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North European Oil Royalty Trust

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FY2018 Annual Report · North European Oil Royalty Trust
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Annual Report 2018

North 
European
Oil
Royalty
Trust

ATTENTION: 
PLEASE RETAIN
CRITICAL TAX INFORMATION ENCLOSED

The Annual Meeting of Unit Owners will be held on February 21, 2019, at 10:00 A.M., 
in Room A, Seventh Floor, at The University Club, 
1 West 54th Street, New York City 
(northwest corner of 5th Avenue; entrance on 54th Street). 
All unit owners are cordially invited to attend.

If you plan to attend the meeting, please note that The University Club has a dress code. 
Men are required to wear a jacket and tie and women are required to wear business attire. 
The University Club does not make exceptions.

Table of Contents

1-3
 4

Report to Unit Owners   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  
Ten Year History of Net Gas Sales  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .
Net Proved Producing Gas Reserves (Est .) 
5
and Volume of Net Gas Sales   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  
6
Dollar Royalties Western and Eastern Oldenburg   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .
7
Gross Gas Sale Volumes  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  
8-9
Description of Trust Assets  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  
  10-14
Management’s Discussion and Analysis   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .
15
Selected Financial Data    .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  
  16-17
Comparison of Five Year Returns   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .
18
Critical Accounting Policies  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .
19
Financial Statements  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .   20-23
Notes to Financial Statements  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .   24-26
Disclosure Controls and Procedures  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  
27
  27-28
Internal Control over Financial Reporting  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .
 29-32
2018 Tax Letter (Removable)  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

IMPORTANT TAX INFORMATION

For your convenience, the information necessary to prepare 
your 2018 tax return is included in the removable 
“2018 Tax Letter” on Pages 29 through 32. 
Please note that there will be no separate mailing of the tax letter. 
The 2018 Tax Letter is also available at the Trust’s website, www.neort.com.

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUST 
 
 
 
Report to Unit Owners:

FOURTH QUARTER 2018

  Net  income  for  the  Trust  for  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2018  was  $1,324,902,  a  decrease 
of 34 .11% from net income of $2,010,828 for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017 .  The Trust receives 
nearly all of its royalties under two royalty agreements .  The Mobil Agreement is the 4% royalty rate 
agreement covering gas sales from the western half of the Oldenburg concession .  The OEG Agreement 
is the 0 .6667% royalty rate agreement covering gas sales from the entire Oldenburg concession .  Total 
royalties, including sulfur royalties, under the 2% Mobil Sulfur Agreement for the fourth quarter of 
fiscal 2018 were reduced by negative adjustments of ($114,918), as compared to positive adjustments 
totaling $46,974 for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017 .  Total royalties under the OEG Agreement for 
the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018 were increased by negative adjustments of ($88,239), as compared 
to positive adjustments of $177,678 for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017 .  Net income in the fourth 
quarter of 2018 was lower than the fourth quarter of 2017 due to the impact of these adjustments as 
well as lower gas sales and lower average exchange rates .  Gas sales were reduced largely due to the 
lingering production problems at Grossenkneten that were not finally resolved until August 21, 2018 .  
The relevant details for the fourth quarters of fiscal 2018 and 2017 for gas sales under the Mobil and 
OEG Agreements are shown in the table below .

Quarterly Gas Data Providing Basis for Fiscal Quarter Royalties

  3rd Calendar Quarter 
Ended 9/30/2018

  3rd Calendar Quarter 
Ended 9/30/2017

Percentage 
Change

Mobil Agreement:
Gas Sales (Bcf1)
Gas Prices2 (Ecents/Kwh3)
Average Exchange Rate4
Gas Royalties

OEG Agreement:
Gas Sales (Bcf)
Gas Prices (Ecents/Kwh)
Average Exchange Rate
Gas Royalties

4 .495
1 .9231
1 .1550
$1,145,844

14 .029
1 .9612
1 .1540
$ 459,542

5 .643
1 .6197
1 .1806
$1,228,092

17 .770
1 .6517
1 .1788
$ 500,886

 - 20 .34%
+ 18 .73%
   - 2 .17%
   - 6 .70%

 - 21 .05%
+ 18 .74%
   - 2 .10%
   - 8 .25%

1Billion cubic feet 
4Based on average Euro/dollar exchange rates of cumulative royalty transfers

2Gas prices derived from May-July period  

3Euro cents per Kilowatt hour

1

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTFISCAL 2018 REPORT

For fiscal 2018, the Trust’s gross royalty income declined 7 .26% to $7,198,534 from $7,762,225 
in fiscal 2017 .  The decrease in royalty income is the result of a combination of factors including the 
decline in gas sales and the difference in the amount of adjustments between fiscal 2018 and 2017 .  As in 
prior years, the Trust receives information concerning adjustments from the operating companies based 
on their final calculations of royalties payable during the previous periods as well as other required 
adjustments .  During fiscal 2018, the adjustments based on royalties payable in 2017 increased royalty 
income by $189,529 .  During fiscal 2017, the adjustments based on royalties payable for 2016 increased 
royalty income by $411,884 .  A similar situation but with the opposite impact occurred with respect 
to royalties paid under the Mobil Sulfur Agreement .  In fiscal 2018 and 2017, Mobil sulfur royalties 
totaled $72,358 and $43,932 respectively .  Gas sales were significantly impacted by a series of partial 
and  complete  shutdowns  at  the  Grossenkneten  desulfurization  plant  that  began  on  March  15,  2018 
and were not fully resolved until August 22, 2018 .  Further details relating to the changes in gas sales, 
gas prices and average exchange rates for fiscal 2018 and 2017 are presented on pages 15 through 17 .  
The total distribution for fiscal 2018 was $0 .70 per unit compared to $0 .76 per unit for fiscal 2017 .

The Trust’s German consultant periodically contacts the representatives of the operating companies 
to inquire about their planned and proposed drilling and geophysical work and other general matters .  
The  following  represents  a  summary  of  the  most  recent  information  the  Trust’s  German  consultant 
received from representatives of the operating companies’ unified exploration and production venture, 
ExxonMobil Production Deutschland GmbH (“EMPG”) .  The Trust is not able to confirm the accuracy 
of any of the information supplied by the operating companies .  In addition, the operating companies 
are not required to take any of the actions outlined and, if they change their plans with respect to any 
such actions, they are not obligated to inform the Trust .

EMPG resumed drilling in 2018 with the drilling of two sidetracks off the main 
bore  of  Goldenstedt  Z-25a .    The  drilling  of  the  initial  sidetrack  (M1)  began  in 
February  2018  and  reached  a  length  of  80  meters  using  the  Directional  Coiled 
Tubing  (“DCT”)  drilling  method .    The  DCT  drilling  method  utilizes  a  smaller 
drilling rig, drills a smaller diameter bore and must work off an existing main bore .  
DCT drilling is a faster drilling method, is far less expensive than a traditional rig 
and is generally available for use on short notice .  In March 2018 EMPG used DCT 
drilling for a second sidetrack (M2) with a length of 528 meters .  However, both 
the first and second sidetracks were unsuccessful .

In an August 6, 2018 press release, EMPG announced the successful drilling of 
Goldenstedt  Z-12a  M1 .    Goldenstedt  Z-12a  M1,  an  eastern  sour  gas  well,  was 
drilled in May 2018 and was the first sidetrack off the main bore of Goldenstedt 
Z-12 .  The sidetrack extended 400 meters using DCT drilling, found the Zechstein 
Stassfurt carbonate reservoir in good condition and has begun production .

Brettorf Z-2b M1was originally scheduled to begin drilling in May 2018 .  However, 
with the experience gained using the DCT drilling, this well has been postponed 
until the first quarter of 2019 .  Doetlingen Z-3A was originally scheduled to begin 
drilling in December 2018 but has been postponed until July 2019 and will again 
use the DCT drilling method .

2

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTThe  scheduled  2018  workover  was  on  a  western  Zechstein  well, Visbek  Z-16a .   
Visbek Z-16a suffered a severe casing collapse six months after it began production 
and  was  shut  down  in  October  2013 .   While  originally  planned  as  a  work  over 
to  repair  the  casing,  EMPG  began  the  drilling  of  the  first  horizontal  section  in 
October 2018 and the first gas production is expected in the beginning of 2019 .  
Two  additional  unscheduled  workovers  were  completed  in  2018,  Goldenstedt 
Z-10a and Cappeln Z-3a .

Of  the  two  wells  previously  scheduled  for  2019, Ahlhorn  Z-3,  a  sour  gas  well, 
has been postponed until the second quarter of 2020 .  This well will attempt to 
reactivate the Ahlhorn field which was abandoned in 1997 .  Hemmelte NW T-1, 
an exploration well, was planned to develop a new area of the sweet gas Bunter 
zone in western Oldenburg .  This well is no longer on the drilling schedule and no 
reason for the change was given .

