Tidewater - 10-Q quarterly report FY2019 Q1

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2019

For the transition period from             to             .

Commission file number: 1-6311

Tidewater Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

6002 Rogerdale Road, Suite 600

Houston, Texas 77072

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:     (713) 470-5300

Not Applicable

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

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  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

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

37,514,259 shares of Tidewater Inc. common stock $0.001 par value per share were outstanding on April 26, 2019. 

PART I.  FINANCIAL INFORMATION

TIDEWATER INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

(In thousands, except share and par value data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.

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TIDEWATER INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

(In thousands, except per share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.

3

TIDEWATER INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.

4

TIDEWATER INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.

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TIDEWATER INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EQUITY

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial statements.

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The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the interim periods presented herein have been prepared in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles and, in the opinion of management, include all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements at the dates and for the periods indicated as required by Rule 10-01 of Regulation S‑X of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results of operations for the respective full years. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on February 28, 2019.

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Tidewater Inc. and its subsidiaries. Intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. We use the equity method to account for equity investments over which we exercise significant influence but do not exercise control and are not the primary beneficiary. Unless otherwise specified, all per share information included in this document is on a diluted earnings per share basis.

On November 15, 2018 (the Merger Date), we completed our business combination with GulfMark Offshore, Inc. (GulfMark) pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of the Merger dated July 15, 2018. GulfMark’s balances and results are included in our consolidated financial statements and disclosures beginning on the Merger Date.  Therefore, our balances and results for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 include GulfMark’s operations while our balances and results for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 do not include GulfMark’s operations.

We adopted Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-02 - Leases (Topic 842), as amended, as of January 1, 2019.  We adopted this guidance retrospectively at the beginning of the period of adoption through a cumulative-effect adjustment. We applied the practical expedient available in this guidance, which allows us not to restate prior year balances.  Adoption of the new standard resulted in the recording of right of use assets and lease liabilities as of January 1, 2019 of approximately $5.0 million and $5.4 million, respectively. The adoption of the new standard did not result in an adjustment to retained earnings. The standard did not impact our consolidated net earnings and had no impact on cash flows. We elected not to reassess: (i) whether any expired or existing contracts contain leases; (ii) the lease classification for any expired or existing lease and (iii) initial direct costs for existing leases. Refer to Note (4) for further details.

As a lessor our recognition of vessel and other operating revenues remains consistent with previous guidance under Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASC 606).   In July 2018, the FASB issued guidance codified in Accounting Standards Update 2018-11, Leases – Targeted Improvements (ASU 2018-11).  ASU 2018-11 provides a practical expedient, which allows lessors to combine the lease component with the related non-lease component if both the timing and pattern of transfer are the same for the lease and non-lease component and if the lease component would be classified as an operating lease.  The single combined component is accounted for under the leasing standard if the lease component is the predominant component and is accounted for under ASC 606 if the non-lease component is the predominant component. We elected this practical expedient to combine our lease and non-lease components for all classes of underlying assets and expect to account for the combined component under ASC 606 for revenue contracts qualifying for this practical expedient because we have concluded that the non-lease component is the predominant component in our current revenue contracts. The lease components are the vessels leased to our customers. The non-lease components consist of the services provided by the crews manning the vessels. These initial conclusions will continue to be assessed on an ongoing basis for future revenue contracts with customers.

Refer to Note (13) for the amount of revenue by segment and in total for the worldwide fleet.

Contract Balances

At March 31, 2019, we had $2.1 million of deferred mobilization costs included within other current assets and $0.3 million of deferred mobilization revenue included within other current liabilities.

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The table below summarizes the revenue expected to be recognized in future quarters related to unsatisfied performance obligations as of March 31, 2019:

We have operating leases primarily for office space, temporary residences, automobiles and office equipment. Contracts containing assets that we benefit from and control are recognized on our balance sheet. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet. We recognize lease expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term. We combine the lease and non-lease components for all of our lease agreements.

Certain leases include one or more options to renew, with renewal terms that can extend the lease term from one to ten years.  The exercise of lease renewal options is at our sole discretion, and lease renewal options are not included in our lease terms if they are not reasonably certain to be exercised. Our lease agreements do not contain any residual value guarantees or restrictive covenants or options to purchase the leased property.

