trust were based in part on estimated prices for certain iron ore products sold under some of the Cliffs’ customer contracts. Mesabi Trust is not a party to any of the Cliffs’ customer contracts. Generally, prices in some of such contracts are subject to interim and final pricing adjustments, which can be positive or negative, and which adjustments are dependent in part on a variety of price and inflation index factors, including but not limited to various benchmark pellet prices, hot band steel prices and various Producer Price Indexes. Although Northshore makes interim adjustments to the royalty payments on a quarterly basis, these price adjustments typically were not finalized until after the end of a contract year. In such circumstances, significant and frequent variations in royalties paid to the Trust could result. Iron ore products that are sold internally to Cliffs’ affiliates do not include such contract adjustment provisions.

​

Potential distributions to Unitholders by the Trust can also vary significantly from quarter to quarter and on a comparative historical basis. These variations, which can be positive or negative, cannot be predicted by Mesabi Trust. It is possible that future negative price adjustments could partially or even completely offset royalties or royalty income that would otherwise be payable to the Trust in any particular quarter, or at year-end, thereby potentially reducing cash available for distribution to the Trust’s Unitholders in future quarters.

​

Effects of Securities Regulation

​

The Trust is a publicly traded, pass-through royalty trust with its Trust Certificates listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and is therefore subject to extensive regulation under, among others, the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”), each as amended, and the rules and regulations of the NYSE. Issuers failing to comply with such authorities risk serious consequences, including criminal as well as civil and administrative penalties. In most instances, these laws, rules and regulations do not specifically address their applicability to a publicly-traded pass-through royalty trust such as Mesabi Trust. In particular, Sarbanes-Oxley mandated the adoption by the SEC and NYSE of certain rules and regulations that are impossible for the Trust to literally satisfy because of its nature as a pass-through royalty trust. Pursuant to NYSE rules, as a pass-through royalty trust, the Trust is exempt from many of the corporate governance requirements that apply to other publicly traded corporations. The Trust does not have, nor does the Agreement of Trust provide for, a board of directors, an audit committee, a corporate governance committee, a compensation committee or executive officers. The Trust has no employees. The Trustees closely monitor the SEC’s and NYSE’s rulemaking activities and will comply with their rules and regulations to the extent applicable.

​

The Trust’s website is located at www.mesabi-trust.com.

​

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

​

The Trust is a publicly traded, pass-through royalty trust with its Trust Certificates listed on the NYSE and is therefore subject to extensive regulation under, among others, the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Sarbanes-Oxley, each as amended, and the rules and regulations of the NYSE. Issuers failing to comply with such authorities risk serious consequences, including criminal as well as civil and administrative penalties. In most instances, these laws, rules and regulations do not specifically address their applicability to a publicly-traded pass-through royalty trust such as Mesabi Trust. In particular, Sarbanes-Oxley mandated the adoption by the SEC and NYSE of certain rules and regulations that are impossible for the Trust to literally satisfy because of its nature as a pass-through royalty trust. Pursuant to NYSE rules, as a pass-through royalty trust, the Trust is exempt from many of the corporate governance requirements that apply to other publicly traded corporations. The Trust does not have, nor does the Agreement of Trust provide for, a board of directors, an audit committee, a corporate governance committee, a compensation committee or executive officers. The Trust has no employees. The Trustees closely monitor the SEC’s and NYSE’s rulemaking activities and will comply with their rules and regulations to the extent applicable.

​

There have been no material changes in the Trust’s critical accounting policies or significant accounting estimates during the three months ended April 30, 2024. For a complete description of the Trust’s significant accounting policies, please see Note 2 to the financial statements included in the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2024 (filed April 24, 2024).

​

Certain Tax Information

​

The Trust is not taxable as a corporation for federal or state income tax purposes and is instead qualified as a nontaxable grantor trust. Since the Trust’s inception, all net taxable income is annually attributable directly to Unitholders for tax purposes regardless of whether the income is distributed or retained by the Trust in its reserve account. As such, in lieu of the Trust paying income taxes, Unitholders report their pro rata share of the various items of Trust income and deductions on their income tax returns. This reporting is required whether or not the earnings of the Trust are distributed as to Unitholders. During calendar year 2021, any funds retained to increase the Trust’s unallocated reserve, which were derived from reportable royalty income, will nonetheless become taxable as reportable income to Unitholders, depending on each individual’s personal tax situation. Information regarding the

Table of Contents

background on the changes in the Trust’s unallocated reserve is described above under “Results of Operations — Comparison of Unallocated Reserve as of April 30, 2024, April 30, 2023 and January 31, 2024” beginning on page 14. Unitholders are encouraged to consult with their own tax advisors to plan for any financial impact related to this and to review their personal tax situations related to investing in, holding or selling units of beneficial interest in Mesabi Trust.

​

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

​

Not applicable.

​

Item 4. Controls and Procedures.

​

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures. The Trust maintains a system of disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Trust in the reports that it furnishes or files under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and regulations of the SEC. Due to the pass-through nature of the Trust, the Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures include controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Trust is received from Cliffs and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Northshore. In order to help ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information required to be disclosed in the Trust’s periodic and current reports, the Trust employs certified public accountants, geological consultants, and attorneys. These professionals hired by the Trust advise the Trust in its review and compilation of the information in this Form 10-Q and the other periodic reports filed by the Trust with the SEC.

​

As part of their evaluation of Mesabi Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures, the Trustees rely on quarterly shipment and royalty calculations provided by Northshore and Cliffs. Because Northshore has declined to provide a written certification attesting to whether Northshore has established disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls sufficient to enable it to verify that the information furnished to the Trustees is accurate and complete, the Trustees also rely on (a) an annual certification from Northshore and Cliffs, certifying as to the accuracy of the royalty calculations, and (b) the related due diligence review performed by the Trust’s accountants. In addition, Mesabi Trust’s consultants review the schedule of leasehold royalties payable, and shipping and sales reports provided by Northshore against production and shipment reports prepared by Eveleth Fee Office, Inc., an independent consultant to Mesabi Trust (“Eveleth Fee Office”). Eveleth Fee Office performs inspections of the Northshore mine and its pelletizing operations, observes production and shipping activities, gathers production and shipping information from Northshore and prepares monthly production and shipment reports for the Trustees. Furthermore, as part of its engagement by Mesabi Trust, Eveleth Fee Office also attends Northshore’s calibration and testing of its crude ore scales and boat loader scales which are conducted on a periodic basis.

​

As of the end of the period covered by this report, the Trustees carried out an evaluation of Mesabi Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures. Based on this evaluation, the Trustees have concluded that such disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

​

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting. To the knowledge of the Trustees, there were no changes in the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the Trust’s last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting. The Trustees note for purposes of clarification that they have no authority over, and make no statement concerning, the internal controls of Northshore or Cliffs.

​

Table of Contents

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

​

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

​

As previously announced, on October 14, 2022, Mesabi Trust initiated arbitration against Northshore and its parent company Cliffs, (jointly, the “Operator”), the lessee/operator of the leased lands. The arbitration proceeding was commenced with the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”). The Trust seeks an award of damages relating to the Operator’s underpayment of royalties in 2020, 2021 and the first four months of 2022 by virtue of the Operator’s failure to use the highest price arms’-length iron ore pellet sale from the preceding four quarters in pricing internal production during the fourth quarter of 2020 through the first four months of 2022. The Trust also seeks declaratory relief related to the Trust’s entitlement to certain documentation and to the time the Operator’s royalty obligation accrues. During 2023, the parties appointed a three-member arbitration panel and engaged in discovery. The AAA evidentiary hearing took place in March 2024. Post-hearing briefs were exchanged in May 2024. Post-hearing oral argument will take place in June 2024.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

There have been no material changes in the Trust’s risk factors as described in “Risk Factors” set forth on pages 4 through 17 of Mesabi Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year-ended January 31, 2024 (filed April 24, 2024).

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

​

None.

​

Item 3. Defaults upon Senior Securities

​

None.

​

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

​

None.

​

Item 5. Other Information

​

Mine Safety and Health Administration Safety Data. Pursuant to §1503(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Cliffs started reporting information related to certain mine safety results at Northshore. This information is available in Part II, Item 4 of Cliffs’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on April 26, 2024.

Table of Contents

Item 6. Exhibits.

​

(a)Exhibits

​

The following exhibits are being filed or furnished with this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q:

​

​

​

​

​

Table of Contents

SIGNATURES

​

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

​

* There are no principal executive officers or principal financial officers of the registrant.

​

​