The first well, Jeddeloh Z-1, to be drilled by Vermilion Energy Inc . under its Farm-
In Agreement had been scheduled for 2020 .  Originally this well was not a candidate 
for fracking because the water that would normally be used in the fracking process 
would be absorbed by the type of minerals present . This absorption would cause 
these minerals to expand filling the gaps that the fracking was intended to create .  
It  is  now  believed that  this  well  will  need  to  be  fracked  and  a  foam  or  gel  will 
need  to  be  used,  which  makes  the  fracking  more  expensive .   According  to  the 
Trust’s German consultant, “This well is postponed until a time in the future when 
the approval procedure for fracking will have been defined in more detail by the 
mining authorities .”

No firm dates have been announced for any of the wells described above .  Information on wells that are 
not named or are in preliminary planning stages is not divulged by EMPG .

Based on the limited information available, Graves & Co . Consulting LLC, the Trust’s petroleum 
consultant (“Graves & Co .”), has prepared and submitted their report on the cost depletion percentage 
applicable to Trust unit owners for calendar 2018 .  The 2018 cost depletion percentage of 11 .4193% 
and related tax information is contained in the removable “2018 Tax Letter” on Pages 29 through 32 
of this report .  The calculation of the cost depletion percentage is based on Graves & Co .’s estimate 
of remaining net proved producing reserves as of October 1, 2018 .  (The complete text of the report is 
available in the Trust’s 2018 Report on Form 10-K as exhibit 99 .1 .)  The application of the Trust’s two 
royalty rates to gross remaining proved producing gas reserves or to gross gas sales for both eastern 
and western Oldenburg yields the net gas reserves or sales attributable to the Trust, as referenced in the 
charts on pages 4 and 5 .  The report indicates that net Trust gas reserves decreased 18 .79% to 8 .069 Bcf 
from 9 .936 Bcf on net sales for 2018 of 1 .066 Bcf and a negative reserve adjustment of 0 .801 Bcf .  As 
shown in the chart on page 5, the addition of one successful well and completion of two workovers by 
the operating companies failed to replace current gas sales with additions to proved producing reserves .

Respectfully submitted,

John R . Van Kirk
Managing Director

December 31, 2018

3

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUST4

TEN YEAR HISTORY OF NET GAS SALES VOLUMES

T
E
E
F
C
I
B
U
C
N
O
I
L
L
I
B

3

2

1

0

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Adjusted for Effective Royalty Rates Applicable to Western and Eastern Oldenburg

WESTERN OLDENBURG

EASTERN OLDENBURG

 
 
NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUST

NET PROVED PRODUCING GAS RESERVES (EST.)
AND VOLUME OF NET GAS SALES

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

As of October 1st

T
E
E
F
C
I
B
U
C
N
O
I
L
L
I
B

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

5

NET PROVED PRODUCING RESERVES (EST.)

ANNUAL NET SALES

 
 
6

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUST

DOLLAR ROYALTIES
WESTERN AND EASTERN OLDENBURG

S
R
A
L
L
O
D
N
O
I
L
L
I
M

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Dollar Royalties by Fiscal Year

WESTERN OLDENBURG

EASTERN OLDENBURG

 
GROSS GAS SALE VOLUMES

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

WESTERN OLDENBURG

EASTERN OLDENBURG

T
E
E
F
C
I
B
U
C
N
O
I
L
L
I
B

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

7

 
 
Description of Trust Assets

The properties of the Trust, which the Trust and Trustees hold pursuant to the Trust Agreement 
on behalf of the unit owners, are overriding royalty rights on sales of gas, sulfur and oil under certain 
concessions or leases in the Federal Republic of Germany .  The actual leases or concessions are held 
either by Mobil Erdgas-Erdol GmbH (“Mobil Erdgas”), a German operating subsidiary of ExxonMobil, 
or  by  Oldenburgische  Erdolgesellschaft  (“OEG”) .    As  a  result  of  direct  and  indirect  ownership, 
ExxonMobil owns two-thirds of OEG and the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies owns one-third 
of OEG . The Oldenburg concession (1,386,000 acres), covering virtually the entire former Grand Duchy 
of Oldenburg and located in the German federal state of Lower Saxony, provides 100% of the royalties 
received by the Trust .  BEB Erdgas und Erdol GmbH (“BEB”), a joint venture in which ExxonMobil 
and the Royal Dutch/Shell Group each own 50%, administers the concession held by OEG .  In 2002, 
Mobil Erdgas and BEB formed EMPG to carry out all exploration, drilling and production activities .  
All sales activities are still handled by either Mobil Erdgas or BEB .

Vermilion Energy Inc . (“Vermilion”), a Canadian based international oil and gas producer, entered 
into  a  Farm-In Agreement  (the  “Farm-In Agreement”)  with  Mobil  Erdgas  and  BEB  effective  as  of 
January 1, 2016 .  The Trust has been advised by its consultant in Germany that, based on conversations 
with people at EMPG and other sources, the Farm-In Agreement specifies that Vermilion has acquired 
an interest in various portions of a concession or areas owned by Mobil Erdgas and BEB .  Three of 
these licenses cover the three northernmost areas of the Oldenburg concession .  The Farm-In Agreement 
commits Vermilion to financial participation at a 50% level in 11 gross exploratory wells over the next 
five years through 2020 .  Three of these wells will be drilled in areas subject to the Trust’s royalties .  
Vermilion’s participation in the development of any well does not impact the Trust’s royalty interest and 
the sale of that gas or oil would be subject to the relevant royalty contract .

Vermilion’s first well within the Oldenburg concession is tentatively located in the western portion 
of the area designated Oldenburg-Land, the southernmost area of the three areas within the concession 
subject  to Vermilion’s  Farm-In Agreement .   Vermilion’s  well  is  intended  to  develop  the  Rotliegend 
(Red Sandstone) formation, a previously undeveloped productive zone within the concession but at this 
time has no start date .  Additionally, according to EMPG, Vermilion is expected to drill two other wells 
within the Oldenburg concession, one in Jeverland and one in Jade-Weser .  No details concerning these 
wells or any other activities by Vermilion are available to the Trust at this date and Vermilion is under 
no obligation to disclose such information .  The information regarding Vermilion’s activities within the 
Oldenburg concession was conveyed to the Trust’s German consultant by representatives of EMPG .

Under the Mobil Agreement covering the western part of the Oldenburg concession (approximately 
662,000  acres),  the  Trust  receives  a  royalty  payment  of  4%  on  gross  receipts  from  sales  by  Mobil 
Erdgas of gas well gas, oil well gas, crude oil and condensate .  Under the Mobil Agreement there is no 
deduction of costs prior to the calculation of royalties from gas well gas and oil well gas, which together 
account for approximately 98% of all the royalties under said agreement .  Historically, the Trust has 
received significantly greater royalty payments under the Mobil Agreement (as compared to the OEG 
Agreement described below) due to the higher royalty rate specified by that agreement .

The  Trust  is  also  entitled  under  the  Mobil  Sulfur Agreement  to  receive  a  2%  royalty  on  gross 
receipts  of  sales  of  sulfur  obtained  as  a  by-product  of  sour  gas  produced  from  the  western  part  of 
Oldenburg .  The payment of the sulfur royalty is conditioned upon sales of sulfur by Mobil Erdgas at 
a selling price above an agreed upon base price .  This base price is adjusted annually by an inflation 
index .  When the average quarterly selling price falls below the indexed base price, no sulfur royalties 
are  paid  by  Mobil  Erdgas .    Sulfur  royalties  under  the  Mobil  Agreement  totaled  $72,358,  $43,932 

8

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTand ($51,576) during fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively .  The 2018 figure includes a negative 
adjustment  from  2017  of  ($45,785)  resulting  from  the  fact  that  the  sulfur  price  for  one  quarter  fell 
below the adjusted base price .  The 2017 figure includes a negative adjustment from 2016 of ($40,473) 
and reflects the absence of any payment for sulfur royalties in the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 
2017 .  The 2016 figure includes negative adjustments from 2015, 2013, 2012 and 2011 of ($36,336), 
($43,087), ($186,045) and ($56,225), which more than offset sulfur royalties payable .  The operating 
companies had improperly allocated eastern sulfur sales to the Mobil Agreement from 2011 through 
2015 resulting in the overpayment of sulfur royalties .