As most of our leases do not provide an implicit interest rate, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. We used the incremental borrowing rate on January 1, 2019 for operating leases that began prior to that date.

Our variable lease payments consist primarily of shared operating costs recognized over the term of the lease.

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The cash paid for operating leases included in operating cash flows and in the measurement of lease liabilities for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $0.3 million.  Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease obligations were $0.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019.

Lease expense for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was $1.1 million comprised primarily of office and other leases.  Future minimum rental commitments under these leases as of December 31, 2018 are as follows:

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

The changes in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) by component, net of tax for the quarters ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 are as follows:

The following table summarizes the reclassifications from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) to the condensed consolidated statement of operations for the quarters ended March 31, 2019 and 2018:

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Dilutive Equity Instruments

We had 4,327,358 and 6,255,686 incremental "in-the-money" warrants and restricted stock awards and units at March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Basic weighted average shares outstanding includes 0 and 108,044 shares issuable upon the exercise of New Creditor Warrants held by U.S. citizens at March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Common shares and new creditor warrants and the sum of common shares and New Creditor Warrants outstanding at March 31, 2019 and 2018 were 37,381,954, 4,117,258, 41,499,212 and  23,988,075, 6,021,696, 30,009,771, respectively.

For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, we also had 5,923,399 and 5,062,089 shares of “out-of- the-money” warrants outstanding at the end of each period, respectively.

We use a discrete effective tax rate method to calculate taxes for interim periods instead of applying the annual effective tax rate to an estimate of the full fiscal year due to the level of volatility and unpredictability of earnings in our industry, both overall and by jurisdiction.

Income tax expense for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, reflects tax liabilities in various jurisdictions that are either based on revenue (deemed profit regimes) or pre-tax profits.

The tax liabilities for uncertain tax positions are primarily attributable to permanent establishment issues related to a foreign joint venture, subpart F income inclusions and withholding taxes on foreign services. Penalties and interest related to income tax liabilities are included in income tax expense. Income tax payable is included in other current liabilities.

As of December 31, 2018, our balance sheet reflected approximately $104.9 million of net deferred tax assets with a valuation allowance of $106.4 million. As of March 31, 2019, we had net deferred tax assets of approximately $109.1 million prior to a valuation allowance analysis.  

Management assesses all available positive and negative evidence to estimate the company’s ability to generate sufficient future taxable income of the appropriate character, and in the appropriate taxing jurisdictions, to permit use of existing deferred tax assets. A significant piece of objective negative evidence is a cumulative loss incurred over a three-year period in a taxing jurisdiction. Prevailing accounting practice is that such objective evidence would limit the ability to consider other subjective evidence, such as projections for future growth.

On the basis of this evaluation, a valuation allowance of $110.7 million has been recorded against net deferred tax assets which are more likely than not to be unrealized.  The amount of deferred tax assets considered realizable could be adjusted if future estimates of U.S. taxable income change, or if objective negative evidence in the form of cumulative losses is no longer present and subjective evidence, such as financial projections for future growth and tax planning strategies, are given additional weight.

With limited exceptions, we are no longer subject to tax audits by U.S. federal, state, local or foreign taxing authorities for years prior to 2013. We are subject to ongoing examinations by various foreign tax authorities and do not believe that the results of these examinations will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

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We maintained the following balances with our unconsolidated affiliates as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018:

Amounts due from Sonatide

Amounts due from Sonatide represent cash received by Sonatide from customers and due to us, amounts due from customers that are expected to be remitted to us by Sonatide and costs incurred by us on behalf of Sonatide.

The obligation to us from Sonatide is denominated in U.S. dollars; however, the underlying third-party customer payments to Sonatide were satisfied, in part, in Angolan kwanzas. We and Sonangol, our partner in Sonatide, have had discussions regarding how the net losses from the devaluation of certain Angolan kwanza denominated accounts should be shared

After offsetting the amounts due to Sonatide, the net amount due from Sonatide was approximately $63 million. Sonatide had approximately $50 million of cash on hand (approximately $20 million denominated in Angolan kwanzas) at March 31, 2019 plus approximately $14 million of net trade accounts receivable to satisfy the net due from Sonatide. Given prior discussions with our partner regarding how the net losses from the devaluation of certain Angolan kwanza denominated accounts should be shared, we continue to evaluate our net due from Sonatide balance for potential impairment based on available liquidity held by Sonatide.

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Amounts due to Sonatide

Amounts due to Sonatide represent commissions payable and other costs paid by Sonatide on behalf of us.

Sonatide Operations

Sonatide’s principal earnings are from the commissions paid by us to the joint venture for company vessels chartered in Angola. In addition, Sonatide owns three vessels (one of which is currently stacked) that may generate operating income and cash flow.

Company operations in Angola

For the three months ended March 31, 2019, our Angolan operations generated vessel revenues of approximately $15 million, or 13%, of our consolidated vessel revenue, from an average of approximately 35 company-owned vessels that are marketed through the Sonatide joint venture (14 of which were stacked on average during the three months ended March 31, 2019). For the three months ended March 31, 2018, our Angolan operations generated vessel revenues of approximately $14 million, or 16%, of our consolidated vessel revenue, from an average of approximately 40 company-owned vessels that are marketed through the Sonatide joint venture (18 of which were stacked on average during the three months ended March 31, 2018).

U.S. Defined Benefit Pension Plan

We have a defined benefit pension plan (pension plan) that covers certain U.S. citizen employees and other employees who are permanent residents of the United States. Benefits are based on years of service and employee compensation. The Board of Directors amended the pension plan to discontinue the accrual of benefits once the plan was frozen on December 31, 2010. We did not contribute to the pension plan during the quarters ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, and are not required to contribute to the pension plan during the remaining quarters of calendar year 2019; however, we may, at our discretion, make contributions to the plan in order to manage our plan expenses.

Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan

We also support a non-contributory, defined benefit supplemental executive retirement plan (supplemental plan) that provided pension benefits to certain employees in excess of those allowed under our tax-qualified pension plan. Effective March 4, 2010, the supplemental plan was closed to new participants. The supplemental plan is a non-qualified plan and, as such, we are not required to make contributions to the supplemental plan. We contributed an immaterial amount to the supplemental plan during the quarters ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, and do not expect contributions  to the supplemental plan to be material during the remaining quarters of 2019. Our obligations under the supplemental plan were $20.5 million and $21.4 million as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively and are included in “accrued costs and expenses” and “other liabilities” on the consolidated balance sheet.

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Other Defined Benefit Pension Plans

We also have defined benefit pension plans that covers certain Norwegian citizen employees and other employees who are permanent residents of Norway. Benefits are based on years of service and employee compensation. We did not contribute to the Norwegian defined benefit pension plans during the quarters ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively and we do not expect to make any contributions during the remainder of calendar year 2019.

Net Periodic Benefit Costs

The net periodic benefit cost for our defined benefit pension plans and supplemental plan (referred to collectively as “Pension Benefits”) is comprised of the following components:

(9)DEBT

The following is a summary of all debt outstanding at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018:

We may from time to time seek to retire or purchase our outstanding debt through cash purchases and/or exchanges for equity securities, in open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. Such repurchases or exchanges, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, our liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors. The amounts involved may be material.

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Currency Devaluation and Fluctuation Risk

Due to our international operations, we are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations and exchange rate risks on all charter hire contracts denominated in foreign currencies. For some of our international contracts, a portion of the revenue and local expenses are incurred in local currencies with the result that we are at risk for changes in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies. We generally do not hedge against any foreign currency rate fluctuations associated with foreign currency contracts that arise in the normal course of business, which exposes us to the risk of exchange rate losses. To minimize the financial impact of these items, we attempt to contract a significant majority of our services in U.S. dollars. In addition, we attempt to minimize the financial impact of these risks by matching the currency of our operating costs with the currency of our revenue streams when considered appropriate. We continually monitor the currency exchange risks associated with all contracts not denominated in U.S. dollars.  