Under the OEG Agreement covering the entire Oldenburg concession, the Trust receives royalties 
at the rate of 0 .6667% on gross receipts from sales by BEB of gas well gas, oil well gas, crude oil, 
condensate and sulfur (removed during the processing of sour gas) less a certain allowed deduction of 
costs .  Under the OEG Agreement, 50% of the field handling and treatment costs as reported for state 
royalty purposes are deducted from the gross sales receipts prior to the calculation of the royalty to be 
paid to the Trust .

On August 26, 2016, the Trust executed amendments to its existing royalty agreements with OEG 
and Mobil establishing a new base for the determination of gas prices upon which the Trust’s royalties 
are  determined .   This  base  is  set  as  the  state  assessment  base  for  natural  gas  used  by  the  operating 
companies in their calculation of royalties payable to the State of Lower Saxony .  This change reflects 
a shift from the use of gas ex-field prices (“contractual prices”) to the prices calculated for the GBIP .   
For simplification purposes, we will use GBIP when referring to the current state assessment base .

The change to the GBIP is intended to be revenue neutral for the Trust in comparison to the previous 
pricing methodology .  Additionally, this change should reduce the scope and cost of the accounting 
examination, eliminate ongoing disputes with OEG and Mobil regarding sales to related parties, and 
reduce prior year adjustments to the normally scheduled year-end reconciliation .  The pricing basis has 
eliminated certain costs (transportation and plant gas storage) that were previously deductible prior to 
the royalty calculation under the agreement with OEG .

Actual gas sales from the prior calendar quarter are multiplied by the average GBIP for a period 
starting two months earlier and provide the basis for royalty payments to the Trust during its fiscal 
quarter .  The average GBIP for the corresponding period of actual sales is not available due to the delay 
in its calculation .  For calendar 2016 and forward, the average GBIP under the Mobil and OEG Royalty 
Agreements was increased by 1% and 3%, respectively .   In March of the following calendar year, an 
average GBIP for the prior calendar year (weighted on a monthly basis by the respective volume of 
imported gas) is published .  In the following calendar year, EMPG makes a final reconciliation based 
upon the published yearly average GBIP increased by the respective percentage factor and the total 
volume of gas sold under the royalty agreements during the prior calendar year .

The  basis  for  oil  prices  is  the  published  price  from  the  State Authority  for  Mining,  Energy  and 
Geology .  There are no percentage adjustments factored into the oil royalty calculation .  There was no 
change in the previous methodology used with regard to the determination of royalties attributable to 
sales of sulfur .

In addition to the Oldenburg area, the Trust also holds overriding royalties at various rates on a 
number of currently non-producing leases of various sizes in other areas of Germany .  One of these 
leases, Grosses Meer, was formerly active but provided no royalties during fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016 .

9

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTManagement’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Executive Summary

The Trust is a passive fixed investment trust which holds overriding royalty rights, receives income 
under those rights from certain operating companies, pays its expenses and distributes the remaining 
net funds to its unit owners .  As mandated by the Trust Agreement, distributions of income are made on 
a quarterly basis .  These distributions, as determined by the Trustees, constitute substantially all of the 
funds on hand after provision is made for Trust expenses then anticipated .

The Trust does not engage in any business or extractive operations of any kind in the areas over 
which it holds royalty rights and is precluded from engaging in such activities by the Trust Agreement .  
There are no requirements, therefore, for capital resources with which to make capital expenditures or 
investments in order to continue the receipt of royalty revenues by the Trust .

The properties of  the Trust are described above in “Description of Trust Assets .”  Of particular 
importance with respect to royalty income are the two royalty agreements, the Mobil Agreement and 
the OEG Agreement .  The Mobil Agreement covers gas sales from the western part of the Oldenburg 
concession . Under the Mobil Agreement, the Trust has traditionally received the majority of its royalty 
income due to the higher royalty rate of 4% .  The OEG Agreement covers gas sales from the entire 
Oldenburg concession but the royalty rate of 0 .6667% is significantly lower and gas royalties have been 
correspondingly lower .

The operating companies pay monthly royalties to the Trust based on their sales of natural gas, 
sulfur and oil . Of these three products, natural gas provided approximately 94% of the total royalties in 
fiscal 2018 .  The amount of royalties paid to the Trust is primarily based on four factors: the amount of 
gas sold, the price of that gas, the area from which the gas is sold and the exchange rate .

On  approximately  the  25th  of  the  months  of  January,  April,  July  and  October,  the  operating 
companies calculate the amount of gas sold during the previous calendar quarter and determine the 
amount of royalties that were payable to the Trust based on those sales .  The pricing component to 
this royalty calculation no longer conforms to the same period .  Due to the delay in the availability 
of the GBIP, the average GBIP for a three-month period ending two months prior to the end of the 
relevant calendar quarter is used .  The average GBIP is increased by a percentage factor depending 
upon which royalty agreement forms the underlying basis for the royalty calculation .  This timetable, 
the determination of the appropriate GBIP, and the percentage factor were set forth in the amendments 
to the Mobil and OEG Royalty Agreements signed on August 26, 2016 .  The respective royalty amount 
is divided into thirds and forms the monthly royalty payments to the Trust (payable on the 15th of each 
month) for the Trust’s upcoming fiscal quarter .  At the same time that the operating companies determine 
the actual amount of royalties that were payable for the prior calendar quarter, they look at the actual 
amount of  royalties that  were  paid  to  the Trust  for  that period  and  calculate the  difference between 
what was paid and what was payable .  Additional amounts payable by the operating companies would 
be paid immediately and any overpayment would be deducted from the payment for the first month of 
the following fiscal quarter .  In March of the following calendar year, an average GBIP for the prior 
calendar year (weighted on a monthly basis by the respective volume of imported gas) is published .  In 
the succeeding calendar year, the operating companies make the final determination of any necessary 
royalty adjustments for the prior calendar year with a positive or negative adjustment made accordingly .  
Currently, the Trust’s German accountants review the royalty calculations on a biennial basis .  They 
will begin their examination of the operating companies for 2017-2018 in November 2019 when the 
final sales figures and the GBIP will be available .

10

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTThere  are  two  types  of  natural  gas  found  within  the  Oldenburg  concession,  sweet  gas  and  sour 
gas .  Sweet gas has little or no contaminants and needs no treatment before it can be sold .  Sour gas, in 
comparison, must be processed at the Grossenkneten desulfurization plant before it can be sold .  The 
desulfurization process removes hydrogen sulfide and other contaminants .  The hydrogen sulfide in 
gaseous form is converted to sulfur in a solid form and sold separately .  As needed, EMPG conducts 
maintenance on the plant generally during the summer months when demand is lower .  The operating 
companies informed the Trust that, to promote greater efficiency and cost effectiveness, the production 
capacity  of  Grossenkneten  was  reduced  by  approximately  one-third  through  the  retirement  of  Unit 
3  in April  2017 .    With  full  operation  of  the  two  remaining  units,  raw  gas  input  capacity  stands  at 
approximately 400 million cubic feet (“MMcf”) per day .

While originally EMPG had indicated there would be no maintenance conducted during 2018, one 
of the two units was shut down from March 15 to April 15, 2018 .  A second unexpected shutdown for 
both of the units followed for the period from May 18 to June 10, 2018 .  This shutdown was related to 
an emissions control issue .  While the repairs to address the emissions problem were being conducted, 
additional problems with a waste heat boiler were discovered in one of the units .  Repairs to address 
these newly discovered problems continued from June 10 to August 21, 2018 .  During this period, the 
total  throughput  capacity was  reduced  by  40% .   As  of August  22,  2018,  full  production  capacity at 
Grossenkneten had been restored .

Under the Mobil and OEG Agreements, the gas is sold in one of three ways: (1) directly on the 
spot  market;  (2)  between  Mobil  Erdgas  and  BEB  (intra-company  sales);  or  (3)  directly  to  various 
distributors  under  contracts  (which  delineate,  among  other  provisions,  the  timing,  manner,  volume 
and price of the gas sold) .   While the operating companies will continue to sell gas in one of these 
three ways, the impact of the respective pricing involved is no longer applicable to the Trust because, 
under the amended royalty agreements, the price point, which is used as part of the basis for the royalty 
calculations, is now the average GBIP .

For unit owners, changes in the dollar value of the Euro have an immediate impact .  This impact 
occurs at the time the royalties, which are paid to the Trust in Euros, are converted into U .S . dollars 
at the applicable exchange rate and transferred from Germany to the United States .  In relation to the 
dollar, a stronger Euro would yield more dollars and a weaker Euro would yield less dollars .