Arbitral Award for the Taking of Our Venezuelan Operations

Committees formed under the rules of the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) have awarded two of our subsidiaries compensation for the expropriation of the investments of the two subsidiaries by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The nature of the investments expropriated and the progress of the ICSID proceeding were previously reported by us in prior filings.  The final aggregate award is $58.7 million as of March 31, 2019 and accrues interest at approximately $0.6 million per quarter. The committees’ decisions are not subject to any further ICSID review, appeal or other substantive proceeding or any stay of enforcement.

We are committed to taking appropriate steps to enforce and collect the award, which is enforceable in any of the 150 member states that are party to the ICSID Convention.  As initial steps, we have had the award recognized and entered as a judgment by each of (a) the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and (b) the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. In April 2019, we had the District of Columbia judgment entered in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. Even with the recognition by the courts in the United States and the United Kingdom, we recognize that collection of the award presents significant practical challenges. We are accounting for this matter as a gain contingency, and will record any such gain in future periods if and when the contingency is resolved, in accordance with ASC 450 Contingencies.

Legal Proceedings

Various legal proceedings and claims are outstanding which arose in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, the amount of ultimate liability, if any, with respect to these actions, will not have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

Other Financial Instruments

Our primary financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, trade receivables and trade payables with book values that are considered to be representative of their respective fair values. We periodically utilize derivative financial instruments to hedge against foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities, currency commitments, or to lock in desired interest rates. These transactions are generally spot or forward currency contracts or interest rate swaps that are entered into with major financial institutions. Derivative financial instruments are intended to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk and interest rate risk. We enter into derivative instruments only to the extent considered necessary to address our risk management objectives and do not use derivative contracts for speculative purposes. The derivative instruments are recorded at fair value using quoted prices and quotes obtainable from the counterparties to the derivative instruments.

Cash Equivalents.  Our cash equivalents, which are securities with maturities less than 90 days, are held in money market funds, commercial paper or time deposit accounts with highly rated financial institutions. The carrying value for cash equivalents is considered to be representative of its fair value due to the short duration and conservative nature of the cash equivalent investment portfolio. As of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, we had $346.6 and $327.5 million of cash equivalents.

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Spot Derivatives. Spot derivative financial instruments are short-term in nature and generally settle within two business days. The fair value of spot derivatives approximates the carrying value due to the short-term nature of this instrument, and as a result, no gains or losses are recognized.

For disclosures related to assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis refer to Note (14).

A summary of other current assets at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is as follows:

A summary of properties and equipment at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is as follows:

A summary of other assets at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is as follows:

A summary of accrued cost and expenses at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is as follows:

respectively. These amounts are included in amounts due to affiliate.

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A summary of other current liabilities at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is as follows:

A summary of other liabilities at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 is as follows:

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The following table provides a comparison of segment revenues, vessel operating profit (loss), depreciation and amortization, and additions to properties and equipment for the quarters ended March 31, 2019 and 2018. Vessel revenues and operating costs relate to vessels owned and operated by us while other operating revenues relate to brokered vessels and other miscellaneous marine-related businesses.

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The following table provides a comparison of total assets at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018:

The below table summarizes impairments during the quarters ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, along with the amount of impairment.

As of March 31, 2019, we performed an evaluation to determine whether conditions existed that would indicate potential impairment in the value of our assets. Our evaluation did not indicate any indicators of impairment that would require us to perform additional analyses and, consequently, we have recorded no impairment charges in the three months ended March 31, 2019.

(15)RESTRUCTURING CHARGES

In the fourth quarter of 2018, we finalized plans to abandon duplicate office facilities in St. Rose and New Orleans, Louisiana, Houston, Texas and Aberdeen, Scotland.  These closures resulted in a fourth quarter 2018 $5.5 million lease exit charge and a $1.8 million severance charge for employees at these duplicate locations.

Activity for the lease exit and severance liabilities for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was as follows:

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT

In accordance with the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the information incorporated herein by reference contain certain forward-looking statements which reflect our current view with respect to future events and future financial performance. Forward-looking statements are all statements other than statements of historical fact. All such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and our future results of operations could differ materially from its historical results or current expectations reflected by such forward-looking statements. Some of these risks are discussed in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q including in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and include, without limitation, the risk that the cost savings and any other synergies from the business combination with GulfMark Offshore, Inc. (the “business combination”) may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; disruptions from the business combination making it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees or suppliers; the possibility of litigation related to the business combination; the diversion of management’s time from day-to-day operations due to the business combination; incurrence of substantial transaction-related costs associated with the business combination; the possibility of unanticipated costs being incurred to effectuate the integration; new accounting policies and our consolidation activities; fluctuations in worldwide energy demand and oil and natural gas prices, and continuing depressed levels of oil and natural gas prices without a clear indication of if, or when, prices will recover to a level to support renewed offshore exploration activities; fleet additions by competitors and industry overcapacity; our limited capital resources available to replenish our asset base, including through acquisitions or vessel construction, and to fund our capital expenditure needs; uncertainty of global financial market conditions and potential constraints in accessing capital or credit if and when needed with favorable terms, if at all; changes in decisions and capital spending by customers in the energy industry and the industry expectations for offshore exploration, field development and production; consolidation of our customer base; loss of a major customer; changing customer demands for vessel specifications, which may make some of our older vessels technologically obsolete for certain customer projects or in certain markets; rapid technological changes; delays and other problems associated with vessel construction and maintenance; the continued availability of qualified personnel and our ability to attract and retain them; the operating risks normally incident to our lines of business, including the potential impact of liquidated counterparties; our ability to comply with covenants in our indentures and other debt instruments; acts of terrorism and piracy; the impact of potential information technology, cybersecurity or data security breaches; integration of acquired businesses and entry into new lines of business; disagreements with our joint venture partners; significant weather conditions; unsettled political conditions, war, civil unrest and governmental actions, such as expropriation or enforcement of customs or other laws that are not well developed or consistently enforced; the risks associated with our international operations, including local content, local currency or similar requirements especially in higher political risk countries where we operate; interest rate and foreign currency fluctuations; labor changes proposed by international conventions; increased regulatory burdens and oversight; changes in laws governing the taxation of foreign source income; retention of skilled workers; enforcement of laws related to the environment, labor and foreign corrupt practices; the effects of asserted and unasserted claims and the extent of available insurance coverage; and the resolution of pending legal proceedings.

Forward-looking statements, which can generally be identified by the use of such terminology as “may,” “can,” “potential,” “expect,” “project,” “target,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “believe,” “think,” “could,” “continue,” “intend,” “seek,” “plan,” and similar expressions contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, are not guarantees or assurances of future performance or events. Any forward-looking statements are based on our assessment of current industry, financial and economic information, which by its nature is dynamic and subject to rapid and possibly abrupt changes, which we may or may not be able to control.  Further, we may make changes to our business plans that could or will affect our results. While management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable when made, there can be no assurance that future developments that affect us will be those that we anticipate and have identified. The forward-looking statements should be considered in the context of the risk factors listed above and discussed in Item 1A included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on February 28, 2019, as updated by subsequent filings with the SEC. Investors and prospective investors are cautioned not to rely unduly on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Management disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect new information, future events or developments.

In certain places in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, we may refer to reports published by third parties that purport to describe trends or developments in energy production and drilling and exploration activity and we specifically disclaim any responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of such information and have undertaken no steps to update independently verify such information.

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The following information contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in Part 1, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and related disclosures and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on February 28, 2019.

About Tidewater

Our vessels and associated vessel services provide support for all phases of offshore oil and natural gas exploration, field development and production. These services include towing of, and anchor handling for, mobile offshore drilling units; transporting supplies and personnel necessary to sustain drilling, workover and production activities; offshore construction and seismic and subsea support; and a variety of specialized services such as pipe and cable laying. In addition, we have one of the broadest geographic operating footprints in the offshore vessel industry. Our global operating footprint allows us to react quickly to changing local market conditions and to be responsive to the changing requirements of the many customers with which we believe we have strong relationships. We are also one of the most experienced international operators in the offshore energy industry with over 60 years of international experience.

On July 31, 2017, we successfully emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and adopted fresh-start accounting. Refer to Notes (4) and (5) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 for further details on our Chapter 11 bankruptcy and emergence and the adoption of fresh-start accounting.