Seasonal demand factors affect the income from the Trust’s royalty rights insofar as they relate 
to  energy  demands  and  increases  or  decreases  in  prices,  but  on  average  they  are  generally  not 
material to the annual income received under the Trust’s royalty rights .  The  Trust  has  no  means  of 
ensuring  continued  income  from  overriding  royalty  rights  at  their  present  level  or  otherwise .    The 
Trust’s consultant in Germany provides general information to the Trust on the German and European 
economies and energy markets .  This information provides a context in which to evaluate the actions of 
the operating companies .  The Trust’s consultant receives reports from EMPG with respect to current 
and planned drilling and exploration efforts .  However, EMPG and the operating companies continue 
to limit the information flow to that which is required by German law .

The low level of administrative expenses of the Trust limits the effect of inflation on costs .  Sustained 
price inflation would be reflected in sales prices .  Sales prices along with sales volumes form the basis 
on which the royalties paid to the Trust are computed .

11

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTResults: Fiscal 2018 versus Fiscal 2017

For fiscal 2018, the Trust’s gross royalty income decreased 7 .26% to $7,198,534 from $7,762,225 
in fiscal 2017 .  The decrease in the amount of royalty income resulted in the lower distributions .  The 
total distribution for fiscal 2018 was $0 .70 per unit compared to $0 .76 per unit for fiscal 2017 .  While 
gas prices and the average exchange rates under both royalty agreements increased, gas sales under 
both royalty agreements declined .  As a result, royalty income attributable to gas sales under the Mobil 
Agreement in fiscal 2018 declined by $185,073 as compared to fiscal 2017 .  Royalty income attributable 
to gas sales under the OEG Agreement in fiscal 2018 declined by $115,597 as compared to fiscal 2017 .

As in prior years, the Trust receives adjustments from the operating companies based on their final 
calculations  of  royalties  payable  during  the  previous  periods .    During  fiscal  2018,  the  adjustments 
based on royalties payable for 2017 increased royalty income by $189,529 .  During fiscal 2017, the 
adjustments based on royalties payable for 2016 increased royalty income by $411,884 .  In fiscal 2018 
and 2017, Mobil sulfur royalties totaled $72,358 and $43,932, respectively .

Gas  sales  under  the  Mobil Agreement  declined  19 .63%  to  18 .941  Billion  cubic  feet  (“Bcf”)  in 
fiscal 2018 from 23 .566 Bcf in fiscal 2017 .  The most significant factor reducing gas sales for 2018 was 
the extended repairs being conducted at the Grossenkneten desulfurization plant .  While these repairs 
were being conducted, the plants throughput capacity was affected .  For the period extending from the 
second through the fourth quarters throughput was reduced by 40% for approximately 100 days and 
by 100% for approximately 20 days .  Since approximately two thirds of the gas produced from the 
concession is sour gas, the reduction or elimination of the throughput had a substantial impact on gas 
sales .  In addition, according to the Trust’s consultant in Germany, it is likely that some portion of the 
decline in gas production is due to the normal reduction in well pressure that is experienced over time .

Quarterly and Yearly Gas Sales under the Mobil Agreement in Billion cubic feet

Fiscal Quarter
First
Second
Third
Fourth
Fiscal Year Total

2018 Gas Sales
5 .660
5 .193
3 .593
4 .495
18 .941

2017 Gas Sales
6 .489
5 .934
5 .500
5 .643
23 .566

Percentage Change
- 12 .78%
- 12 .49%
- 34 .67%
- 20 .34%
- 19 .63%

Average prices for gas sold under the Mobil Agreement increased 10 .75% to 1 .8164 Euro cents per 

kilowatt hour (“€cents/kWh”) in fiscal 2018 from 1 .6401 €cents/kWh in fiscal 2017 .

Average Gas Prices under the Mobil Agreement in Euro cents per Kilowatt Hour

Fiscal Quarter
First
Second
Third
Fourth
Fiscal Year Avg .

2018 Gas Prices
1 .6593
1 .8262
1 .9141
1 .9231
1 .8164

2017 Gas Prices
1 .4789
1 .7434
1 .7406
1 .6197
1 .6401

Percentage Change
+ 12 .20%
  + 4 .75%
  + 9 .97%
+ 18 .73%
+ 10 .75%

12

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTConverting gas prices into more familiar terms, using the average exchange rate, yielded a price of 
$6 .18 per thousand cubic feet (“Mcf”), a 19 .54% increase from fiscal 2017’s average price of $5 .17/
Mcf .    For  fiscal  2018,  royalties  paid  under  the  Mobil Agreement  were  converted  and  transferred  at 
an average Euro/dollar exchange rate of $1 .1914, an increase of 7 .94% from the average Euro/dollar 
exchange rate of $1 .1038 for fiscal 2017 .

Average Euro Exchange Rate under the Mobil Agreement

Fiscal Quarter
First
Second
Third
Fourth
Fiscal Year Avg .

2018 Average 
Euro Exchange Rate
1 .1965
1 .2361
1 .1705
1 .1550
1 .1914

2017 Average 
Euro Exchange Rate
1 .0582
1 .0625
1 .1175
1 .1806
1 .1038

Percentage Change
+ 13 .07%
+ 16 .34%
  + 4 .74%
   - 2 .17%
  + 7 .94%

Excluding the effects of differences in prices and average exchange rates, the combination of royalty 
rates on gas sold from western Oldenburg results in an effective royalty rate approximately seven times 
higher than the royalty rate on gas sold from eastern Oldenburg .  This is of particular significance to the 
Trust since gas sold from western Oldenburg provides the bulk of royalties paid to the Trust .  For fiscal 
2018, the volume of gas sold from western Oldenburg accounted for only 31 .43% of the volume of all 
gas sales .  However, western Oldenburg gas royalties provided approximately 80 .24% or $5,438,672 
out of a total of $6,778,111 in overall Oldenburg gas royalties .

Gas sales under the OEG Agreement decreased 19 .16% to 60 .264 Bcf in fiscal 2018 from 74 .544 Bcf 
in fiscal 2017 .  The most significant factor reducing gas sales for 2018 was the extended repairs being 
conducted at the Grossenkneten desulfurization plant .  While these repairs were being conducted, the 
plants throughput capacity was affected .  For the period extending from the second through the fourth 
quarters throughput was reduced by 40% for approximately 100 days and by 100% for approximately 
20  days .    Since  approximately  two  thirds  of  the  gas  produced  from  the  concession  is  sour  gas,  the 
reduction or elimination of the throughput had a significant impact on gas sales .  In addition, according 
to the Trust’s consultant in Germany, it is likely that some portion of the decline in gas production is 
due to the normal reduction in well pressure that is experienced over time .

Quarterly and Yearly Gas Sales under the OEG Agreement in Billion cubic feet

Fiscal Quarter
First
Second
Third
Fourth
Fiscal Year Total

2018 Gas Sales
18 .150
16 .373
11 .712
14 .029
60 .264

2017 Gas Sales
20 .060
18 .885
17 .829
17 .770
74 .544

Percentage Change
  - 9 .52%
- 13 .30%
- 34 .31%
- 21 .05%
- 19 .16%

Average gas prices for gas sold under the OEG Agreement increased 10 .56% to 1 .8514 €cents/kWh 

in fiscal 2018 from 1 .6745 €cents/kWh in fiscal 2017 .

13

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTAverage Gas Prices under the OEG Agreement in Euro cents per Kilowatt Hour

Fiscal Quarter
First
Second
Third
Fourth
Fiscal Year Avg .

2018 Gas Prices
1 .6921
1 .8624
1 .9520
1 .9612
1 .8514

2017 Gas Prices
1 .5081
1 .7779
1 .7750
1 .6517
1 .6745

Percentage Change
+ 12 .20%
  + 4 .75%
  + 9 .97%
+ 18 .74%
+ 10 .56%

Converting gas prices into more familiar terms, using the average exchange rate, yielded a price 
of  $6 .18  Mcf,  an  18 .62%  increase  from  fiscal  2017’s  average  price  of  $5 .21/Mcf .    For  fiscal  2018, 
royalties  paid  under  the  OEG Agreement  were  converted  and  transferred  at  an  average  Euro/dollar 
exchange rate of $1 .1932, an increase of 7 .49% from the average Euro/dollar exchange rate of $1 .1101 
for fiscal 2017 .

Average Euro Exchange Rate under the OEG Agreement

Fiscal Quarter
First
Second
Third
Fourth
Fiscal Year Avg .