At March 31, 2019, we owned or chartered 241 vessels with an average age of 10.4 years (excluding four joint venture vessels, but including 71 stacked vessels) available to serve the global energy industry. The average age of our 170 active vessels at March 31, 2018 is 9.6 years.

On November 15, 2018 (the “Merger Date”), we completed our merger with GulfMark Offshore, Inc. (“GulfMark”) pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of the Merger dated July 15, 2018. GulfMark’s balances and results are included in our consolidated financial statements and disclosures beginning on the Merger Date.  Therefore, our balances and results for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 include GulfMark’s operations while our balances and results for the quarter ended March 31, 2018 do not include GulfMark’s operations.

Principal Factors That Drive Our Results

Our revenues, net earnings and cash flows from operations are largely dependent upon the activity level of our offshore marine vessel fleet. As is the case with the numerous other vessel operators in our industry, our business activity is largely dependent on the level of exploration, field development and production activity of our customers. Our customers’ business activity, in turn, is dependent on current and expected crude oil and natural gas prices, which fluctuate depending on expected future levels of supply and demand for crude oil and natural gas, and on estimates of the cost to find, develop and produce crude oil and natural gas reserves.

Our revenues in all segments are driven primarily by our fleet size, vessel utilization and day rates. Because a sizeable portion of our operating and depreciation costs do not change proportionally with changes in revenue, our operating profit is largely dependent on revenue levels.

Operating costs consist primarily of crew costs, repair and maintenance costs, insurance costs and loss reserves, fuel, lube oil and supplies costs and other vessel operating costs. Fleet size, fleet composition, geographic areas of operation, supply and demand for marine personnel, and local labor requirements are the major factors which affect overall crew costs in all segments. In addition, our newer, more technologically sophisticated vessels generally require a greater number of specially trained, more highly compensated fleet personnel than our older, smaller and less sophisticated vessels. Crew costs may increase if competition for skilled personnel intensifies, though a weaker offshore energy market should somewhat mitigate any potential inflation of crew costs.

Costs related to the recertification of vessels are deferred and amortized over 30 months on a straight-line basis. Maintenance costs incurred at the time of the recertification drydocking that are not related to the recertification of the vessel are expensed as incurred. Costs related to vessel improvements that either extend the vessel’s useful life or increase the vessel’s functionality are capitalized and depreciated.

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Insurance and loss reserves costs are dependent on a variety of factors, including our safety record and pricing in the insurance markets, and can fluctuate over time. Our vessels are generally insured for up to their estimated fair market value in order to cover damage or loss resulting from marine casualties, adverse weather conditions, mechanical failure, collisions, and property losses to the vessel. We also purchase coverage for potential liabilities stemming from third-party losses with limits that we believe are reasonable for our operations, but do not generally purchase business interruption insurance or similar coverage. Insurance limits are reviewed annually, and third-party coverage is purchased based on the expected scope of ongoing operations and the cost of third-party coverage.

Fuel and lube costs can also fluctuate in any given period depending on the number and distance of vessel mobilizations, the number of active vessels off charter, drydockings, and changes in fuel prices. We also incur vessel operating costs that are aggregated as “other” vessel operating costs. These costs consist of brokers’ commissions, including commissions paid to unconsolidated joint venture companies, training costs, satellite communication fees, agent fees, port fees and other miscellaneous costs. Brokers’ commissions are incurred primarily in our non-United States operations where brokers sometimes assist in obtaining work. Brokers generally are paid a percentage of day rates and, accordingly, commissions paid to brokers generally fluctuate in accordance with vessel revenue.

Sonatide Joint Venture

We previously disclosed the significant financial and operational challenges that we confront with respect to operations in Angola, as well as steps that we have taken to address or mitigate those risks. Most of our attention has been focused in three areas: (i) reducing the net receivable balance due from Sonatide, our Angolan joint venture with Sonangol, for vessel services; (ii) reducing the foreign currency risk created by virtue of provisions of Angolan law that require that payment for a  portion of the services provided by Sonatide be paid in Angolan kwanza; and (iii) optimizing opportunities, consistent with Angolan law, for services provided by us to be paid for directly in U.S. dollars.