2018 Average 
Euro Exchange Rate
1 .2008
1 .2364
1 .1705
1 .1540
1 .1932

2017 Average 
Euro Exchange Rate
1 .0590
1 .0630
1 .1175
1 .1788
1 .1101

Percentage Change
+ 13 .39%
+ 16 .31%
  + 4 .74%
   - 2 .10%
  + 7 .49%

Interest  income  for  fiscal  2018  of  $4,509  increased  slightly  from  interest  income  of  $4,352  for 
fiscal 2017 .  Trust expenses increased $54,959, or 7 .43%, to $795,088 in fiscal 2018 from $740,129 
in fiscal 2017 .  German accounting expenses were higher due to the completion in fiscal 2018 of the 
examination of the royalty companies for the 2015-2016 period .  Legal expenses were higher resulting 
from preparations for the planned conversion of the Trust’s physical office to a virtual office .  The Trust 
currently handles all interactions with unit owners through email or phone .  Similarly, communications 
and filings with state, federal and financial agencies are made via email or online filings .  A physical 
office is no longer required and the change to a virtual office would effect cost savings .  The change 
will not impact the operations or administration of the Trust .

14

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTNORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUST

North European Oil Royalty Trust Selected Financial Data (Cash Basis) 
For Fiscal Years Ended October 31

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

Gas, sulfur and oil royalties 

received   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

$7,198,534

$7,762,225

$6,960,961

$12,390,575

$18,927,005

Interest income   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

 4,509

 4,352

 4,548

9,439

18,724

Trust expenses  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

(795,088)

(740,129)

(824,368)

(819,341)

(901,150)

Net income   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

$6,407,955

$7,026,448

$6,141,141

$11,580,673

$18,044,579

Net income per unit  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

$ 

0 .70

$ 

0 .76

$ 

0 .67

$ 

1 .26

$ 

1 .96

Distributions per unit paid or to be paid 

to unit owners   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

$ 

0 .70

$ 

0 .76

$ 

0 .67

$ 

1 .27

$ 

1 .95

Units outstanding end of period   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

9,190,590

9,190,590

9,190,590

9,190,590

9,190,590

1
5

Comparison of Five-Year Returns

The graph set forth below compares, for the last five years, the cumulative return on Trust Units, the 
securities in a peer group index, and the S&P 500 Composite Index .  Because no published peer group 
index exists and the Trust has been unable to locate any royalty trusts publicly traded in the U .S . with 
reserves and sales in Europe, the Trustees have developed a peer group consisting of the following three 
domestic oil royalty trusts: Mesa Royalty Trust, Sabine Royalty Trust and San Juan Basin Royalty Trust 
(the “Royalty Peer Group”) .  The composition of the Royalty Peer Group has been the same since the 
Trust’s proxy statement for its 1993 Annual Meeting of Unit Owners .

While  these  three  domestic  oil  royalty  trusts  appear  to  be  the  most  comparable  for  comparison 
purposes, there are a number of differences between North European Oil Royalty Trust and the Royalty 
Peer Group .  As previously mentioned, the reserves and sales attributed to the royalty trusts comprising 
the Royalty Peer Group are located in the United States, while the reserves and sales attributed to North 
European Oil Royalty Trust are located in Germany .  There are fundamental differences between the 
energy markets in the United States and Germany that affect commodity pricing and as a result severely 
restrict the usefulness of any comparison of their cumulative returns .

In determining the cumulative return on investment, it has been assumed that on October 31, 2013, 
an equal dollar amount was invested in the Trust Units, in the securities of the trusts of the Royalty Peer 
Group, and in the S&P 500 Composite Index .  The comparisons assume in all cases the reinvestment 
of  all  dividends  or  distributions  on  the  respective  payment  dates .    The  cumulative  returns  shown 
for  the  Trust  and  the  Royalty  Peer  Group  do  not  reflect  any  differences  between  the  tax  treatment 
of  Trust  distributions,  due  to  permitted  cost  depletion,  and  dividends  on  securities  in  the  S&P  500 
Composite Index .

16

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTNORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUST

COMPARISON OF 5 YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*

Among North European Oil Royalty Trust, the S&P 500 Index,

and a Peer Group

$180

$160

$140

$120

$100

$80

$60

$40

$20

$0

North European Oil Royalty Trust

S&P 500

Peer Group

1
7

Copyright© 2018 Standard & Poor's, a division of S&P Global. All rights reserved.

*$100 invested on 10/31/13 in stock or index, including reinvestment of dividends.
Fiscal year ending October 31.

Critical Accounting Policies

The  financial  statements,  appearing  subsequently  in  this  Report,  present  financial  statement 
balances and financial results on a modified cash basis of accounting, which is a comprehensive basis 
of accounting other than accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP basis”) .  
Cash basis accounting is an accepted accounting method for royalty trusts such as the Trust .  GAAP 
basis financial statements disclose income as earned and expenses as incurred, without regard to receipts 
or payments .  The use of GAAP would require the Trust to accrue for expected royalty payments .  This 
is exceedingly difficult since the Trust has very limited information on such payments until they are 
received and cannot accurately project such amounts . The Trust’s cash basis financial statements disclose 
revenue when cash is received and expenses when cash is paid .  The one modification of the cash basis 
of accounting is that the Trust accrues for distributions to be paid to unit owners (those distributions 
approved by the Trustees for the Trust) .  The Trust’s distributable income represents royalty income 
received by the Trust during the period plus interest income less any expenses incurred by the Trust, 
all on a cash basis .  In the opinion of the Trustees, the use of the modified cash basis provides a more 
meaningful presentation to unit owners of the results of operations of the Trust and presents to the unit 
owners a more accurate calculation of income and expenses for tax reporting purposes .

This Annual Report may contain forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the safe harbor 
from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 .  Such statements 
address future expectations and events or conditions concerning the Trust .  Many of these statements 
are  based  on  information  provided  to  the Trust  by  the  operating  companies  or  by  consultants  using 
public information sources .  These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could 
cause  actual  results  to  differ  materially  from  those  anticipated  in  any  forward-looking  statements .  
These include:

• 

• 

• 

• 

risks  and  uncertainties  concerning  levels  of  gas  production  and  gas  sale  prices,  general 
economic conditions and currency exchange rates;

the ability or willingness of the operating companies to perform under their contractual 
obligations with the Trust;

potential disputes with the operating companies and the resolution thereof; and

the risk factors set forth above under Item 1A of the Trust’s Annual Report on Form 10-K 
for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2018 (the “Trust’s Form 10-K”) .

All  such  factors  are  difficult  to  predict,  contain  uncertainties  that  may  materially  affect  actual 
results, and are generally beyond the control of the Trust .  New factors emerge from time to time and it 
is not possible for the Trust to predict all such factors or to assess the impact of each such factor on the 
Trust .  Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and 
the Trust does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events 
or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made .

18

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTREPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Trustees and the Unit Owners of 
North European Oil Royalty Trust

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying statements of assets, liabilities and trust corpus of North European 
Oil Royalty Trust (the “Trust”) as of October 31, 2018 and 2017, and the related statements of revenue 
collected and expenses paid, undistributed earnings, and changes in cash and cash equivalents for each 
of the years in the three-year period ended October 31, 2018, and the related notes (collectively referred 
to as the financial statements) . In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material 
respects, the assets, liabilities and trust corpus of the Trust as of October 31, 2018 and 2017, its revenue 
collected and expenses paid, its undistributed earnings, and changes in its cash and cash equivalents for 
each of the years in the three-year period ended October 31, 2018, in conformity with the modified cash 
bash basis of accounting described in Note 1 .

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight 
Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting as of October 
31, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the 
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), and our report dated 
December 28, 2018, expressed an unqualified opinion .

Basis for Opinion

These  financial  statements  are  the  responsibility  of  the  Trust’s  management .    Our  responsibility 
is  to  express  an  opinion  on  the  Trust’s  financial  statements  based  on  our  audits .    We  are  a  public 
accounting  firm  registered  with  the  PCAOB  and  are  required  to  be  independent  with  respect  to  the 
Trust in accordance with the U .S . federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the 
Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB .

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB . Those standards require that 
we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are 
free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud . Our audits included performing procedures 
to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, 
and performing procedures that respond to those risks .  Such procedures include examining, on a test 
basis, evidence regarding amounts and disclosures in the financial statements . Our audits also included 
evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as 
evaluating  the  overall  presentation  of  the  financial  statements . We  believe  that  our  audits  provide  a 
reasonable basis for our opinion .

Basis of Accounting

As described in Note 1, these financial statements have been prepared on the modified cash basis of 
accounting, which is a comprehensive basis of accounting other than accounting principles generally 
accepted in the United States of America .

Mazars USA LLP

We have served as the Trust’s auditor since 2006 .
New York, NY 
December 28, 2018

19

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUST2
0

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUST

STATEMENTS OF ASSETS, LIABILITIES AND TRUST CORPUS (NOTE 1) 
OCTOBER 31, 2018 AND 2017

ASSETS

2018

2017

Current assets - - Cash and cash equivalents   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

$1,457,207

$2,126,005

Producing gas and oil royalty rights, 

net of amortization (Notes 1 and 2)   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

1

1

Total Assets   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

$1,457,208

$2,126,006

LIABILITIES AND TRUST CORPUS

2018

2017

Current liabilities - - Distributions to be paid to unit owners, 

paid November 2018 and 2017   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

$1,378,589

$2,021,929

Trust corpus (Notes 1 and 2)  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

1

1

Undistributed earnings   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

78,618

104,076

Total Liabilities and Trust Corpus   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

$1,457,208

$2,126,006

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUST

STATEMENTS OF REVENUE COLLECTED AND EXPENSES PAID (NOTE 1) 
FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDED OCTOBER 31, 2018, 2017, AND 2016

2018

2017

2016

Gas, sulfur and oil royalties received   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

$7,198,534

$7,762,225

$6,960,961

Interest income   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

4,509

4,352

4,548

Trust Income   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

7,203,043

7,766,577

6,965,509

Non-related party expenses  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

(705,367)

(669,965)

(715,404)

Related party expenses (Note 3)   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

(89,721)

(70,164)

(108,964)

Trust Expenses   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

(795,088)

(740,129)

(824,368)

Net Income  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

$6,407,955

$7,026,448

$6,141,141

Net income per unit  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

$ 

0 .70

$ 

0 .76

$ 

0 .67

Distributions per unit paid or to be paid 

to unit owners   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

$ 

0 .70

$ 

0 .76

$ 

0 .67

2
1

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.2
2

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUST

STATEMENTS OF UNDISTRIBUTED EARNINGS (NOTE 1) 
FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDED OCTOBER 31, 2018, 2017 AND 2016

2018

2017

2016

Balance, beginning of year   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

$  104,076

$ 

62,476

$ 

79,030

Net income   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

6,407,955
6,512,031

7,026,448
7,088,924

6,141,141
6,220,171

Less: 

Current year distributions paid or 

to be paid to unit owners   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

6,433,413

6,984,848

6,157,695

Balance, end of year   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

$ 

78,618

$  104,076

$ 

62,476

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUST

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS (NOTE 1) 
FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDED OCTOBER 31, 2018, 2017 AND 2016

2018

2017

2016

Sources of Cash and Cash Equivalents:

Gas, sulfur and oil royalties received   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

$7,198,534

$7,762,225

$6,960,961

Interest income   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

4,509
7,203,043

4,352
7,766,577

4,548
6,965,509

Uses of Cash and Cash Equivalents:

Payment of Trust expenses   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

795,088

740,129

824,368

Distributions paid   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

7,076,753
7,871,841

6,065,790
6,805,919

7,168,659
7,993,027

Net increase (decrease) in cash  

and cash equivalents during the year   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

(668,798)

(960,658)

(1,027,518)

Cash and cash equivalents,  

beginning of year   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

2,126,005

1,165,347

2,192,865

Cash and cash equivalents,  

end of year   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .

$1,457,207

$2,126,005

$1,165,347

2
3

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
OCTOBER 31, 2018, 2017, AND 2016

(1) Summary of significant accounting policies:

Basis of accounting -

The  accompanying  financial  statements  of  North  European  Oil  Royalty  Trust  (the  “Trust”)  are 
prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC .  Financial statement balances and 
financial results are presented on a modified cash basis of accounting, which is a comprehensive basis 
of accounting other than accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP basis”) .  
In the opinion of management, all adjustments that are considered necessary for a fair presentation of 
these financial statements, including adjustments of a normal, recurring nature, have been included .

On a modified cash basis, revenue is earned when cash is received and expenses are incurred when 
cash is paid .  GAAP basis financial statements disclose revenue as earned and expenses as incurred, 
without regard to receipts or payments .  The modified cash basis of accounting is utilized to permit 
the accrual for distributions to be paid to unit owners (those distributions approved by the Trustees for 
the Trust) .  The Trust’s distributable income represents royalty income received by the Trust during 
the period plus interest income less any expenses incurred by the Trust, all on a cash basis .  In the 
opinion of the Trustees, the use of the modified cash basis of accounting provides a more meaningful 
presentation to unit owners of the results of operations of the Trust .

Producing gas and oil royalty rights -

The  rights  to  certain  gas  and  oil  royalties  in  Germany  were  transferred  to  the Trust  at  their  net 
book value by North European Oil Company (the “Company”) (see Note 2) . The net book value of the 
royalty rights has been reduced to one dollar ($1) in view of the fact that the remaining net book value 
of royalty rights is de minimis relative to annual royalties received and distributed by the Trust and does 
not bear any meaningful relationship to the fair value of such rights or the actual amount of proved 
producing reserves .

Federal and state income taxes -

The Trust, as a grantor trust and also under a private letter ruling issued by the Internal Revenue 

Service, is exempt from federal income taxes .  The Trust has no state income tax obligations .

Cash and cash equivalents -

Cash and cash equivalents are defined as amounts deposited in bank accounts and amounts invested 
in certificates of deposit and U . S . Treasury bills with original maturities generally of three months or 
less from the date of purchase .  The investment options available to the Trust are limited in accordance 
with specific provisions of the Trust Agreement .  As of October 31, 2018, the uninsured amounts held 
in the Trust’s U .S . bank accounts were $1,201,639 .  In addition, the Trust held €4,913, the equivalent 
of $5,568, in its German bank account at October 31, 2018 .

24

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTNet income per unit -

Net income per unit is based upon the number of units outstanding at the end of the period .  As of 

October 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, there were 9,190,590 units of beneficial interest outstanding .

New accounting pronouncements -

The Trust is not aware of any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards that would 

be expected to have a significant impact on the Trust’s financial position or results of operations .

(2) Formation of the Trust:

The  Trust  was  formed  on  September  10,  1975 .   As  of  September  30,  1975,  the  Company  was 
liquidated and the remaining assets and liabilities of the Company, including its royalty rights, were 
transferred to the Trust .  The Trust, on behalf of the owners of beneficial interest in the Trust, holds 
overriding  royalty  rights  covering  gas  and  oil  production  in  certain  concessions  or  leases  in  the 
Federal Republic of Germany .  These rights are held under contracts with local German exploration 
and development subsidiaries of ExxonMobil Corp . and the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies .  
Under these contracts, the Trust receives various percentage royalties on the proceeds of the sales of 
certain products from the areas involved .  At the present time, royalties are received for sales of gas well 
gas, oil well gas, crude oil, distillate and sulfur .

(3) Related party transactions:

John R . Van Kirk, the Managing Director of the Trust, provides office space and services to the 
Trust at cost .  For such office space and services, the Trust reimbursed the Managing Director $26,873, 
$25,015 and $28,559 in fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively .

Lawrence A . Kobrin, a Trustee of the Trust, is no longer a partner of the firm but remains a Senior 
Counsel at Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, which serves as counsel to the Trust .  For legal services, the 
Trust paid Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP $62,848, $45,149 and $80,405 in fiscal 2018, 2017 and 2016, 
respectively .

(4) Employee benefit plan:

The  Trust  has  established  a  savings  incentive  match  plan  for  employees  (SIMPLE  IRA)  that 
is available to both employees of the Trust, one of whom is the Managing Director .  The Trustees 
authorized the making of contributions by the Trust to the accounts of employees, on a matching 
basis, of up to 3% of cash compensation paid to each such employee for the 2018, 2017 and 2016 
calendar years .

25

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUST(5) Quarterly results (unaudited):

The tables below summarize the quarterly results and distributions of the Trust for the fiscal years 

ended October 31, 2018 and 2017:

Royalties received  .  .  .  .  .  .

First
$1,770,241

Fiscal 2018 by Quarter and Year
Third
$1,900,082

Fourth
$1,474,191

Second
$2,054,020

Year
$7,198,534

Net income   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

$1,495,086

$1,820,337

$1,767,631

$1,324,902

$6,407,955

Net income per unit  .  .  .  .  .

$0 .16

$0 .20

$0 .19

$0 .14

$0 .70

Distributions paid  

or to be paid   .  .  .  .  .  .  .

$1,562,400

$1,746,212

$1,746,212

$1,378,589

$6,433,413

Distributions per unit 
paid or to be paid 
to unit owners   .  .  .  .  .  .

$0 .17

$0 .19

$0 .19

$0 .15

$0 .70

Royalties received  .  .  .  .  .  .

First
$1,724,686

Fiscal 2017 by Quarter and Year
Third
$1,974,441

Fourth
$2,144,268

Second
$1,918,830

Year
$7,762,225

Net income   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

$1,475,017

$1,699,909

$1,840,694

$2,010,828

$7,026,448

Net income per unit  .  .  .  .  .

$0 .16

$0 .18

$0 .20

$0 .22

$0 .76

Distributions paid 

or to be paid   .  .  .  .  .  .  .

$1,378,589

$1,746,212

$1,838,118

$2,021,929

$6,984,848

Distributions per unit 
paid or to be paid 
to unit owners   .  .  .  .  .  .

$0 .15

$0 .19

$0 .20

$0 .22

$0 .76

26

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTDisclosure Controls and Procedures

The Trust maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information 
required to be disclosed by the Trust is recorded, processed, summarized, accumulated and communicated 
to its management, which consists of the Managing Director, to allow timely decisions regarding required 
disclosure, and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s 
rules and forms .  The Managing Director has performed an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design 
and operation of the Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures as of October 31, 2018 .  Based on that 
evaluation, the Managing Director concluded that the Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures were 
effective as of October 31, 2018 .

Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Part A. Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

The Trust’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control 
over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f)) for the Trust .  There 
are inherent limitations in the effectiveness of any internal control, including the possibility of human 
error and the circumvention or overriding of controls .  Accordingly, even effective internal controls 
can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation . Further, because 
of changes in conditions, the effectiveness of internal control may vary over time .  Management has 
evaluated the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting as of October 31, 2018 .  This assessment 
was based on criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting described in the standards 
promulgated by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and in the Internal Control-Integrated 
Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission 
(COSO) .  Based on this evaluation, management concluded that the Trust’s internal control over financial 
reporting was effective as of October 31, 2018 .  Management’s assessment of the effectiveness of our 
internal control over financial reporting as of October 31, 2018 has been audited by Mazars USA LLP, 
the Trust’s independent auditor, as stated in their report which follows .

Part B. Attestation Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Trustees and Unit Owners 
of North European Oil Royalty Trust

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited North European Oil Royalty Trust’s (the “Trust”) internal control over financial 
reporting  as  of  October  31,  2018,  based  on  criteria  established  in  Internal  Control—Integrated 
Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission 
(“COSO”) . In our opinion, the Trust maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over 
financial reporting as of October 31, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated 
Framework (2013) issued by COSO .

27

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTWe  have  also  audited,  in  accordance  with  the  standards  of  the  Public  Company  Accounting 
Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), the statements of assets, liabilities and trust corpus and 
the  related  statements  of  revenue  collected  and  expenses  paid,  undistributed  earnings,  and  changes 
in  cash  and  cash  equivalents  of  the  Trust,  and  our  report  dated  December  28,  2018,  expressed  an 
unqualified opinion thereon .

Basis for Opinion

The  Trust’s  management  is  responsible  for  maintaining  effective  internal  control  over  financial 
reporting  and  for  its  assessment  of  the  effectiveness  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting 
included  in  the  accompanying  Management’s  Report  on  Internal  Control  over  Financial  Reporting .  
Our  responsibility  is  to  express  an  opinion  on  the  Trust’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting 
based on our audit .  We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to 
be independent with respect to the Trust in accordance with the U .S . federal securities laws and the 
applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB .

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB . Those standards require 
that  we  plan  and  perform  the  audit  to  obtain  reasonable  assurance  about  whether  effective  internal 
control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects . Our audit of internal control 
over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, 
assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating 
effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk .   Our audit also included performing such 
other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances .  We believe that our audit provides 
a reasonable basis for our opinion .

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A  trust’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  is  a  process  designed  to  provide  reasonable 
assurance  regarding  the  reliability  of  financial  reporting  and  the  preparation  of  financial  statements 
for external purposes in accordance with the modified cash basis of accounting described in Note 1, 
which is a comprehensive basis other than accounting principles generally accepted in the United States 
of America .  A trust’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures 
that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the 
transactions and dispositions of the assets of the trust; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions 
are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with the modified 
cash  basis  of  accounting,  and  that  receipts  and  expenditures  of  the  trust  are  being  made  only  in 
accordance with authorizations of management and trustees of the trust; and (3) provide reasonable 
assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of 
the trust’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements .

Because  of  its  inherent  limitations,  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  may  not  prevent  or 
detect misstatements . Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject 
to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of 
compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate .

Mazars USA LLP 
New York, NY 
December 28, 2018

28

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTNorth European Oil Royalty Trust 
P .O . Box 456 
Red Bank, New Jersey 07701 
(732) 741-4008

E
R
E
H
T
U
O
R
A
E
T

IMPORTANT – 2018 TAX LETTER 
RETAIN THIS LETTER FOR PREPARATION OF YOUR  
2018 INCOME TAX RETURNS

January 2, 2019

To the Current and Former Unit Owners of 
North European Oil Royalty Trust:

There are three parts to the tax letter .  PART ONE applies to all unit owners .  PART TWO applies 
to unit owners who have held their units for the entire year .  PART THREE applies to unit owners who 
have held their units for only a portion of the year .

The following is provided to assist current and former unit owners of North European Oil Royalty 
Trust (the “Trust”) to prepare their personal income tax returns for the tax year ended December 31, 
2018 .  This letter serves to assist Owners, and their tax professionals, in determining the accurate and 
true income from the Trust for income tax reporting purpose .  Further, this letter is for informational 
purposes and neither the Trust nor Trust employees intend, nor may it be construed, for this letter to 
serve  as  either  legal  or  tax  advice .    It  is  recommended  that  you  seek  the  advice  of  your  trusted  tax 
professional or attorney should you require further guidance .   

PART ONE – ALL UNIT OWNERS

To  determine  your  proportional  and,  therefore,  reportable,  share  of  Trust  income  you  must  first 
know how many Trust units you owned during 2018, the periods during which you owned the units, 
and the cost or tax basis of the units .  The information contained in this letter is applicable to those unit 
owners who held their units for either the entire year or only a portion of the year .  Please note that Trust 
distributions are not dividends and should not be included on your income tax return as dividend income .

The Trust is considered a “grantor trust” for federal income tax purposes and each unit owner is 
deemed a “grantor” of the Trust . As such, unit owners realize income, in proportion to the owned units, 
when royalty income is paid to the Trust .  Further, unit owners may deduct, from income, a proportional 
share  of  Trust  expenses .    Because  realization  of  proportional  Trust  income  and  expenses  is  a  time 
sensitive inquiry, you should not use the amount of quarterly Trust distributions received for income tax 
reporting purposes . Additionally, you should disregard the amounts listed on any 2018 Form 1099-Misc 
you receive from your broker or other nominee . The listed amounts are incomplete because they do not 
include your proportional share of Trust expenses and/or the cost depletion allowance .

Income and expenses should be reported on Federal Income Tax Form 1040, Schedule E .  Royalty 
income is generally considered portfolio income under the passive loss rules enacted by the Tax Reform 
Act of 1986 .  Under Part I, Income or Loss from Rental Real Estate and Royalties, on Line 1a enter 
property description as “oil and gas overriding royalty rights, Germany through North European Oil 
Royalty Trust .”

The  type  of  property  is  royalties .    On  Federal  Income  Tax  Form  1040,  Schedule  E,  royalty 
income  should  be  entered  on  Line  4  and  expenses  should  be  entered  on  Line  19  as  “miscellaneous 
Trust expenses .”  Some tax preparation computer programs ask for a tax identification number .  North 
European Oil Royalty Trust’s tax identification number is 22-2084119 .  

29

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUST 
 
A unit owner may be entitled to cost depletion for tax reporting purposes .  At the outset, in the 
first year of ownership, the unit owner’s cost or tax basis for the units is the basis for computing cost 
depletion .  In each subsequent year, the basis for computing cost depletion is that original cost less the 
cumulative amount of depletion previously taken .  

The  Trust  retains  Graves  &  Co .  Consulting,  LLC,  of  Houston,  Texas,  a  petroleum  engineering 
company,  to  calculate  the  cost  depletion  percentage  each  year .    The  cost  depletion  percentage  is 
calculated  based  upon  computations  of  proved  producing  reserves  estimated  in  accordance  with 
accepted  engineering  analytical  principles .    Graves  &  Co .  Consulting,  LLC  has  recommended  an 
annual cost depletion percentage of 11 .4193% for the 2018 calendar year .  

The  IRS  periodically  changes  the  format  for  Schedule  E  (including  the  line  numbers  and 
descriptions), and may do so even after the date of this letter, so please make certain you follow the 
Form 1040 Schedule E directions carefully and enter the information on the correct lines .  

The Trust’s  royalty  income  represents  income  from  Germany .   Although  Germany  does  not  tax 
the royalty income received by the Trust, this information should be considered if you have available 
foreign tax credits from other sources .  

The Trust will submit this letter and the listing of unit owners during 2018 to the Internal Revenue 
Service .  This list will contain names, addresses and tax ID or Social Security Numbers .  You may wish 
to attach a copy of this letter to your tax returns .

This letter does not constitute legal or tax advice. Neither the Trust nor its employees may 
offer tax or legal advice relevant to your unique situation. The Trust recommends that you direct 
any questions to your tax advisor or attorney.   

PART TWO – OWNERSHIP OF UNITS FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR

A. If you owned all your units for the entire year, you would calculate your royalty income 
by multiplying the number of units you owned by $0.7864.  On Federal Income Tax Form 1040, 
Schedule E, royalty income should be entered on Line 4 .

B.  If  you  owned  all  your  units  for  the  entire  year,  you  would  calculate  your  expenses  by 
multiplying  the  number  of  units  you  owned  by  $0.0824.    On  Federal  Income  Tax  Form  1040, 
Schedule E, expenses should be entered on Line 19 as “miscellaneous Trust expenses .”

C. If you owned all your units for the entire year, you would calculate your cost depletion 
deduction by multiplying your cost basis or adjusted cost basis by .114193.  On the Federal Income 
Tax Form 1040, Schedule E, your cost depletion deduction should be entered on Line 18 .  

PART THREE – OWNERSHIP OF UNITS FOR A PARTIAL YEAR

If you owned your units for only a portion of the year, you should use the charts and instructions on 
the following pages to determine your royalty income, royalty expenses and cost depletion deduction .  

30

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTNORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUST

ROYALTY INCOME PER UNIT FOR THE 2018 TAX YEAR

January
$0 .0770

February
$0 .1487
$0 .0717

March
$0 .2196
$0 .1426
$0 .0709

April
$0 .3005
$0 .2235
$0 .1518
$0 .0809

First month during  
which units 
were owned:

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Last month during which units were owned:
May
$0 .3703
$0 .2933
$0 .2216
$0 .1507
$0 .0698

June
$0 .4387
$0 .3614
$0 .2897
$0 .2188
$0 .1379
$0 .0681

July
$0 .5072
$0 .4302
$0 .3585
$0 .2876
$0 .2067
$0 .1369
$0 .0688

August
$0 .5082
$0 .4312
$0 .3595
$0 .2886
$0 .2077
$0 .1379
$0 .0698
$0 .0010

September
$0 .5617
$0 .4847
$0 .4130
$0 .3421
$0 .2612
$0 .1914
$0 .1233
$0 .0545
$0 .0535

October
$0 .6676
$0 .5906
$0 .5189
$0 .4480
$0 .3671
$0 .2973
$0 .2292
$0 .1604
$0 .1594
$0 .1059

November December
$0 .7864
$0 .7269
$0 .7094
$0 .6499
$0 .6377
$0 .5782
$0 .5668
$0 .5073
$0 .4859
$0 .4264
$0 .4161
$0 .3566
$0 .3480
$0 .2885
$0 .2792
$0 .2197
$0 .2782
$0 .2187
$0 .2247
$0 .1652
$0 .1188
$0 .0593
$0 .0595

A .  To determine your royalty income per unit for your period of ownership, place your finger on the chart above on the first month in the left 
hand column during which you owned your units and slide your finger to the right until you reach the column showing the last month during 
which you owned your units .  This figure should be multiplied by the number of units you owned during that period to calculate your royalty 
income . On Federal Income Tax Form 1040, Schedule E, royalty income should be entered on Line 4 . 

ROYALTY EXPENSES PER UNIT FOR THE 2018 TAX YEAR

January
$0 .0081

February
$0 .0228
$0 .0147

March
$0 .0279
$0 .0198
$0 .0051

April
$0 .0335
$0 .0254
$0 .0107
$0 .0056

First month during 
which units 
were owned:

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Last month during which units were owned:
May
$0 .0404
$0 .0323
$0 .0176
$0 .0125
$0 .0069

June
$0 .0436
$0 .0355
$0 .0208
$0 .0157
$0 .0101
$0 .0032

July
$0 .0479
$0 .0398
$0 .0251
$0 .0200
$0 .0144
$0 .0075
$0 .0043

August
$0 .0539
$0 .0458
$0 .0311
$0 .0260
$0 .0204
$0 .0135
$0 .0103
$0 .0060

September
$0 .0583
$0 .0502
$0 .0355
$0 .0304
$0 .0248
$0 .0179
$0 .0147
$0 .0104
$0 .0044

October
$0 .0642
$0 .0561
$0 .0414
$0 .0363
$0 .0307
$0 .0238
$0 .0206
$0 .0163
$0 .0103
$0 .0059

November December
$0 .0824
$0 .0707
$0 .0743
$0 .0626
$0 .0596
$0 .0479
$0 .0545
$0 .0428
$0 .0489
$0 .0372
$0 .0420
$0 .0303
$0 .0388
$0 .0271
$0 .0345
$0 .0228
$0 .0285
$0 .0168
$0 .0241
$0 .0124
$0 .0182
$0 .0065
$0 .0117

B .  To determine your royalty expenses per unit for your period of ownership, place your finger on the chart above on the first month in the 
left  hand column during which you owned your units and slide your finger to the right until you reach the column showing the last month 
during which you owned your units .  This figure should be multiplied by the number of units you owned during that period to calculate your 
expenses .  On Federal Income Tax Form 1040, Schedule E, expenses should be entered on Line 19 as “miscellaneous Trust expenses .”

3
1

C .  If you owned your units for only a portion of the year you must prorate the depletion percentage 
to reflect your period of ownership .  In the same way that you calculated your royalty income per 
unit, place your finger on the Royalty Income per Unit Chart on the first month in the left-hand 
column during which you owned your units and slide your finger to the right until you reach the 
column showing the last month during which you owned your units .  This figure should be divided 
by  $0 .7864 .    The  resulting  figure  is  then  multiplied  by   .114193  to  yield  the  prorated  depletion 
percentage .   Multiply this prorated depletion percentage by your cost basis or adjusted cost basis 
to calculate your cost depletion deduction .  Your cost depletion deduction should be entered on 
Line 18 on the Federal Income Tax Form 1040, Schedule E .  

This letter does not constitute legal or tax advice. Neither the Trust nor its employees may 
offer tax or legal advice relevant to your unique situation. If you dispose of some or all of your 
Trust units, you should consult your tax advisor as to the tax consequence of that disposition.  The 
Trust recommends that you direct any questions to your tax advisor or attorney.  

Most sincerely yours,

John R . Van Kirk
Managing Director

32

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUSTManaging Director 
John R . Van Kirk

Office of the 
Managing Director 
PO Box 456 
43 West Front Street  
Suite 19A 
Red Bank, N .J . 07701 
Tel: (732) 741-4008 
Fax: (732) 741-3140 
E-Mail: neort@neort .com  
Website: www .neort .com

Petroleum and Natural 
Gas Consultants 
Graves and Co . 
Consulting, LLC 
2777 Allen Parkway 
Suite 1200 
Houston, Texas 77019

Counsel 
Cahill Gordon & Reindel 
80 Pine Street 
New York, N .Y . 10005

Auditors 
Mazars USA LLP 
135 West 50th Street 
New York, N .Y . 10020

Transfer Agent 
American Stock Transfer & 
Trust Company, LLC 
6201 15th Avenue 
Brooklyn, NY 11219 
Tel: (800) 937-5449 

   (718) 921-8200 ext . 4801 
E-Mail: help@astfinancial .com 
Website: www .astfinancial .com

Trustees 
Robert P . Adelman 
Managing Trustee, 
Director or Trustee 
of various 
profit and non-profit 
companies

Ahron H . Haspel 
Audit Comm . Chairman 
Member of the Board 
of Directors of 
Hanover Bank Corp .

Lawrence A . Kobrin 
Clerk to the Trustees, 
Senior Counsel, 
Cahill Gordon & 
Reindel LLP

Nancy J .F . Prue 
A Director of the 
National Assoc . of 
Petroleum Investment 
Analysts

Willard B . Taylor 
of Counsel, Sullivan 
and Cromwell LLP

A copy of the Trust’s Form 10-K Annual Report for fiscal 2018 as filed with the Securities 
and Exchange Commission will be sent upon written request to John R . Van Kirk, Managing 
Director,  P .O .  Box  456,  Red  Bank,  New  Jersey  07701 .  In  addition  to  the  2018  10-K,  other 
pertinent filings and documents are available at the Trust’s website, www .neort .com

NORTH EUROPEAN OIL ROYALTY TRUST