Refer to Note (7) of Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for further details on the Sonatide joint venture.

Industry Conditions and Outlook

Our business is directly impacted by the level of activity in worldwide offshore oil and natural gas exploration, development and production, which in turn is influenced by trends in oil and natural gas prices. In addition, oil and natural gas prices are affected by a host of geopolitical and economic forces, including the fundamental principles of supply and demand.  In particular, the oil price is significantly influenced by actions of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC.  Beginning in late 2014, the oil and gas industry experienced a significant decline in the price of oil causing an industry-wide downturn that continues into 2019.  Beginning in late 2014, oil prices declined significantly from early year levels of over $100 per barrel. Prices continued to decline throughout 2015 and into 2016, reaching a low of less than $30 per barrel in the first quarter of 2016.  Prices began to recover over the remainder of 2016, increasing to over $50 per barrel by year end.  Prices are subject to significant uncertainty and continue to be volatile, declining again in early 2017, recovering to over $60 per barrel in January 2018 and then declining again to below $50 per barrel by late 2018. In 2019, prices have moved up again to over $60 per barrel for West Texas Intermediate and above $70 per barrel for Brent Crude. The downturn of the last few years coupled with volatility in pricing has significantly impacted the operational plans for exploration and production companies, resulting in reduced expenditures for exploration and production activities, and consequently has adversely affected the drilling and support service industry.  The ongoing and sustained decline in the price of oil that began in 2014 has materially and adversely affected our results of operations. These lower commodity prices have negatively impacted our revenues, earnings and cash flows, and further sustained low oil and natural gas prices could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity.

Deepwater activity is a significant segment of the global offshore crude oil and natural gas markets, and a significant component of our business. Development typically involves significant capital investment and multi-year development plans. Such projects are generally underwritten by the participating exploration, field development and production companies using relatively conservative crude oil and natural gas pricing assumptions. Although these projects are generally less susceptible to short-term fluctuations in the price of crude oil and natural gas, deepwater exploration and development projects can be more costly relative to other onshore and offshore exploration and development. As a result, generally depressed crude oil prices have caused, and may continue to cause, many of our customers and potential customers to reevaluate their future capital expenditures in regards to deepwater projects.

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Results of Operations

Revenues earned for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 and the quarter ended March 31, 2018 were $122.1 million and $91.5 million, respectively. Quarterly revenues have increased as compared to the comparable quarter of the prior year primarily as a result of the business combination with GulfMark. Incremental revenues as a result of this business combination for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 were $25.5 million.

Vessel operating costs for the quarters ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 were $82.2 million and $61.4 million, respectively. Incremental vessel operating costs as a result of the GulfMark business combination for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 were $18.2 million.

Depreciation expense for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 and the quarter ended March 31, 2018 was $22.9 million and $12.0 million, respectively. Depreciation expense was higher in the current quarter because of an $8.1 million increase as a result of the GulfMark business combination and a $3.3 million increase in amortization of deferred drydocking and survey costs.

General and administrative expenses for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 and the quarter ended March 31, 2018 were $27.1 million and $23.6 million, respectively. General and administrative expenses increased during the quarter ended March 31, 2019 as compared to the comparable period of the prior year and included incremental GulfMark general and administrative costs of $3.8 million and severance and similar costs of $3.7 million related to the integration of the two companies which were partially offset by the company’s continuing efforts to further streamline shore based-operations.  

Included in gain on asset dispositions, net for the quarter ended March 31, 2019, are $1.3 million of net gains from the sale of 16 vessels and other assets. During the quarter ended March 31, 2018, we recognized net gains of $1.9 million related to the sale of 20 vessels and other assets.

During the quarter ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, we recognized foreign exchange losses of $0.5 million and $0.3 million, respectively. These foreign exchange losses were primarily the result of the revaluation of our Norwegian kroner-denominated debt to our U.S. dollar reporting currency.

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The following table compares vessel revenues and vessel operating costs (excluding general and administrative expenses, depreciation and amortization expense, gains on asset dispositions, net and asset impairments) by geographic segment for our owned and operated vessel fleet and the related percentage of vessel revenue for the quarters ended March 31, 2019 and 2018: