TIDEWATER INC - Annual Report: 2020 (Form 10-K)

 

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

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FORM 10-K

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☒	ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

☐	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from  to .

 

Commission file number: 1-6311

 

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Tidewater Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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Delaware				72-0487776
(State of incorporation)				(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
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

 

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

 

	Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
	Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share	TDW	New York Stock Exchange
	Preferred stock purchase rights	N/A	New York Stock Exchange
	Series A Warrants to purchase shares of common stock	TDW.WS.A	New York Stock Exchange
	Series B Warrants to purchase shares of common stock	TDW.WS.B	New York Stock Exchange
	Warrants to purchase shares of common stock	TDW.WS	NYSE American

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes ☐  No ☒

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

 

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.

 

Large accelerated filer	☐		Accelerated filer	☒
Non-accelerated filer	☐		Smaller reporting company	☐
Emerging growth company	☐

 

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 has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

 

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

 

As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $224.0 million based on the closing sales price as reported on the New York Stock Exchange of $5.59.

 

 

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Table of Contents

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Section 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  ☐

 

As of February 28, 2021, 40,715,611 shares of the registrant’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share, were outstanding. Registrant has no other class of common stock outstanding.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Portions of the registrant’s proxy statement to be filed in connection with its 2021 annual meeting of stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT

In accordance with the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, this Annual Report on Form 10-K 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 our historical results or current expectations reflected by such forward-looking statements. Some of these risks are discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K including in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and include, without limitation, 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 as needed, 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 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 regional or global public health crises or pandemics; 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; natural disasters or 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 potential liability for remedial actions or assessments under existing or future environmental regulations or litigation; 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 Annual Report on Form 10-K, 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 greater detail elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. 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 Annual Report on Form 10-K, 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 or independently verify such information.

PART I

This section highlights information that is discussed in more detail in the remainder of the document.

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Tidewater Inc., a Delaware corporation that is a listed company on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol “TDW”, provides offshore marine support and transportation services to the global offshore energy industry through the operation of a diversified fleet of marine service vessels. We were incorporated in 1956 and conduct our operations through wholly-owned United States (U.S.) and international subsidiaries, as well as through joint ventures in which Tidewater has either majority or non-controlling interests (generally where required to satisfy local ownership or local content requirements). Unless otherwise required by the context, the terms “we”, “us”, “our” and “the company” as used herein refer to Tidewater Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries and predecessors.

On July 31, 2017, Tidewater successfully emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings and adopted fresh-start accounting. 

About Tidewater

Our vessels and associated vessel services provide support primarily for all phases of offshore oil and natural gas exploration, field development and production as well as windfarm development and maintenance. 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; geotechnical survey support for windfarm construction, 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 principal customers are large, international integrated and independent oil and natural gas exploration, field development and production companies (IOCs); select mid-sized and smaller independent exploration and production (E&P) companies; foreign government-owned or government-controlled organizations and other related companies that explore for, develop and produce oil and natural gas (NOCs); drilling contractors; and other companies that provide various services to the offshore energy industry, including but not limited to, offshore construction companies, windfarm development companies, diving companies and well stimulation companies.

Our active offshore support vessel fleet consists primarily of company owned vessels. As of  December 31, 2020, we owned 149 active vessels of which 35 have been temporarily stacked or withdrawn from service. In addition, we owned 23 vessels that have been designated for sale and have been classified as such on the Balance Sheet. Please refer to Notes (1) and (8) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information regarding our stacked vessels and vessels held for sale.

Our revenues, net earnings and cash flows from operations are largely dependent upon the activity level of our offshore support vessel fleet. Our business activity is largely dependent on offshore exploration, field development and production activity by our customers. Our customers’ business activity, in turn, is dependent on actual 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 (and relative cost) of finding, developing and producing reserves.

Depending on vessel capabilities and availability, our vessels operate in the shallow, intermediate and deepwater offshore markets. Deepwater oil and gas development typically involves significant capital investment and multi-year development plans. 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 are generally more costly than other onshore and offshore exploration and development. As a result, the sustained low levels of crude oil prices over the past few years have caused, and may continue to cause, many E&P companies to restrain their level of capital expenditures in regard to deepwater projects.  Offshore windfarm developments are forecasted to increase over the coming years, and these may provide additional opportunities for a certain cross-section of our larger vessels.  These projects generally require fewer and more specialized vessels.

Revenues are derived primarily from vessel time charter or similar contracts that are generally from three months to several years in duration, and, to a lesser extent, from vessel time charter contracts on a “spot” basis, which is a short-term agreement ranging from one day to three months to provide offshore marine services to a customer for a specific short-term job. The base rate of hire for a term contract is generally a fixed rate, though some charter arrangements allow us to recover specific additional costs.

COVID-19 Pandemic

In early 2020, it became evident that a novel coronavirus originating in Asia (COVID-19) could become a pandemic with worldwide reach.  By mid-March, when the World Health Organization declared the outbreak to be a pandemic (the COVID-19 pandemic), much of the industrialized world had initiated severe measures to lessen its impact.  The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic created significant volatility, uncertainty, and economic disruption throughout 2020.  With respect to our particular sector, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a much lower demand for oil as national, regional, and local governments impose travel restrictions, border closings, restrictions on public gatherings, stay at home orders, and limitations on business operations in order to contain its spread.  During this same time period, oil-producing countries struggled to reach consensus on worldwide production levels, resulting in both a market oversupply of oil and a precipitous fall in oil prices. Several vaccines were developed and approved during 2020, but distribution of the vaccines is not expected to create general immunity until the latter half of 2021 at the earliest.

Combined, these conditions adversely affected our operations and business beginning in late March 2020 and continuing through the remainder 2020 and, in spite of the approval and distribution of the vaccines and the gradual reopening of economies, we expect our operations and business during 2021 to continue to be negatively impacted. The reduction in demand for hydrocarbons together with a decline in the price of oil has resulted in our primary customers, the oil and gas companies, making material reductions to their planned spending on offshore projects, compounding the effect of the virus on offshore operations. Further, these conditions, separately or together, are expected to continue to impact the demand for our services, the utilization and/or rates we can achieve for our assets and services, and the outlook for our industry in general. See further discussion of the impact of COVID-19, including the resulting crude oil demand and price impact, on our operations in 2020 and our responses to the challenges of these events  in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations under Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Business Combination

On November 15, 2018 (the Merger Date), we completed our acquisition of GulfMark Offshore, Inc. (GulfMark) pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated July 15, 2018 (the business combination). The business combination was effected through a two-step reverse merger. GulfMark’s results are included in our consolidated results beginning on the Merger Date. Refer to Note 2 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further details on our merger with GulfMark.

Upon consummation of the business combination, GulfMark stockholders received 1.10 (the Exchange Ratio) shares of Tidewater common stock in exchange for each share of GulfMark common stock owned.  Additionally, all outstanding GulfMark warrants issued to stockholders prior to the business combination and restricted stock units granted to GulfMark directors and management prior to the business combination were converted into substantially similar warrants or restricted stock awards to acquire Tidewater common stock with the number of warrants or restricted stock units being adjusted by the Exchange Ratio. Immediately following the completion of the business combination, the former Tidewater stockholders and GulfMark stockholders owned 74% and 26% of the combined company, respectively. The business combination resulted in a total purchase consideration of $385.5 million.

Offices and Facilities

Our worldwide headquarters and principal executive offices are located at 6002 Rogerdale Road, Suite 600, Houston, Texas 77072, and our telephone number is (713) 470-5300. Our U.S. marine operations are based in Amelia, Louisiana and Houston, Texas. We conduct our international operations through facilities and offices located in over 30 countries. Our principal international offices and/or warehouse facilities, most of which are leased, are located in Rio de Janeiro and Macae, Brazil; Ciudad Del Carmen, Mexico;Chaguaramus, Trinidad; Aberdeen, Scotland; Cairo, Egypt; Luanda and Cabinda, Angola; Lagos and Onne Port, Nigeria; Douala, Cameroon; Singapore; Al Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Oslo, Sandnes, Norway. Our operations generally do not require highly specialized facilities, and suitable facilities are generally available on a leased basis as required.

Reporting Segments and Vessel Classifications

Our reporting segments are based on geographic markets: the Americas segment, which includes the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Trinidad, Mexico and Brazil; the Middle East/Asia Pacific segment, which includes Saudi Arabia, East Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia; the Europe/Mediterranean segment, which includes the United Kingdom, Norway and Egypt; and the West Africa segment; which includes Angola, Nigeria, and other coastal regions of West Africa. Our vessels routinely move from one geographic region and reporting segment to another, and from one operating area to another operating area within the geographic regions and reporting segments. Discussed below are our three major vessel classes along with a description of the type of vessels categorized in each vessel class and the services the respective vessels typically perform.

Deepwater Vessels

Deepwater vessels, in the aggregate, are usually our largest contributor to consolidated vessel revenue and vessel operating margin. Included in this vessel class are large platform supply vessels (PSVs) (typically longer than 230-feet and/or with greater than 2,800 tons in dead weight cargo carrying capacity) and large, higher-horsepower anchor handling tug supply vessels (AHTS vessels) (generally greater than 10,000 horsepower). These vessels are generally chartered to customers for use in transporting supplies and equipment from shore bases to deepwater and intermediate water depth offshore drilling rigs and production platforms and for otherwise supporting intermediate and deepwater drilling, production, construction and maintenance operations. Deepwater PSVs generally have large cargo carrying capacities, both below deck (liquid mud tanks and dry bulk tanks) and above deck. Deepwater AHTS vessels are equipped to tow drilling rigs and other marine equipment, as well as to set anchors for the positioning and mooring of drilling rigs that generally do not have dynamic positioning capabilities. Many of our deepwater PSVs and AHTS vessels are outfitted with dynamic positioning capabilities, which allow the vessels to maintain an absolute or relative position when mooring to an offshore installation, rig or another vessel is deemed unsafe, impractical or undesirable. Many of our deepwater PSVs and AHTS vessels also have oil recovery, firefighting, standby rescue and/or other specialized equipment. Our customers have high standards in regard to safety and other operational competencies and capabilities, in part to meet the regulatory standards that continue to be more stringent.

Our deepwater class of vessels also includes specialty vessels that can support offshore well stimulation, construction work, subsea services and/or serve as remote accommodation facilities. These vessels are generally available for routine supply and towing services, but are also outfitted, and primarily intended, for specialty services. For example, these vessels can be equipped with a variety of lifting and deployment systems, including large capacity cranes, winches or reel systems.

Towing-Supply Vessels

Included in this class are non-deepwater AHTS vessels with horsepower below 10,000 BHP, and non-deepwater PSVs that are generally less than 230 feet in length. The vessels in this class perform the same respective functions and services as deepwater AHTS vessels and deepwater PSVs except towing-supply vessels are generally chartered to customers for use in intermediate and shallow waters.

Other Vessels

Included in this class are crew boats, utility vessels and offshore tugs. Crew boats and utility vessels are chartered to customers for use in transporting personnel and supplies from shore bases to offshore drilling rigs, platforms and other installations. These vessels are also often equipped for oil field security missions in markets where piracy, kidnapping or other potential violence presents a concern. Offshore tugs are used to tow floating drilling rigs and barges; to assist in the docking of tankers; and to assist pipe laying, cable laying and construction barges.

Customers and Contracting

Our operations are dependent upon the levels of activity in offshore crude oil and natural gas exploration, field development and production throughout the world, which are affected by trends in global crude oil and natural gas pricing, including expectations of future commodity pricing, which are ultimately influenced by the supply and demand relationship for these natural resources. The activity levels of our customers are also influenced by the cost (and relative cost) of exploring for and producing crude oil and natural gas offshore, which can be affected by environmental regulations, technological advances that affect energy production and consumption, significant weather conditions, the ability of our customers to raise capital, and local and international economic and political environments, including government mandated moratoriums.

Our primary source of revenue is derived from time charter contracts on our vessels on a rate per day of service basis; therefore, vessel revenues are recognized on a daily basis throughout the contract period.

The following table discloses our customers that accounted for 10% or more of total revenues:

* Less than 10% of total revenues.

While it is normal for our customer base to change over time as our vessel time charter contracts turn over, the unexpected loss of any of our significant customers could, at least in the short term, have a material adverse effect on our vessel utilization and our results of operations. Our five and ten largest customers accounted for approximately 41.8% and 59.8% of our total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020, respectively.

Competition

We have numerous mid-size and large competitors. The principal competitive factors for the offshore vessel service industry are the quality, suitability and technical capabilities of our vessels, availability of vessels and related equipment, price and quality of service. In addition, the ability to demonstrate a strong record for safety and efficiency and attract and retain qualified and skilled personnel are also important competitive factors. We have numerous competitors in all areas in which we operate around the world, and the business environment in each of these markets is highly competitive. Competition in international markets may be adversely affected by regulations requiring, among other things, local construction, flagging, ownership or control of vessels, the awarding of contracts to local contractors, the employment of local citizens and/or the purchase of supplies from local vendors.

Our diverse, mobile asset base and the wide geographic distribution of our assets generally enable us to respond relatively quickly to changes in market conditions and to provide a broad range of vessel services to customers around the world. We believe that the size, age, diversity and geographic distribution of a vessel operator’s fleet, economies of scale and experience level in the many areas of the world are competitive advantages in our industry. In the Americas region, we benefit from cabotage which includes rules and restrictions promulgated thereunder by the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 and the Shipping Act, 1916, as amended,  (collectively, the Jones Act), which limit vessels that can operate in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico to those owned by companies that qualify as U.S. citizens. Also, in certain foreign countries, preferences given to vessels owned by local companies may be mandated by local law or by national oil companies. We have attempted to mitigate some of the impact of such preferences through affiliations with local companies.

Increases in worldwide vessel capacity generally have the effect of lowering charter rates, particularly when there are lower levels of exploration, field development and production activity in the oil and natural gas industry, as has been the case since late calendar 2014 when oil prices began to trend lower. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has created additional oversupply as customers have cancelled or delayed projects as discussed above.

Angolan Joint Venture (Sonatide)

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.  The amounts due from Sonatide are 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.  In late 2019, we were informed that, as part of a broad privatization program, Sonangol intends to seek to divest itself from Sonatide.

In the second quarter of 2020, Sonatide declared a $35.0 million dividend.  On June 22, 2020, Sonangol received $17.8 million and we received $17.2 million.  Our share of the dividend is reflected as dividend income from unconsolidated company in the consolidated statement of operations because (i) our investment in Sonatide had previously been written down to zero, (ii) the distributions are not refundable and (iii) we are not liable for the obligations of or committed to provide financial support to Sonatide.  In addition, as a result of the aforementioned dividend payment, the cash balances of the joint venture were significantly reduced and we determined that, as a result, a significant portion of our net due from Sonatide balance was compromised.  During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded a $40.9 million affiliate credit loss impairment expense.

Refer to Note 5 of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further details on Sonatide.

Nigerian Joint Venture (DTDW)

We own 40% of DTDW in Nigeria.  Our partner, who owns 60%, is a Nigerian national.  DTDW owns one offshore service vessel and has long term debt of $4.7 million which is secured by the vessel and guarantees from the DTDW partners. We also operate company owned vessels in Nigeria for which the joint venture receives a commission.  As of December 31, 2020, we had no company owned vessels operating in Nigeria and the DTDW owned vessel was not employed.  At the beginning of 2020 we had expected that we would be operating numerous vessels in Nigeria, but in the second quarter of 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting oil price reduction caused our primary customer in Nigeria to eliminate all planned operations for 2020.  As a result, the near-term cash flow projections indicate that DTDW does not have sufficient funds to meet its obligations to us or to the holder of its long-term debt.  Therefore, we recorded affiliate credit loss impairment expense totaling $12.1 million.  In addition, based on our analysis we determined that DTDW will be unable to pay its debt obligation and the debt will not be satisfied by liquidating the vessel and, as a result, we recorded additional impairment expense of $2.0 million for our expected share of the obligation guarantee during the year ended December 31, 2020. 

Refer to Note 5 of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further details on the Nigerian joint venture.

International Labour Organization’s Maritime Labour Convention

The International Labour Organization's Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (the MLC) mandates globally, among other things, seafarer living and working conditions (accommodations, wages, conditions of employment, health and other benefits) aboard ships that are engaged in commercial activities.  Since its initial entry into force on August 20, 2013, 90 countries have now ratified the MLC.

We maintain certification of our vessels to MLC requirements, perform maintenance and repairs at shipyards, and make port calls during ocean voyages in accordance with the MLC based on the dates of enforcement by countries in which we operate. Additionally, where possible, we continue to work with identified flag states to seek substantial equivalencies to comparable national and industry laws that meet the intent of the MLC and allow us to standardize operational protocols among our fleet.

Government Regulation

We are subject to various U.S. federal, state and local statutes and regulations governing the ownership, operation and maintenance of our vessels. Our U.S. flagged vessels are subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Maritime Administration. We are also subject to international laws and conventions and the laws of international jurisdictions where we operate.

Under the citizenship provisions of the Jones Act, we would not be permitted to engage in the U.S. coastwise trade if more than 25% of our outstanding stock were owned by non-U.S. Citizens as defined by the Jones Act. For a company engaged in the U.S. coastwise trade to be deemed a U.S. citizen: (i) it must be organized under the laws of the United States or of a state, territory or possession thereof, (ii) each of the chief executive officer and the chairman of the board of directors of such corporation must be a U.S. citizen, (iii) no more than a minority of the number of directors of such corporation necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business can be non-U.S. Citizens and (iv) at least 75% of the interest in such corporation must be owned by U.S. citizens. We have a dual stock certificate system to protect against non-U.S. Citizens owning more than 25% of our common stock. In addition, our charter provides us with certain remedies with respect to any transfer or purported transfer of shares of our common stock that would result in the ownership by non-U.S. Citizens of more than 24% of our common stock.  Based on the latest information available to us, less than 24% of our outstanding common stock was owned by non-U.S. Citizens as of December 31, 2020.

Our vessel operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (GOM) are considered to be coastwise trade. U.S. law requires that vessels engaged in the U.S. coastwise trade must be built in the U.S. and registered under U.S. flag. In addition, once a U.S. built vessel is registered under a non-U.S. flag, it cannot thereafter engage in U.S. coastwise trade. Therefore, our non-U.S. flagged vessels must operate outside of the U.S. coastwise trade zone. Of the total 149 active vessels that we owned or operated at December 31, 2020, 136 vessels were registered under flags other than the United States and 13 vessels were registered under the U.S. flag.

All of our offshore vessels are subject to either United States or international safety and classification standards or sometimes both. Deepwater PSVs, deepwater AHTS vessels, towing-supply vessels, and crew boats are required to undergo periodic inspections generally twice within every five year period pursuant to U.S. Coast Guard regulations. Vessels registered under flags other than the United States are subject to similar regulations and are governed by the laws of the applicable international jurisdictions and the rules and requirements of various classification societies, such as the American Bureau of Shipping.

We comply with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, an amendment to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention (1974/1988), and further mandated in the Maritime Transportation and Security Act of 2002 to align United States regulations with those of the ISPS Code and SOLAS. Under the ISPS Code, we perform worldwide security assessments, risk analyses, and develops vessel and required port facility security plans to enhance safe and secure vessel and facility operations. Additionally, we have developed security annexes for those U.S. flag vessels that transit or work in waters designated as high risk by the U.S. Coast Guard pursuant to the latest revision of Maritime Security Directive 104-6.

Occupational Safety and Health Compliance

In the U.S., we are subject to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and other similar laws and regulations, which establish workplace standards for the protection of the health and safety of employees, including the implementation of hazard communications programs designed to inform employees about hazardous substances in the workplace, potential harmful effects of these substances, and appropriate control measures.

As described above, certain of the international jurisdictions in which we operate, including the U.K., have ratified the MLC, which establishes minimum requirements for working conditions of seafarers, including conditions of employment, hours of work and rest, grievance and complaints procedures, accommodations, recreational facilities, food and catering, health protection, medical care, welfare and social security protection. Although the U.S. is not a party to the MLC, U.S. flag vessels operating internationally must comply with the MLC when calling on a port in a country that is a party to the MLC.

Environmental Compliance

During the ordinary course of business, our operations are subject to a wide variety of environmental laws and regulations that govern the discharge of oil and pollutants into navigable waters. Violations of these laws may result in civil and criminal penalties, fines, injunctions and other sanctions. Compliance with the existing governmental regulations that have been enacted or adopted regulating the discharge of materials into the environment, or otherwise relating to the protection of the environment has not had, nor is expected to have, a material effect on us. Environmental laws and regulations are subject to change, however, and may impose increasingly strict requirements, and, as such, we cannot estimate the ultimate cost of complying with such potential changes to environmental laws and regulations. Existing U.S. environmental laws and regulations to which we are subject include, but are not limited to:

In the U.S. and abroad, we are subject to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), an international convention that imposes environmental standards on the shipping industry relating to oil spills, management of garbage, the handling of certain substances, sewage and air emissions.

We are also involved in various legal proceedings that relate to asbestos and other environmental matters. The amount of ultimate liability, if any, with respect to these proceedings is not expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. We are proactive in establishing policies and operating procedures for safeguarding the environment against any hazardous materials aboard our vessels and at shore-based locations.

Whenever possible, hazardous materials are maintained or transferred in confined areas in an attempt to ensure containment, if accidents were to occur. In addition, we have established operating policies that are intended to increase awareness of actions that may harm the environment, including being committed to responsible ship recycling in accordance with the Hong Kong convention and European Ship Recycling Regulation.

Safety

We are dedicated to ensuring the safety of our operations for our employees, our customers and any personnel associated with our operations. Tidewater’s principal operations occur in offshore waters where the workplace environment presents many safety challenges. Management communicates frequently with company personnel to promote safety and instill safe work habits through the use of company media directed at, and regular training of, both our seamen and shore-based personnel. We dedicate personnel and resources to ensure safe operations and regulatory compliance. Our Director of Health, Safety, Environment and Security (HSES) Management is involved in numerous proactive efforts to prevent accidents and injuries from occurring. The HSES Director also reviews all incidents that occur, focusing on lessons that can be learned from such incidents and opportunities to incorporate such lessons into our on-going safety-related training. In addition, we employ safety personnel to be responsible for administering our safety programs and fostering our safety culture. Our position is that each of our employees is a safety supervisor with the authority and the obligation to stop any operation that they deem to be unsafe.

Risk Management

The operation of any marine vessel involves an inherent risk of marine losses (including physical damage to the vessel) attributable to adverse sea and weather conditions, mechanical failure, and collisions. In addition, the nature of our operations exposes us to the potential risks of damage to and loss of drilling rigs and production facilities, hostile activities attributable to war, sabotage, piracy and terrorism, as well as business interruption due to political action or inaction, including nationalization of assets by foreign governments. Any such event may lead to a reduction in revenues or increased costs. Our vessels are generally insured for their estimated market value against damage or loss, including war, acts of terrorism, and pollution risks, but we do not directly or fully insure for business interruption. We also carry workers’ compensation, maritime employer’s liability, director and officer liability, general liability (including third party pollution) and other insurance customary in the industry.

The continued threat of terrorist activity and other acts of war or hostility have significantly increased the risk of political, economic and social instability in some of the geographic areas in which we operate. It is possible that further acts of terrorism may be directed against the United States domestically or abroad, and such acts of terrorism could be directed against properties and personnel of U.S. headquartered companies such as ours. The resulting economic, political and social uncertainties, including the potential for future terrorist acts and war, could cause the premiums charged for the insurance coverage to increase. We currently maintain war risk coverage on our entire fleet.

We seek to secure appropriate insurance coverage at competitive rates, in part, by maintaining self-insurance up to certain individual and aggregate loss limits. We carefully monitor claims and actively participate in claims estimates and adjustments. Estimated costs of self-insured claims, which include estimates for incurred but unreported claims, are accrued as liabilities on our balance sheet.

We believe that our insurance coverage is adequate. We have not experienced a loss in excess of insurance policy limits; however, there is no assurance that our liability coverage will be adequate to cover claims that may arise. While we believe that we should be able to maintain adequate insurance in the future at rates considered commercially acceptable, we cannot guarantee that such insurance will continue to be available at commercially acceptable rates given the markets in which we operate. For further discussion of our risks see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Environmental, Social and Governance Factors 

We are committed to transparently reporting on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors that may be relevant to Tidewater. There has been an increasing amount of ESG disclosure by publicly-listed companies in recent years and we expect this trend to continue. Increasing ESG disclosure may be driven by investor expectations, SEC requirements, regulation or in response to stakeholder concerns. We use internationally-recognized methods and reporting standards to measure and disclose our performance in relation to ESG factors. We have disclosed ESG-related information on our website and from 2021 will expand our disclosures in a formal ESG report, aligned with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Marine Transportation standard, additionally taking into account recommendations provided by the Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).  

Seasonality

Our global vessel fleet generally has its highest utilization rates in the warmer months when the weather is more favorable for offshore exploration, field development and construction work in the oil and gas industry. Hurricanes, cyclones, the monsoon season, and other severe weather can negatively or positively impact vessel operations. In particular, our Gulf of Mexico (GOM) operations can be impacted by the Atlantic hurricane season from the months of June through November, when offshore exploration, field development and construction work tend to slow or halt in an effort to mitigate potential losses and damage that may occur to the offshore oil and gas infrastructure should a hurricane enter the area. However, demand for offshore marine vessels typically increases in the GOM in connection with repair and remediation work that follows any hurricane damage to offshore crude oil and natural gas infrastructure. Our vessels that operate offshore in India Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific are impacted by the monsoon season, which occurs across the region from November to April. Vessels that operate in the North Sea can be impacted by a seasonal slowdown in the winter months, generally from November to March. Although hurricanes, cyclones, monsoons and other severe weather can have a seasonal impact on operations, our business volume is more dependent on crude oil and natural gas pricing, global supply of crude oil and natural gas, and demand for our offshore support vessels and other services than on any seasonal variation.

Human Capital Management

Employees and Labor Relations:

 As of January 1, 2021, we employ approximately 5,400 employees worldwide. Our global footprint has over 90% of our fleet working internationally in more than 30 countries. We are not a party to any union contract in the United States but through several subsidiaries are subject to union agreements covering local nationals in several countries other than the United States, most heavily in the North Sea with UK and Norwegian mariners.

Culture and Engagement

Company culture is a key focus for the Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) and the rest of the senior leadership. Tidewater’s culture is promoted through its “7 Cs”:

Our focus is on creating an environment where our colleagues feel respected, valued, and can contribute to their fullest potential. We leverage technology to promote online collaborative workspaces to bring our colleagues together across multiple time zones and geographies and create a global sense of community.  In fiscal year 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on our human capital management. A large majority of our onshore workforce has worked remotely beginning in the second quarter of 2020 and, for those who continue to work on site, we instituted safety protocols and procedures.

In October 2019, we conducted a global shore-based employee satisfaction survey using a leading outside firm that specializes in employee engagement. We had an above-average completion rate and the majority of respondents indicated satisfaction in their jobs. We see our positive employee engagement evidenced by our employee retention, with most of the employees who responded to our survey having been with us for at least 10 years. We plan to conduct this type of survey on a periodic basis and will use the information to work towards continuously improving our employees’ environment.

Health and Safety

We maintain a safety culture grounded on the premise of eliminating workplace incidents, risks and hazards. We are dedicated to ensuring the safety of our operations for our employees, our customers and any personnel associated with our operations. Our principal operations occur in offshore waters where the workplace environment presents many safety challenges. Management communicates frequently with company personnel to promote safety and instill safe work habits through the use of company media directed at, and regular training of, both our mariners and shore-based personnel. We dedicate personnel and resources to ensure safe operations and regulatory compliance. In addition, we employ safety personnel who are responsible for administering our safety programs and fostering our safety culture and monitoring the results of our safety programs and initiatives. Our position is that each of our employees is a safety supervisor with the authority and the obligation to stop any operation that they deem to be unsafe.

By establishing practical safeguards against all identified risks, we  take a consistent and proactive approach to minimizing the number of accidents, incidents and hazardous occurrences. We utilize both leading and lagging indicators to monitor the performance of our health and safety programs. Lagging indicators include the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) and the Lost Time Incident Rate (LTIR) based upon the number of incidents per one million working hours. Leading indicators include reporting and closure of all near miss events and Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) training activities. In calendar year 2020, we achieved our lowest recordable incident rate on record, with a TRIR of 0.34, a LTIR of 0.0 and no work-related fatalities.

In 2020, we experienced significant challenges resulting from COVID-19. Revised safety protocols were immediately implemented and management in each area of operation ensured constant compliance with local government, customer and other restrictions and guidelines to help mitigate risk of exposure of our employees and contractors.

Inclusion and Diversity  

We embrace the diversity of our team members, stakeholders and customers, including their unique backgrounds, experiences, thoughts and talents. Everyone is valued and appreciated for their distinct contributions to the growth and sustainability of our business. We strive to cultivate a culture and vision that supports and enhances our ability to recruit, develop and retain diverse talent at every level. We are an equal opportunity employer, with all qualified applicants receiving consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. We comply with all applicable employment, labor and immigration requirements, and require all of our personnel to cooperate with all compliance efforts. We have a policy of continuous improvement; opportunities to further connect and support collaboration between our diverse employee base continue to be identified and addressed with further investments in training, tools and systems.

We are committed to racial equality and fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion throughout our organization, a commitment that both starts with, and is reflected in, our board of directors. We have made diversity and inclusion an important part of our hiring and retention efforts. Our CHRO has primary responsibility for our human capital management strategy, including attracting, developing, engaging and retaining those talented employees.  The CHRO is also responsible for the design of employee compensation and benefits programs in addition to promoting diversity and inclusion throughout the Company.

Available Information

We make available free of charge, on or through our website (www.tdw.com), our Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other filings pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, (Exchange Act) and amendments to such filings, as soon as reasonably practicable after each is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). The SEC maintains a website that contains our reports, proxy and information statements, and our other SEC filings. The address of the SEC’s website is www.sec.gov. Information appearing on our website is not part of any report that we file with the SEC.

We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics (Code), which is applicable to our directors, chief executive officer, chief financial officer, principal accounting officer, and other officers and employees on matters of business conduct and ethics, including compliance standards and procedures. The Code is publicly available on our website at www.tdw.com. We will make timely disclosure by a Current Report on Form 8-K and on our website of any change to, or waiver from, the Code for our chief executive officer, chief financial officer and principal accounting officer. Any changes or waivers to the Code will be maintained on our website for at least 12 months. A copy of the Code is also available in print to any stockholder upon written request addressed to Tidewater Inc., 6002 Rogerdale Road, Suite 600, Houston, Texas, 77072.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

The following discussion of risk factors contains forward-looking statements. These risk factors may be important to understanding other statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following information should be read in conjunction with Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and related notes in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our business, financial condition and operating results can be affected by a number of factors, whether currently known or unknown, including but not limited to those described below, any one or more of which could, directly or indirectly, cause our actual financial condition and operating results to vary materially from those anticipated, projected or assumed in the forward-looking statements. Any of these factors, in whole or in part, could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, stock price and cash flows. These could also be affected by additional factors that apply to all companies generally which are not specifically mentioned below.

Summary of Risk Factors

Below is a summary of some of the principal risks and uncertainties that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. You should read this summary together with the more detailed description of each risk factor contained below.

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry

Risks Relating to Our Indebtedness

Risks Relating to Our International and Foreign Operations

Risks Relating to Governmental Regulation

Risks Relating to Our Employees

Risks Relating to Our Securities

Risk Factors

Risks Relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected and may, in the future, have a material negative impact on our operations and business. 

As discussed above in Item 1, it became evident that a novel coronavirus originating in Asia (COVID-19) could become a pandemic with worldwide reach.  By mid-March, when the World Health Organization declared the outbreak to be a pandemic (the COVID-19 pandemic”, much of the industrialized world had taken severe measures to lessen its impact.  The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created significant volatility, uncertainty, and economic disruption.

The spread of COVID-19 to one or more of our locations, including our vessels, could significantly impact our operations.  While we have implemented various protocols for both onshore and offshore personnel in efforts to limit the impact of COVID-19, there is no assurance that those efforts will be fully successful. The spread of COVID-19 to our onshore workforce could prevent us from supporting our offshore operations, we may experience reduced productivity as our onshore personnel works remotely, and any spread to our key management personnel may disrupt our business. Any outbreak on our vessels may result in the vessel, or some or all of a vessel crew, being quarantined and therefore impede the vessel’s ability to generate revenue.  We have experienced challenges in connection with our offshore crew changes due to health and travel restrictions related to COVID-19, and those challenges and/or restrictions may continue or worsen despite our efforts at mitigating them.  To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our operations and business, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks set forth in our SEC filings, such as those relating to our financial performance and debt obligations.

The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown and is rapidly evolving. The extent to which it impacts our business and operations and ability to preserve our liquidity will depend on the severity, location, and duration of the effects and spread of the pandemic itself, the actions undertaken by national, regional, and local governments and health officials to contain the virus or treat its effects, and how quickly and to what extent economic conditions improve and normal business and operating conditions resume.  As we cannot predict the duration or scope of this pandemic, the anticipated negative financial impact to our operating results cannot be reasonably estimated but could be both material and long-lasting. Additionally, the impact of COVID-19, and the volatile regional and global economic conditions stemming from the pandemic, may also precipitate or exacerbate other risks discussed in this Item 1A- Risk Factors and elsewhere in this report, any of which could have a material effect on us.

Recent disruptions in the global market for oil and natural gas, which have led to market oversupply and depressed commodity prices, have adversely affected our operations and may, in the future, materially disrupt our operations and adversely impact our business and financial results. 

With respect to our particular sector, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a much lower demand for oil as national, regional, and local governments impose travel restrictions, border closings, restrictions on public gatherings, stay at home orders, and limitations on business operations in order to contain its spread.  During this same time period, oil-producing countries have struggled to reach consensus on worldwide production levels, resulting in both a market oversupply of oil and a precipitous fall in oil prices.

Combined, these conditions have adversely affected our operations and business beginning with the latter part of the first fiscal quarter of 2020 and we do expect our operations and business in 2021 to be negatively impacted. The reduction in demand for hydrocarbons together with an unprecedented decline in the price of oil has resulted in our primary customers, the oil and gas companies, making material reductions to their planned spending on offshore projects, compounding the effect of the virus on offshore operations. Further, these conditions, separately or together, may continue to impact the demand for our services, the utilization and/or rates we can achieve for our assets and services, and the outlook for our industry in general. Although, as of the date of this filing, oil-producing countries have reached a tentative agreement regarding future output, oil prices will remain depressed as long as the market is oversupplied and demand will remain depressed until global economic conditions improve.

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry

The prices for oil and natural gas affect the level of capital spending by our customers. A substantial or an extended decline in oil and natural gas prices could result in lower capital spending by our customers.

Demand for our services depends substantially upon the level of activity in the oil and natural gas industry and, in particular, the willingness of oil and natural gas companies to make capital expenditures on exploration, drilling and production operations. Oil and natural gas prices and market expectations of potential changes in these prices significantly affect this level of activity. Prices for crude oil and natural gas are highly volatile and extremely sensitive to the respective supply/demand relationship for crude oil and natural gas. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Many factors affect the supply of and demand for crude oil and natural gas and, therefore, influence prices of these commodities, including:

A prolonged material downturn in crude oil and natural gas prices and/or perceptions of long-term lower commodity prices can negatively impact the development plans of exploration and production (E&P) companies and result in a significant decline in demand for offshore support services resulting in project modifications, delays or cancellations, general business disruptions, and delays in payment of, or nonpayment of, amounts that are owed to us. Moreover, declining or continuing depressed oil and natural gas prices may result in negative pressures on:

Moreover, higher commodity prices will not necessarily translate into increased demand for offshore support services or sustained higher pricing for offshore support vessel services, in part because customer demand is often driven by capital expenditure programs that are more focused on future commodity price expectations and not solely on current prices. Additionally, increased commodity demand may in the future be satisfied by land-based energy resource production and any increased demand for offshore support vessel services can be more than offset by an increased supply of offshore support vessels resulting from the construction of additional offshore support vessels.

We derive a significant amount of revenue from a relatively small number of customers.

For the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, our top five and ten largest customers accounted for a significant percentage of our total revenues. While it is normal for our customer base to change over time as our time charter contracts expire and are replaced, our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be materially adversely affected if one or more of these customers were to decide to interrupt or curtail their activities, in general, or their activities with us, terminate their contracts with us, fail to renew existing contracts with us, and/or refuse to award new contracts to us.

Our customer base has undergone consolidation and additional consolidation is possible.

 Additional consolidation of oil and natural gas companies and other energy companies and energy services companies is possible. Consolidation reduces the number of customers for our equipment and services, and may negatively affect exploration, development and production activity as consolidated companies focus, at least initially, on increasing efficiency and reducing costs and may delay or abandon exploration activity with less promise. Such activity could adversely affect demand for our offshore services.

The high level of competition on the offshore marine service industry could negatively impact pricing for our services.

We operate in a highly competitive industry, which could depress charter and utilization rates and adversely affect our financial performance. We compete for business with our competitors on the basis of price; reputation for quality service; quality, suitability and technical capabilities of our vessels; availability of vessels; safety and efficiency; cost of mobilizing vessels from one market to a different market; and national flag preference. In addition, competition in international markets may be adversely affected by regulations requiring, among other things, local construction, flagging, ownership or control of vessels, the awarding of contracts to local contractors, the employment of local citizens and/or the purchase of supplies from local vendors.

The rise in production of unconventional crude oil and natural gas resources could increase supply without a commensurate growth in demand which would negatively impact oil and natural gas prices.

 The rise in production of unconventional crude oil and natural gas resources in North America and the commissioning of a number of new large Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export facilities around the world have contributed to an over-supplied natural gas market. Production from unconventional resources has increased as drilling efficiencies have improved, lowering the costs of extraction. There has also been a buildup of crude oil inventories in the U.S. in part due to the increased development of unconventional crude oil resources. Prolonged increases in the worldwide supply of crude oil and natural gas, whether from conventional or unconventional sources, without a commensurate growth in demand for crude oil and natural gas may continue to depress crude oil and natural gas prices. A prolonged period of low crude oil and natural gas prices would likely have a negative impact on development plans of exploration and production companies, which in turn, may result in a decrease in demand for our offshore support vessel services.

An increase in vessel supply without a corresponding increase in the working offshore rig count could exacerbate the industry’s currently oversupplied condition.

Over the past decade, the combination of historically high commodity prices and technological advances resulted in significant growth in deepwater exploration, field development and production. During this time, construction of offshore vessels increased significantly in order to meet projected requirements of customers and potential customers. Excess offshore support vessel capacity usually exerts downward pressure on charter day rates. Excess capacity can occur when newly constructed vessels enter the worldwide offshore support vessel market and also when vessels migrate between markets. A discussion about our vessel fleet appears in the “Vessel Utilization and Average Rates Per Segment” section of Item 7 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

In addition, the provisions of U.S. shipping laws restricting engagement of U.S. coastwise trade to vessels controlled by U.S. citizens may from time to time be circumvented by foreign competitors that seek to engage in trade reserved for vessels controlled by U.S. citizens and otherwise qualifying for coastwise trade. A repeal, suspension or significant modification of U.S. shipping laws, or the administrative erosion of their benefits, permitting vessels that are either foreign-flagged, foreign-built, foreign-owned, foreign-controlled or foreign-operated to engage in the U.S. coastwise trade, could also result in excess vessel capacity and increased competition, especially for our vessels that operate in North America.

An increase in vessel capacity without a corresponding increase in the working offshore rig count could exacerbate the industry’s currently oversupplied condition, which may have the effect of lowering charter rates and utilization rates, which, in turn, would result in lower revenues.

Our insurance coverage and contractual indemnity protections may not be sufficient to protect us under all circumstances or against all risks.

Our operations are subject to the hazards inherent in the offshore oilfield business. These include blowouts, explosions, fires, collisions, capsizings, sinkings, groundings and severe weather conditions. Some of these events could be the result of (or exacerbated by) mechanical failure or navigation or operational errors. These hazards could result in personal injury and loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property and equipment (including to the property and equipment of third parties), pollution or environmental damage and suspension of operations, increased costs and loss of business. Damages arising from such occurrences may result in lawsuits alleging large claims, and we may incur substantial liabilities or losses as a result of these hazards.

We carry what we consider to be prudent levels of liability insurance, and our vessels are generally insured for their estimated market value against damage or loss, including war, terrorism acts and pollution risks. While we maintain insurance protection and, as further described below, seek to obtain indemnity agreements from our customers requiring the customers to hold us harmless from some of these risks, our insurance and contractual indemnity protection may not be sufficient or effective to protect us under all circumstances or against all risks. Our insurance coverages are subject to deductibles and certain exclusions. We do not directly or fully insure for business interruption. The occurrence of a significant event not fully insured or indemnified against or the failure of a customer to meet its indemnification obligations to us could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, while we believe that we should be able to maintain adequate insurance in the future at rates considered commercially acceptable, we cannot guarantee that such insurance will continue to be available at commercially acceptable rates given the markets in which we operate.

In addition, our contracts are individually negotiated, and the levels of indemnity and allocation of liabilities in them may vary from contract to contract depending on market conditions, particular customer requirements and other factors existing at the time a contract is negotiated. Additionally, the enforceability of indemnification provisions in our contracts may be limited or prohibited by applicable law or may not be enforced by courts having jurisdiction, and we could be held liable for substantial losses or damages and for fines and penalties imposed by regulatory authorities. The law with respect to the enforceability of indemnities varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Current or future litigation in particular jurisdictions, whether or not we are a party, may impact the interpretation and enforceability of indemnification provisions in our contracts. There can be no assurance that our contracts with our customers, suppliers and subcontractors will fully protect us against all hazards and risks inherent in our operations. There can also be no assurance that those parties with contractual obligations to indemnify us will be financially able to do so or will otherwise honor their contractual obligations.

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flow to meet our debt service and other obligations.

Our ability to make payments on our indebtedness and to fund our operations depends on our ability to maintain sufficient cash flows. Our ability to generate cash in the future, to a large extent, is subject to conditions in the oil and natural gas industry, including commodity prices, demand for our services and the prices we are able to charge for our services, general economic and financial conditions, competition in the markets in which we operate, the impact of legislative and regulatory actions on how we conduct our business and other factors, all of which are beyond our control.

Lower levels of offshore exploration and development activity and spending by our customers globally directly and significantly have impacted, and may continue to impact, our financial performance, financial condition and financial outlook.

Restrictive covenants in our Indenture and our amended and restated Troms credit agreement may restrict our ability to raise capital and pursue our business strategies.

The Indenture and the amended and restated Troms credit agreement contain certain restrictive covenants, including restrictions on the incurrence of debt and liens and our ability to make investments and restricted payments. These covenants limit our ability, among other things, to:

The Indenture, as amended, and the amended and restated Troms credit agreement also require us to comply with certain financial covenants, including maintenance of minimum liquidity and compliance with a minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio. We may be unable to meet these financial covenants or comply with these restrictive covenants, which could result in a default under our Indenture or the amended and restated Troms credit agreement. If a default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee or noteholders holding at least 25% of the aggregate principal amount of then outstanding notes under the Indenture and the lenders under the amended and restated Troms credit agreement may elect to declare all borrowings thereunder outstanding, together with accrued interest and other fees, to be immediately due and payable. If we are unable to repay our indebtedness when due or declared due, the noteholders and the lenders under the amended and restated Troms credit agreement will also have the right to foreclose on the collateral pledged to them, including the vessels, to secure the indebtedness. If such indebtedness were to be accelerated, our assets may not be sufficient to repay in full our secured indebtedness. Please refer to Note (4) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information on the Indenture and amended and restated Troms credit agreement.

As a result of the restrictive covenants under the Indenture and the amended and restated Troms credit agreement, we may be prevented from taking advantage of business opportunities. In addition, the restrictions contained in the Indenture and the amended and restated Troms credit agreement, including a substantial make whole premium applicable to voluntary prepayment of obligations under the Indenture, may also limit our ability to plan for or react to market conditions, meet capital needs or otherwise restrict our activities or business plans and adversely affect our ability to finance our operations, refinance, enter into acquisitions, execute our business strategy, make capital expenditures, effectively compete with companies that are not similarly restricted or engage in other business activities that would be in our interest. In the future, we may also incur additional debt obligations that might subject us to additional and different restrictive covenants that could further affect our financial and operational flexibility. We cannot assure you that we will be granted waivers or amendments to these agreements if requested to obtain financial or operational flexibility or if for any reason we are unable to comply with these agreements, or that we will be able to refinance our debt on acceptable terms or at all.

The amount of our debt, including secured debt, and the restrictive covenants in our Indenture and the amended and restated Troms credit agreement could have significant consequences for our operations and future prospects.

Our level of indebtedness, and the restrictive covenants contained in the agreements governing our debt, could have important consequences for our operations, including:

We may not be able to obtain debt financing if and when needed with favorable terms, if at all.

If commodity prices remain depressed or decline or if E&P companies continue to assign a low priority to investments in offshore exploration, development and production, there could be a general outflow of credit and capital from the energy and energy services sectors and/or offshore-focused energy and energy service companies, as well as further efforts by lenders to reduce their loan exposure to the energy sector, impose increased lending standards for the energy and energy services sectors, increase borrowing costs and collateral requirements or refuse to extend new credit or amend existing credit facilities in the energy and energy services sectors. These potential negative consequences may be exacerbated by the pressure exerted on financial institutions by bank regulatory agencies to respond quickly and decisively to credit risk that develops in distressed industries. All of these factors may complicate the ability of borrowers to achieve a favorable outcome in negotiating solutions to even marginally stressed credits.

These factors could limit our ability to access debt markets, including for the purpose of refinancing or replacing our existing debt, cause us to refinance at increased interest rates, issue debt or enter into bank credit agreements with less favorable terms and conditions, which debt may require additional collateral and contain more restrictive terms, negatively impact current and prospective customers’ willingness to transact business with us, or impose additional insurance, guarantee and collateral requirements, all of which result in higher borrowing costs and may limit our long- and short-term financial flexibility.

Risks Relating to Our Vessels

Maintaining our current fleet size and configuration and acquiring vessels required for additional future growth require significant capital.

Expenditures required for the repair, certification and maintenance of a vessel, some of which may be unplanned, typically increase with vessel age. Additionally, stacked vessels are not maintained with the same diligence as our marketed fleet. Depending on the length of time the vessels are stacked, we may incur additional costs to return these vessels to active service. These costs are difficult to estimate and may be substantial. These expenditures may increase to a level at which they are not economically justifiable and, therefore, to maintain our current fleet size we may seek to construct or acquire additional vessels. Also, customers may prefer modern vessels over older vessels, especially in weaker markets. The cost of repairing and/or upgrading existing vessels or adding a new vessel to our fleet can be substantial. Moreover, while our vessels are undergoing repair, upgrade or maintenance, they may not earn a day rate during the period they are out of service.

While we expect our cash on hand, cash flow from operations and borrowings under new debt facilities to be adequate to fund our future potential purchases of additional vessels, our ability to pay these amounts is dependent upon the success of our operations. We can give no assurance that we will have sufficient capital resources to build or acquire the vessels required to expand or to maintain our current fleet size and vessel configuration.

 We may not be able to renew or replace expiring contracts for our vessels.

We have a number of charters that expired in 2020 and others that will expire in 2021. Our ability to renew or replace expiring contracts or obtain new contracts, and the terms of any such contracts, will depend on various factors, including market conditions and the specific needs of our customers. Given the highly competitive and historically cyclical nature of our industry, we may not be able to renew or replace the contracts or we may be required to renew or replace expiring contracts or obtain new contracts at rates that are below, and potentially substantially below, existing day rates, or that have terms that are less favorable to us than are the terms of our existing contracts, or we may be unable to secure contracts for these vessels. This could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The early termination of contracts on our vessels could have an adverse effect on our operations and our backlog may not be converted to actual operating results for any future period.

Most of the long-term contracts for our vessels and all of our contracts with governmental entities and national oil companies contain early termination options in favor of the customer, in some cases permitting termination for any reason. Although some of these contracts have early termination remedies in our favor or other provisions designed to discourage our customers from exercising such options, we cannot assure you that our customers would not choose to exercise their termination rights in spite of such remedies or the threat of litigation with us. Moreover, many of the contracts for our vessels have a term of one year or less and can be terminated with 90 days or less notice. Unless such vessels can be placed under contract with other customers, any termination could temporarily disrupt our business or otherwise adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. We might not be able to replace such business or replace it on economically equivalent terms. In those circumstances, the amount of backlog could be reduced and the conversion of backlog into revenue could be impaired. Additionally, because of depressed commodity prices, adverse changes in credit markets, economic downturns, changes in priorities or strategy or other factors beyond our control, a customer may no longer want or need a vessel that is currently under contract or may be able to obtain a comparable vessel at a lower rate. For these reasons, customers may seek to renegotiate the terms of our existing contracts, terminate our contracts without justification or repudiate or otherwise fail to perform their obligations under our contracts. In any case, an early termination of a contract may result in one or more of our vessels being idle for an extended period of time. Each of these results could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We may record additional losses or impairment charges related to our vessels.

We review the vessels in our active fleet for impairment whenever events occur or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset group may not be recoverable and we also perform a review of our stacked vessels not expected to return to active service whenever changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of a vessel may not be recoverable. We have realized impairment charges with respect to our long-lived assets over the past several years. In the event that offshore E&P industry conditions further deteriorate, or persist at current levels, we could be subject to additional long-lived asset impairments in future periods.

An impairment loss on our property and equipment exists when the estimated undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition are less than its carrying amount. Any impairment loss recognized represents the excess of the asset’s carrying value over the estimated fair value. As part of this analysis, we make assumptions and estimates regarding future market conditions. To the extent actual results do not meet our estimated assumptions, we may take an impairment loss in the future. Additionally, there can be no assurance that we will not have to take additional impairment charges in the future if the currently depressed market conditions persist.

We may not be able to sell vessels to improve our cash flow and liquidity because we may be unable to locate buyers with access to financing or to complete any sales on acceptable terms or within a reasonable timeframe.

We may seek to sell some of our vessels to provide liquidity and improve our cash flow. However, given the current downturn in the oil and natural gas industry, there may not be sufficient activity in the market to sell our vessels, and we may not be able to identify buyers with access to financing or to complete any such sales. Even if we are able to locate appropriate buyers for our vessels, any sales may occur on significantly less favorable terms than the terms that might be available in a more liquid market or at other times in the business cycle.

Risks Relating to Our International and Foreign Operations

We operate in various regions throughout the world and are exposed to many risks inherent in doing business in countries other than the U.S.

We have substantial operations in Brazil, Mexico, the North Sea, Norway, Southeast Asia, Saudi Arabia, Angola, Nigeria and throughout the west coast of Africa, which generate a large portion of our revenue. Our customary risks of operating internationally include, but are not limited to, political, military, social and economic instability within the host country; possible vessel seizures or expropriation of assets and other governmental actions by the host country, including trade or economic sanctions and enforcement of customs, immigration or other laws that are not well developed or consistently enforced; foreign government regulations that favor or require the awarding of contracts to local competitors; risks associated with failing to comply with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the United Kingdom (U.K.) Modern Slavery Act, the U.K. Bribery Act, the E.U. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), export laws and other similar laws applicable to our operations in international markets; an inability to recruit, retain or obtain work visas for workers of international operations; deprivation of contract rights; difficulties or delays in collecting customer and other accounts receivable; changing taxation policies; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; foreign currency revaluations and devaluations; restrictions on converting foreign currencies into U.S. dollars; expatriating customer and other payments made in jurisdictions outside of the U.S.; civil unrest, acts of terrorism, war or other armed conflict (further described below); and import/export quotas and restrictions or other trade barriers, most of which are beyond our control. See Note (5) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We are also subject to risks relating to war, sabotage, piracy, kidnappings and terrorism or any similar risk that may put our personnel at risk and adversely affect our operations in unpredictable ways, including changes in the insurance markets as a result of war, sabotage, piracy or kidnappings, disruptions of fuel supplies and markets, particularly oil, and the possibility that infrastructure facilities, including pipelines, production facilities, refineries, electric generation, transmission and distribution facilities, offshore rigs and vessels, and communications infrastructures, could be direct targets of, or indirect casualties of, an act of war, piracy, sabotage or terrorism. War or risk of war or any such attack may also have an adverse effect on the economy, which could adversely affect activity in offshore oil and natural gas exploration, development and production and the demand for our services. Insurance coverage can be difficult to obtain in areas of pirate and terrorist attacks resulting in increased costs that could continue to increase. We periodically evaluate the need to maintain this insurance coverage as it applies to our fleet. Instability in the financial markets as a result of war, sabotage, piracy, and terrorism could also adversely affect our ability to raise capital and could also adversely affect the oil, natural gas and power industries and restrict their future growth. The increase in the level of these criminal or terrorist acts over the last several years has been well-publicized. As a marine services company that operates in offshore, coastal or tidal waters in challenging areas, we are particularly vulnerable to these kinds of unlawful activities. Although we take what we consider to be prudent measures to protect our personnel and assets in markets that present these risks, including solicitation of advice from third-party experts, we have confronted these kinds of incidents in the past, and there can be no assurance we will not be subjected to them in the future.

Global or regional public health crises and other catastrophic events could reduce economic activity resulting in lower commodity prices and could affect our crew rotations and entry into ports.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has caused several countries to restrict travel and quarantine those who have been exposed. Quarantines and the inability to move or interact freely will have an impact on economic results. In particular, such actions could reduce the world demand for oil. In addition, we may not be able to move freely in certain ports and we may not be able to economically move our vessel crews to and from our locations around the world.

We may have disruptions or disagreements with our foreign joint venture partners, which could lead to an unwinding of the joint venture.

We operate in several foreign areas through joint ventures with local companies, in some cases as a result of local laws requiring local company ownership. While the joint venture partner may provide local knowledge and experience, entering into joint ventures often requires us to surrender a measure of control over the assets and operations devoted to the joint venture, and occasions may arise when we do not agree with the business goals and objectives of our joint venture partner, or other factors may arise that make the continuation of the relationship unwise or untenable. Any such disagreements or discontinuation of the joint venture relationship could disrupt our operations, put assets dedicated to the joint venture at risk, or affect the continuity of our business. If we are unable to resolve issues with a joint venture partner, we may decide to terminate the joint venture and either locate a different partner and continue to work in the area or seek opportunities for our assets in another market. The unwinding of an existing joint venture could prove to be difficult or time-consuming, and the loss of revenue related to the termination or unwinding of a joint venture and costs related to the sourcing of a new partner or the mobilization of assets to another market could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Please refer to Note (5) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional discussion of our joint venture in Angola and our joint venture in Nigeria.

Our international operations expose us to currency devaluation and fluctuation risk.

As a global company, our international operations are exposed to foreign currency 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 is incurred in local currencies, which subjects us to risk of changes in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies. In some instances, we receive payments in currencies that are not easily traded and may be illiquid. 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. Gains and losses from the revaluation of our monetary assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are included in our consolidated statements of operations. Foreign currency fluctuations may cause the U.S. dollar value of our non-U.S. results of operations and net assets to vary with exchange rate fluctuations. This could have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial position. In addition, fluctuations in currencies relative to currencies in which the earnings are generated may make it more difficult to perform period-to-period comparisons of our reported results of operations.

To minimize the financial impact of these items, we attempt to contract a significant majority of our services in U.S. dollars and, when feasible, we attempt to not maintain large, non-U.S. dollar-denominated cash balances. In addition, we attempt to minimize the financial impact of these risks by matching the currency of our operating costs with the currency of revenue streams when considered appropriate. We monitor the currency exchange risks associated with all contracts not denominated in U.S. dollars.

Sonatide generally maintains Angolan kwanza-denominated deposits in Angolan banks, largely related to customer receipts in excess balances that are waiting to be converted to U.S. dollars, expatriated and then remitted to us. A devaluation in the Angolan kwanza relative to the U.S. dollar would result in foreign exchange losses for Sonatide to the extent the Angolan kwanza-denominated asset balances were in excess of kwanza-denominated liabilities. Under the current Sonatide joint venture structure, we would bear 49% of any potential losses.

With our extensive international operations, we are subject to certain compliance risks under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the United Kingdom Bribery Act or similar worldwide anti-bribery laws.

Our global operations require us to comply with a number of complex U.S. and international laws and regulations, including those involving anti-bribery and, anti-corruption. The FCPA and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions, including the U.K. Bribery Act the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and the Brazil Clean Company Act, generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business or obtaining an improper business benefit. We have adopted proactive procedures to promote compliance with the FCPA and other anti-bribery legislation, any failure to comply with the FCPA or other anti-bribery legislation could subject us to civil and criminal penalties or other fines or sanctions, including prohibition of our participating in or curtailment of business operations in those jurisdictions and the seizure of drilling rigs or other assets, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operation. Moreover, we may be held liable for actions taken by local partners or agents in violation of applicable anti-bribery laws, even though these partners or agents may themselves not be subject to such laws. Any determination that we have violated applicable anti-bribery laws in countries in which we do business could have a material adverse effect on our business and business reputation, as well as our results of operations, and cash flows. We operate in many parts of the world where governmental corruption is present and, in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices and impact our business.

The U.K.’s referendum to exit from the E.U. will have uncertain effects and could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

On June 23, 2016, the U.K. voted to exit from the E.U. (commonly referred to as Brexit) and exited from the E.U. on January 31, 2020. The terms of Brexit and the resulting U.K./E.U. relationship are uncertain for companies doing business both in the U.K. and the overall global economy. In addition, our business and operations may be impacted by any subsequent E.U. member withdrawals and a vote in Scotland to seek independence from the U.K. Risks related to Brexit that we may encounter include:

Risks Relating to Governmental Regulation

There may be changes to complex and developing laws and regulations to which we are subject that would increase our cost of compliance and operational risk. 

Our operations are subject to many complex and burdensome laws and regulations. Stringent federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to a number of aspects of our business, including anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws, import and export controls, the environment, worker health and safety, labor and employment, taxation, antitrust and fair competition, data privacy protections, securities regulations and other regulatory and legal requirements that significantly affect our operations. Many aspects of the marine industry are subject to extensive governmental regulation by the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and their foreign equivalents; as well as to standards imposed by private industry organizations such as the American Bureau of Shipping, the Oil Companies International Marine Forum, and the International Marine Contractors Association. Compliance with these laws and regulations may involve significant costs or require changes in our business practices that could result in reduced revenue and profitability. Non-compliance could also result in significant fines, damages, and other criminal sanctions against us, our officers or our employees, prohibitions or additional requirements on the conduct of our business and damage our reputation.

Further, many of the countries in which we operate have laws, regulations and enforcement systems that are less well developed than the laws, regulations and enforcement systems of the U.S., and the requirements of these systems are not always readily discernible even to experienced and proactive participants. These countries’ laws can be unclear, and, the application and enforcement of these laws and regulations can be unpredictable and subject to frequent change or reinterpretation. Sometimes governments may apply such changes or reinterpretations with retroactive effect, and may impose associated taxes, fees, fines or penalties based on that reinterpretation or retroactive effect. While we endeavor to comply with applicable laws and regulations, our compliance efforts might not always be wholly successful, and failure to comply may result in administrative and civil penalties, criminal sanctions, imposition of remedial obligations or the suspension or termination of our operations. These laws and regulations may expose us to liability for the conduct of, or conditions caused by, others, including charterers or third party agents. Moreover, these laws and regulations could be changed or be interpreted in new, unexpected ways that substantially increase costs that we may not be able to pass along to our customers. Any changes in laws, regulations or standards imposing additional requirements or restrictions, or any violation of such laws, regulations or standards, could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Changes in U.S. and international tax laws and policies could adversely affect our financial results.

We operate in the U.S. and globally through various subsidiaries which are subject to applicable tax laws, treaties or regulations within and between the jurisdictions in which we conduct our business, including laws or policies directed toward companies organized in jurisdictions with low tax rates, which may change and are subject to interpretation. We determine our income tax expense based on our interpretation of the applicable tax laws and regulations in effect in each jurisdiction for the period during which we operate and earn income. A material change in the tax laws, tax treaties, regulations or accounting principles, or interpretation thereof, in one or more countries in which we conduct business, or in which we are incorporated or a resident of, could result in a higher effective tax rate on our worldwide earnings, and such change could be significant to our financial results. In addition, our overall effective tax rate could be adversely and suddenly affected by lower than anticipated earnings in countries with lower statutory rates and higher than anticipated earnings in countries with higher statutory rates, or by changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities. Moreover, our worldwide operations may change in the future such that the mix of our income and losses recognized in the various jurisdictions could change. Any such changes could reduce our ability to utilize tax benefits, such as foreign tax credits, and could result in an increase in our effective tax rate and tax expense.

The majority of our revenues and net income are generated by our operations outside of the U.S. Our effective tax rate has historically averaged approximately 30% until recent years where the decline of the oil and natural gas market significantly impacted our operations and overall effective tax rate. 

On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the Tax Act). We continue to monitor the impact of the Tax Act on our ongoing operations. The impact of the Tax Act on our financial position in future periods could be adversely impacted by, among other things, changes in interpretations of the Tax Act, any legislative action to address questions that arise because of the Tax Act, or any changes in accounting standards for income taxes or related interpretations in response to the Tax Act. Additionally, longstanding international tax norms that determine each country’s jurisdiction to tax cross-border international trade are evolving as a result of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting reporting requirements (BEPS) recommended by the G8, G20 and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). As these and other tax laws and related regulations change, our financial results could be materially impacted. Given the unpredictability of these possible changes and their potential interdependency, it is very difficult to assess whether the overall effect of such potential tax changes would be cumulatively positive or negative for our earnings and cash flow, but such changes could adversely impact our financial results.

In addition, our income tax returns are subject to review and examination by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities where tax returns are filed. We routinely evaluate the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for taxes. We do not recognize the benefit of income tax positions we believe are more likely than not to be disallowed upon challenge by a tax authority. If any tax authority successfully challenges our operational structure or intercompany transfer pricing policies, or if the terms of certain income tax treaties were to be interpreted in a manner that is adverse to our structure, or if we lose a material tax dispute in any country, our effective tax rate on our worldwide earnings could increase, and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. 

Any changes in environmental regulations, including climate change and greenhouse gas restrictions, could increase the cost of energy and future production of oil and natural gas.

Our operations are subject to federal, state, local and international laws and regulations that control the discharge of pollutants into the environment or otherwise relate to environmental protection. Compliance with such laws and regulations may require installation of costly equipment, increased manning or operational changes. Some environmental laws may, in certain circumstances, impose strict liability for remediation of spills and releases of oil and hazardous substances, which could subject us to liability without regard to whether we were negligent or at fault.

Due to concern over the risk of climate change, a number of countries have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, regulatory frameworks to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide, methane and other gases (greenhouse gas emissions). These regulations include adoption of cap and trade regimes, carbon taxes, restrictive permitting, increased efficiency standards, and incentives or mandates for renewable energy. These requirements could make our customer’s products more expensive and reduce demand for hydrocarbons, as well as shift hydrocarbon demand toward relatively lower-carbon sources such as natural gas, any of which may reduce demand for our services. Notwithstanding the current downturn in the oil and natural gas industry punctuated by lessened demand and lower oil and natural gas prices, any such regulations could ultimately result in the increased cost of energy as well as environmental and other costs, and capital expenditures could be necessary to comply with the limitations. These developments may have an adverse effect on future production and demand for hydrocarbons such as crude oil and natural gas in areas of the world where our customers operate and thus adversely affect future demand for our offshore support vessels and other assets, which are highly dependent on the level of activity in offshore oil and natural gas exploration, development and production markets. In addition, the increased regulation of environmental emissions may create greater incentives for the use of alternative energy sources. Unless and until regulations are implemented and their effects are known, we cannot reasonably or reliably estimate their impact on our financial condition, results of operations and ability to compete. However, any long-term material adverse effect on the crude oil and natural gas industry may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Increasing attention to environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters may impact our business and some institutional investors may be discouraged from investing in the industry in which we operate.

Companies across all industries are facing increasing scrutiny from stakeholders related to their ESG practices. Investor advocacy groups, certain institutional investors, investment funds and other influential investors are also increasingly focused on ESG practices and in recent years have placed increasing importance on the implications and social cost of their investments. Regardless of the industry, investors’ increased focus and activism related to ESG and similar matters may hinder access to capital, as investors may decide to reallocate capital or to not commit capital as a result of their assessment of a company’s ESG practices. Companies which do not adapt to or comply with investor or stakeholder expectations and standards, which are evolving, or which are perceived to have not responded appropriately to the growing concern for ESG issues, regardless of whether there is a legal requirement to do so, may suffer from reputational damage and the business, financial condition, and/or stock price of such a company could be materially and adversely affected.

Specifically, adverse effects upon the oil and gas industry related to the worldwide social and political environment, including uncertainty or instability resulting from climate change, changes in political leadership and environmental policies, changes in geopolitical-social views toward fossil fuels and renewable energy, concern about the environmental impact of climate change and investors’ expectations regarding ESG matters, may also adversely affect demand for our services. Any long-term material adverse effect on the oil and gas industry would likely have a significant financial and operational adverse impact on our business.

In addition, some institutional investors are placing an increased emphasis on ESG factors when allocating their capital. These investors may be seeking enhanced ESG disclosures or may implement policies that discourage investment in the hydrocarbon industry. To the extent that certain institutions implement policies that discourage investments in our industry, it could have an adverse effect on our financing costs and access to liquidity and capital.

Risks Relating to Our Employees

We may have difficulty attracting, motivating and retaining executives and other key personnel.

The success of our business depends on the efforts and skill of our senior management team and other key personnel. Uncertainty about the effect of changes to our company and about the changes we have made or may make to the organizational structure may impair our ability to attract and retain key personnel. In addition, our industry has lost a significant number of experienced professionals over the years due to its cyclical nature, which is attributable, among other reasons, to the continuing depressed levels of oil and natural gas prices and a more generalized concern about the overall future prospects of the industry.

If executives, managers or other key personnel resign, retire or are terminated or their service is otherwise interrupted, we may not be able to replace them in a timely manner and we could experience significant declines in productivity. These uncertainties could affect our relationship with customers, vendors and other parties. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that we will be able to attract, retain and motivate executives, managers, and other key personnel to the same extent as in the past.

We may be subject to additional unionization efforts, new collective bargaining agreements or work stoppages.

In locations in which we are required to do so, we have union workers subject to collective bargaining agreements, which are subject to periodic negotiation. These negotiations could result in higher personnel expenses, other increased costs, or increased operational restrictions. Disputes over the terms of these agreements or our potential inability to negotiate acceptable contracts with the unions that represent our employees under these agreements could result in strikes, work stoppages or other slowdowns by the affected workers. Further, efforts have been made from time to time to unionize other portions of our workforce, including our U.S. GOM employees. Additional unionization efforts, new collective bargaining agreements or work stoppages could materially increase our costs and operating restrictions, disrupt our operations, reduce our revenues, adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, or limit our flexibility.

Our participation in industry-wide, multi-employer, defined benefit pension plans expose us to potential future losses.

Certain of our subsidiaries are participating employers in two industry-wide, multi-employer defined benefit pension plans in the U.K. Among other risks associated with multi-employer plans, contributions and unfunded obligations of the multi-employer plan are shared by the plan participants. As a result, we may inherit unfunded obligations if other plan participants withdraw from the plan or cease to participate, and in the event that we withdraw from participation in one or both of these plans, we may be required to pay the plan an amount based on our allocable share of the underfunded status of the plan. Depending on the results of future actuarial valuations, it is possible that the plans could experience further deficits that will require funding from us, which would negatively impact our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Certain of our employees are covered by federal laws that may subject us to job-related claims in addition to those provided by state laws.

Certain of our employees are covered by provisions of the Jones Act, the Death on the High Seas Act and general maritime law. These laws preempt state workers’ compensation laws and permit these employees and their representatives to pursue actions against employers for job-related incidents in federal courts based on tort theories. Because we are not generally protected by the damage limits imposed by state workers’ compensation statutes for these types of claims, we may have greater exposure for any claims made by these employees.

Risks Related to Information Technology and Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity attacks on any of our facilities, or those of third parties, may result in potential liability or reputational damage or otherwise adversely affect our business.

Many of our business and operational processes are heavily dependent on traditional and emerging technology systems, some of which are managed by us and some of which are managed by third-party service and equipment providers, to conduct day-to-day operations, improve safety and efficiency and lower costs. We use computerized systems to help run our financial and operations functions, including the processing of payment transactions, store confidential records and conduct vessel operations, which may subject our business to increased risks. If any of our financial, operational, or other technology systems fail or have other significant shortcomings, our financial results could be adversely affected. Our financial results could also be adversely affected if an employee or other third party causes our operational systems to fail, either as a result of inadvertent error or by deliberately tampering with or manipulating our operational systems. In addition, dependence upon automated systems, including those on board our vessels, may further increase the risk that operational system flaws, employee or other tampering or manipulation of those systems will result in losses that are difficult to detect.

Cybersecurity incidents are increasing in frequency and magnitude. These incidents may include, but are not limited to, installation of malicious software, phishing, credential attacks, unauthorized access to data and other advanced and sophisticated cybersecurity breaches and threats, including threats that increasingly target critical operations technologies and process control networks. Any cybersecurity attacks that affect our facilities or operations, our customers or any financial data could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, cyber-attacks on our customer and employee data may result in a financial loss and may negatively impact our reputation. Third-party systems on which we rely could also suffer such attacks or operational system failures. Any of these occurrences could disrupt our business, result in potential liability or reputational damage or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business, operations and financial results.

In addition, laws and regulations governing data privacy and the unauthorized disclosure of confidential or protected information, including the GDPR and recent legislation in certain U.S. states, pose increasingly complex compliance challenges and potentially elevate costs, and any failure to comply with these laws and regulations could result in significant penalties and legal liability.

Risks Related to Our Securities

Our common stock is subject to restriction on foreign ownership and possible required divestiture by non-U.S. Citizen stockholders.

Certain of our operations are conducted in the U.S. coastwise trade and are governed by the U.S. federal law commonly known as the Jones Act. The Jones Act restricts waterborne transportation of goods and passengers between points in the U.S. to vessels owned and controlled by “U.S. Citizens” as defined thereunder. We could lose the privilege of owning and operating vessels in the Jones Act trade if non-U.S. Citizens were to own or control, in the aggregate, more than 25% of our common stock. Such loss could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Second Amended and Restated By-Laws authorize our Board of Directors to establish with respect to any class or series of our capital stock certain rules, policies and procedures, including procedures with respect to the transfer of shares, to ensure compliance with the Jones Act. In order to provide a reasonable margin for compliance with the Jones Act, our Board of Directors has determined that, all non-U.S. Citizens in the aggregate may own up to 24% of the outstanding shares of common stock and any individual non-U.S. Citizen may own up to 4.9% of the outstanding shares of common stock.

At and during such time that the permitted limit of ownership by non-U.S. Citizens is reached with respect to shares of common stock, as applicable, we will be unable to issue any further shares of such class of common stock or approve transfers of such class of common stock to non-U.S. Citizens. Any purported transfer of our common stock in violation of these ownership provisions will be ineffective to transfer the common stock or any voting, dividend or other rights associated with such common stock. The existence and enforcement of these requirements could have an adverse impact on the liquidity or market value of our equity securities in the event that U.S. Citizens were unable to transfer our shares to non-U.S. Citizens. Furthermore, under certain circumstances, this ownership requirement could discourage, delay or prevent a change of control.

The market price of our securities is subject to volatility.

 The market price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to, and the level of trading that develops with our common stock may be affected by, numerous factors beyond our control such as, our limited trading history subsequent to our emergence from bankruptcy, the fact that on occasion our securities may be thinly traded, the lack of comparable historical financial information due to our adoption of fresh start accounting, actual or anticipated variations in our operating results and cash flow, business conditions in our markets and the general state of the securities markets and the market for energy-related stocks, as well as general economic and market conditions and other factors that may affect our future results, including those described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Because we currently have no plans to pay cash dividends or other distributions on our common stock, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

We currently do not pay and do not expect to pay any cash dividends or other distributions on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay cash dividends or other distributions on our common stock will be at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors and, if we elect to pay such dividends in the future, we may reduce or discontinue entirely the payment of such dividends thereafter at any time. The Board of Directors may take into account general and economic conditions, our financial condition and operating results, our available cash and current and anticipated cash needs, capital requirements, agreements governing any existing and future indebtedness we or our subsidiaries may incur and other contractual, legal, tax and regulatory restrictions and implications on the payment of dividends by us to our stockholders, and such other factors as the Board of Directors may deem relevant. As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in our common stock unless you sell our common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

Our ability to raise capital in the future may be limited, which could make us unable to fund our capital requirements.

Our business and operations may consume cash more quickly than we anticipate potentially impairing our ability to make capital expenditures to maintain our fleet and other assets in suitable operating condition. If our cash flows from operating activities are not sufficient to fund capital expenditures, we would be required to further reduce these expenditures or to fund capital expenditures through debt or equity issuances or through alternative financing plans or selling assets. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to fund our capital requirements. Our ability to raise debt or equity capital or to refinance or restructure existing debt arrangements will depend on the condition of the capital markets, our financial condition and cash flow generating capacity at such time, among other things. Any limitations in our ability to finance future capital expenditures may limit our ability to respond to changes in customer preferences, technological change and other market conditions, which may diminish our competitive position within our sector.

If we issue additional equity securities, existing stockholders will experience dilution. Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation permits our Board of Directors to issue preferred stock which could have rights and preferences senior to those of our common stock. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, our security holders bear the risk of our future securities offerings reducing the market price of our common stock or other securities, diluting their interest or being subject to rights and preferences senior to their own.

Anti-takeover provisions and limitations on foreign ownership in our organizational documents could delay or prevent a change of control.

Certain provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and our Second Amended and Restated By-Laws and Delaware law could delay, defer or prevent a merger, acquisition, tender offer, takeover attempt or other change of control transaction that our stockholders may deem advantageous, including those attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares held by our stockholders or negatively affect the trading price of our common stock and other securities. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing and to cause us to take other corporate actions you desire. These provisions provide for, among other things:

In addition, the Delaware General Corporation Law imposes restrictions on mergers and other business combinations between us and any holder of 15% or more of our outstanding common stock.

The exercise of all or any number of outstanding warrants or the issuance of stock-based awards may dilute your holding of shares of our common stock.

We have issued or assumed a number of securities providing for the right to purchase our common stock. Investors could be subject to increased dilution upon the exercise of our New Creditor Warrants and GLF Creditor Warrants for a nominal exercise price subject to Jones Act-related foreign ownership restrictions, and the exercise of our Series A Warrants, Series B Warrants and GLF Equity Warrants. Unexercised Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants will expire on July 31, 2023. Unexercised GLF Equity Warrants expire on November 14, 2024. Unexercised New Creditor Warrants expire on July 31, 2042 and unexercised GLF Creditor Warrants expire on November 14, 2042.

Additionally, shares of common stock were reserved for issuance under the 2017 Stock Incentive Plan and Legacy GulfMark Stock Incentive Plan, respectively, as equity-based awards to employees, directors and certain other persons. The exercise of equity awards, including any restricted stock units that we may grant in the future, and the exercise of warrants and the subsequent sale of shares of common stock issued thereby, could have an adverse effect on the market for our common stock, including the price that an investor could obtain for their shares. Investors may experience dilution in the value of their investment upon the exercise of the warrants and any equity awards that may be granted or issued pursuant to the 2017 Stock Incentive Plan and the Legacy GulfMark Stock Incentive Plan.

Please refer to Notes (10) and (11) of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional discussion of our outstanding warrants and stock-based awards.

There may be a limited trading market for our New Creditor Warrants and GLF Creditor Warrants, and you may have difficulty trading and obtaining quotations for New Creditor Warrants and GLF Creditor Warrants.

While there are unsolicited quotes for our New Creditor Warrants on the OTC Pink Market, there is no market maker for this security on the OTC Pink Market, and there can be no assurance that an active trading market will develop. While the GLF Creditor Warrants trade on OTC QX market, there has been limited trading volume since the business combination. The lack of an active market may impair your ability to sell your New Creditor Warrants or GLF Creditor Warrants at the time you wish to sell them or at a price that you consider reasonable. The lack of an active market may also reduce the fair market value of your New Creditor Warrants or GLF Creditor Warrants. As a result, you may find it difficult to dispose of, or to obtain accurate quotations of the price of, our New Creditor Warrants or GLF Creditor Warrants. This severely limits the liquidity of our New Creditor Warrants and the GLF Creditor Warrants and will likely reduce the market price of our New Creditor Warrants and the GLF Creditor Warrants.

There is no guarantee that the Series A Warrants, Series B Warrants and GLF Equity Warrants issued by us or assumed by us will ever be in the money, and unexercised warrants may expire with limited or no value. Further, the terms of such warrants may be amended.

As long as our stock price is below the strike price of each of the Series A Warrants, Series B Warrants and GLF Equity Warrants, $57.06 per share for Series A Warrants, $62.28 per share for Series B Warrants and $100.00 per share for the GLF Equity Warrants), these warrants will have limited economic value, and they may expire with limited or no value. In addition, the warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least a certain percentage of the then-outstanding warrants originally issued to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the holders. Any material amendment to the terms of the warrant in a manner adverse to a holder would require holders of at least a certain percentage of the then outstanding warrants, but less than all holders, approve of such amendment.

We may not be able to maintain a listing of our common stock, Series A Warrants, Series B Warrants and GLF Equity Warrants on the NYSE or NYSE American.

We must meet certain financial and liquidity criteria to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE or NYSE American, as applicable. If we fail to meet any of the NYSE or NYSE American’s continued listing standards, our common stock, Series A Warrants, Series B Warrants, or GLF Equity Warrants may be delisted. A delisting of our common stock, Series A Warrants, Series B Warrants, or GLF Equity Warrants may materially impair our stockholders’ and warrant holders’ ability to buy and sell our common stock, Series A Warrants, Series B Warrants, or GLF Equity Warrants and could have an adverse effect on the market price of, and the efficiency of, the trading market for these securities. A delisting of our common stock, Series A Warrants, Series B Warrants or GLF Equity Warrants could significantly impair our ability to raise capital.

General Risk Factors

Uncertain economic conditions may lead our customers to postpone capital spending or jeopardize our customers’ or other counterparties’ ability to perform their obligations.

Uncertainty about future global economic market conditions makes it challenging to forecast operating results and to make decisions about future investments. The success of our business is both directly and indirectly dependent upon conditions in the global financial and credit markets that are outside of our control and difficult to predict. Uncertain economic conditions may lead our customers to postpone capital spending in response to tighter credit markets and reductions in our customers’ income or asset values. Similarly, when lenders and institutional investors reduce, and in some cases, cease to provide funding to corporate and other industrial borrowers, the liquidity and financial condition of the company and our customers can be adversely impacted. These factors may also adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition. Factors such as interest rates, availability of credit, inflation rates, economic uncertainty, changes in laws (including laws relating to taxation), trade barriers and economic sanctions or other restrictions imposed by the U.S. or other countries, commodity prices, currency exchange rates and controls, and national and international political circumstances (including wars, terrorist acts, security operations, and seaborne refugee issues) can have a material negative effect on our business, revenues and profitability.

Additionally, continued uncertain industry conditions could jeopardize the ability of certain of our counterparties, including our customers, insurers and financial institutions, to perform their obligations. Although we assess the creditworthiness of our counterparties, a prolonged period of difficult industry conditions could lead to changes in a counterparty’s liquidity and increase our exposure to credit risk and bad debts. In addition, we may offer extended payment terms to our customers in order to secure contracts. These circumstances may lead to more frequent collection issues. Our financial results and liquidity could be adversely affected.

There are uncertainties in identifying and integrating acquisitions and mergers.

Although acquisitions have historically been an element of our business strategy, we cannot assure investors that we will be able to identify and acquire acceptable acquisition candidates on terms favorable to us in the future. We may be required to use our cash, issue equity securities, or incur substantial indebtedness to finance future acquisitions or mergers. Any of these financing options could reduce our profitability and harm our business or only be available to us on unfavorable terms, if at all, and could require concessions under our current indebtedness that our lenders might not be willing to grant. Such additional debt service requirements may impose a significant burden on our results of operations and financial condition, and any equity issuance could have a dilutive impact on our stockholders.

We cannot be certain that we will be able to successfully consolidate the operations and assets of any acquired business with our own business. Acquisitions may not perform as expected when the transaction was consummated and may be dilutive to our overall operating results. In addition, valuations supporting our acquisitions and strategic investments could change rapidly given the current global economic climate. We could determine that such valuations have experienced impairments or other-than-temporary declines in fair value which could adversely impact our financial results. Moreover, our management may not be able to effectively manage a substantially larger business or successfully operate a new line of business.

Our business could be negatively affected as a result of actions of activist stockholders.

Activist stockholders could advocate for changes to our corporate governance, operational practices and strategic direction, which could have an adverse effect on our reputation, business and future operations. In recent years, publicly-traded companies have been increasingly subject to demands from activist stockholders advocating for changes to corporate governance practices, such as executive compensation practices, social issues, or for certain corporate actions or reorganizations. There can be no assurances that activist stockholders won’t publicly advocate for us to make certain corporate governance changes or engage in certain corporate actions. Responding to challenges from activist stockholders, such as proxy contests, media campaigns or other activities, could be costly and time consuming and could have an adverse effect on our reputation and divert the attention and resources of management and our Board, which could have an adverse effect on our business and operational results. Additionally, stockholder activism could create uncertainty about future strategic direction, resulting in loss of future business opportunities, which could adversely affect our business, future operations, profitability and our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Information on Properties is contained in Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

For a discussion of our material legal proceedings, see Note (12) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

None.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS, AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Common Stock Market Prices

Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “TDW.” At February 15, 2021, there were 684 record holders of our common stock, based on the record holder list maintained by our stock transfer agent.  

Issuer Repurchases of Equity Securities

No shares were repurchased during the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018.

Dividends

There were no dividends declared during the years ended December 31, 2020. 2019 and 2018.

Performance Graph

The following graph and table compare the cumulative total return to our stockholders on our common stock beginning with the commencement of trading upon our emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 31, 2017 through December 31, 2020, relative to the cumulative total returns of the Russell 2000 Stock Index, the PHLX Oil Service Sector Index, and the Dow Jones U.S. Oil Equipment & Services Index. The analysis assumes the investment of $100 on August 1, 2017, at closing prices on July 31, 2017, and the reinvestment of dividends into additional shares of the same class of equity securities at the frequency with which dividends are paid on such securities during the applicable fiscal year.

Investors are cautioned against drawing conclusions from the data contained in the graph, as past results are not necessarily indicative of future performance.

The above graph is being furnished pursuant to SEC rules. It will not be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 (Securities Act) or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate it by reference.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the accompanying consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion and analysis contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our future results of operations could differ materially from our historical results or those anticipated in our forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors” in Item 1A and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. With respect to this section, the cautionary language applicable to such forward-looking statements described under “Forward-Looking Statements” found before Item 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is incorporated by reference into this Item 7.

About Tidewater

Our vessels and associated vessel services provide support for all phases of offshore oil and natural gas exploration, field development and production as well as windfarm development and maintenance. 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; geotechnical survey support for windfarm construction; 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 a history spanning over 60 years.

On November 15, 2018 (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 years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 include GulfMark’s operations while our balances and results for the year ended December 30, 2018 only include GulfMark’s operations for the last 45 days.

At December 31, 2020, we owned 172 vessels with an average age of 10.4 years (excluding 3 joint venture vessels, but including 35 stacked active vessels and 23 vessels designated for sale) available to serve the global energy industry. The average age of our 149 active vessels at December 31, 2020 is 10.2 years.

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, 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, although a weaker offshore energy market could 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.

Insurance 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-U.S. operating areas where brokers oftentimes assist us in obtaining work. Brokers generally are paid a percentage of day rates billed upon collection of the amounts invoiced and, accordingly, commissions paid to brokers generally fluctuate in accordance with vessel revenue.

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 regard to deepwater projects.

Sonatide

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. In late 2019, we were informed that, as part of a broad privatization program, Sonangol intends to seek to divest itself from Sonatide.

In the second quarter of 2020, Sonatide declared a $35.0 million dividend.  On June 22, 2020, Sonangol received $17.8 million and we received $17.2 million.  Our share of the dividend is reflected as dividend income from unconsolidated company in the consolidated statement of operations because (i) our investment in Sonatide had previously been written down to zero, (ii) the distributions are not refundable and (iii) we are not liable for the obligations of or committed to provide financial support to Sonatide.  In addition, as a result of the aforementioned dividend payment, the cash balances of the joint venture were significantly reduced and we determined that, as a result, a significant portion of our net due from Sonatide balance was compromised.  During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded a $40.9 million affiliate credit loss impairment expense.

DTDW

We own 40% of DTDW in Nigeria.  Our partner, who owns 60%, is a Nigerian national.  DTDW owns one offshore service vessel and has long term debt of $4.7 million which is secured by the vessel and guarantees from the DTDW partners. We also operate company owned vessels in Nigeria for which the joint venture receives a commission.  As of December 31, 2020, we had no company owned vessels operating in Nigeria and the DTDW owned vessel was not employed.  At the beginning of 2020 we had expected that we would be operating numerous vessels in Nigeria, but in the second quarter of 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting oil price reduction caused our primary customer in Nigeria to eliminate all planned operations for 2020.  As a result, the near-term cash flow projections indicate that DTDW does not have sufficient funds to meet its obligations to us or to the holder of its long-term debt.  Therefore, we recorded affiliate credit loss impairment expense for the year ended December 31, 2020 totaling $12.1 million.  In addition, based on our analysis we have determined that DTDW will be unable to pay its debt obligation and the debt will not be satisfied by liquidating the vessel and, as a result, we recorded additional impairment expense of $2.0 million for our expected share of the obligation guarantee during the year ended December 31, 2020.  

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.  Prices are subject to significant uncertainty and, as a result, are extremely volatile. Beginning in late 2014, oil prices declined significantly from levels of over $100.00 per barrel and continued to decline throughout 2015 and into 2016 causing an industry-wide downturn. Prices began to stabilize in the  $50.00 to $60.00 per barrel range in 2019 and early 2020. However, in the first quarter of 2020 the industry was severely impacted by the previously discussed global pandemic (COVID-19) and the resulting loss of demand and decrease in oil prices.

As COVID-19 spread throughout the world, its impact on many of our locations, including our vessels, has affected our operations.  We have implemented various protocols for both onshore and offshore personnel in efforts to limit this impact, but there is no assurance that those efforts will be fully successful. Any spread of COVID-19 to our onshore workforce or  key management personnel could prevent us from supporting our offshore operations, reduce productivity as our onshore personnel continue to work remotely, and disrupt our business. Any outbreak on our vessels may result in the vessel, or some or all of a vessel crew, being quarantined and therefore impede the vessel’s ability to generate revenue.  We have experienced challenges in connection with our offshore crew changes due to health and travel restrictions related to COVID-19, and those challenges and/or restrictions are expected to continue despite our efforts at mitigating them.  To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our operations and business, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks set forth in our SEC filings.

The effect on our business includes lockdowns of shipyards where we have vessels performing drydocks which will delay vessels returning to service and the cancellation and/or temporary delay of certain revenue vessel contracts allowed either under the contract provisions or by mutual agreement with our customers. These cancellations and/or temporary delays reduced our 2020 revenues by approximately 18.0%.  We also incurred approximately $18.0 million in higher operating costs, primarily related to additional crew costs, mobilization and vessel stacking costs as a result of these unplanned contract cancellations.  There may be additional cancellations or delays.

As a company, we have undertaken the following temporary measures to assist us in weathering the COVID-19 pandemic and allow us to recover as soon as possible:

The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and operations will depend on the severity, location, and duration of the effects and spread of the pandemic itself, the actions undertaken by national, regional, and local governments and health officials to contain the virus or treat its effects, and how quickly and to what extent economic conditions improve and normal business and operating conditions resume.  As we cannot predict the duration or scope of this pandemic, the anticipated negative financial impact to our operating results cannot be reasonably estimated but could be both material and long-lasting.

In the first and second quarters of 2020, we considered these events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting oil price decrease and demand reduction to be indicators that the value of our active offshore vessel fleet may be impaired.  As a result, as of March 31, 2020 and  June 30, 2020 , we performed Step 1 evaluations of our active offshore fleet under FASB Accounting Standards Codification 360, which governs the methodology for identifying and recording impairment of long-lived assets to determine if any of our asset groups have net book value in excess of undiscounted future net cash flows. Our evaluations did not indicate impairment of any of our asset groups.  During the third quarter conditions related to the pandemic and oil price environment did not worsen from the second quarter and in the fourth quarter industry conditions marginally improved compared with the third quarter.  As a result, we did not identify additional events or conditions that would require us to perform a Step 1 evaluation during either quarter.  We will continue to monitor the expected future cash flows and the fair market value of our asset groups for impairment.

Results of Operations

We manage and measure our business performance primarily based on four distinct geographic operating segments: Americas, Middle East/Asia Pacific, Europe/Mediterranean and West Africa. 

This section of this Form 10-K generally discusses 2020 and 2019 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2020 and 2019. Discussions of 2019 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2019 and 2018 that are not included in this Form 10-K can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” in Part II, Items 7. and 7A. of the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. 

Our 2020 results are affected by the following factors:

The above factors are discussed in more detail and in context in the consolidated and segment results of operations comparisons for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 below.

The following tables present vessel revenue by segment, vessel operating costs by segment, the related segment vessel revenue and operating costs as a percentage of segment vessel revenues, total vessel revenue and operating costs and the related total vessel revenue and operating costs as a percentage of total vessel revenues for our owned and operated vessel fleet:

The following tables present vessel operations general and administrative expenses by segment, the related segment vessel operations general and administrative expenses as a percentage of segment vessel revenues, total vessel operations general and administrative expenses and the related total vessel operations general and administrative expenses as a percentage of total vessel revenues.

The following tables present depreciation and amortization expense by segments, the related segment depreciation and amortization expense as a percentage of segment vessel revenues, total depreciation and amortization expense and the related total depreciation and amortization expense as a percentage of total vessel revenues.

The following tables compare operating income and other components of earnings before income taxes, and its related percentage of total revenues.

Years Ended December 31, 2020 and 2019

Our total revenues for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 were $397.0 million and $486.5 million, respectively. The decrease in revenue is primarily due to decreases in our West Africa with 14 less active vessels and Europe/Mediterranean segments, with 13 less active vessels. Both segments were significantly affected by the decrease in demand caused by the pandemic. Overall, we had 32 less average active vessels in the year ended December 31, 2020 than in the year ended December 31, 2019.  Active utilization decreased from 80.4% in 2019 to 77.0% in 2020.  

Vessel operating costs for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 were $268.8 million and $329.2 million, respectively. The decrease is primarily due to a decrease in vessel activity, as we have 32 less active vessels in our fleet in the year ended December 31, 2020.

Depreciation and amortization expense for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 was $116.7 million and $101.9 million, respectively. Depreciation and amortization expense were higher in the current period because of a $18.8 million increase in amortization of deferred drydocking and survey costs partially offset by lower vessel depreciation resulting from the discontinuation of depreciation on vessels classified as held for sale.

General and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 were $73.4 million and $103.7 million, respectively. General and administrative expenses decreased overall in 2020 because of cost cutting measures being implemented during the pandemic and a reduction in one-time severance charges incurred in 2020 compared to 2019.

The net gain on asset dispositions, for the year ended December 31, 2020 are $7.6 million of net gains, primarily from the sale of 56 vessels and other assets. During the year ended December 31, 2019, we recognized net gains of $2.3 million related to the sale of 40 vessels, primarily from our active fleet, and other assets.

During 2020, as discussed previously, we recorded $74.1 million of impairment primarily related to our vessels held for sale and $53.0 million of credit related losses associated with our two joint ventures in Nigeria and Angola.  This compares to $37.8 million of impairment recorded in 2019, primarily related to our initial recognition of assets held for sale and inventory obsolescence.

Interest expense and other debt costs decreased by $4.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the year ended December 31, 2019.  This is the result of paying down $97.1 million of our long-term debt primarily in the third and fourth quarters of 2020, offset by the acceleration of recognition of a portion of our deferred debt discount associated with the repaid debt.  In addition, our interest income and other decreased by $5.4 million primarily as a result of lower cash balances in 2020 compared to 2019.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized foreign exchange losses of $5.2 million and for the year ended December 31, 2019 we recognized losses of $1.3 million. These foreign exchange losses were primarily the result of the revaluation of various foreign currencies where we conduct our business including the Norwegian Kroner, Brazilian-Reais, Angola Kwanza, British Pound and Euro which are denominated balances to our U.S. dollar reporting currency.

In addition, our income tax benefit was $1.0 million in the year ended December 31, 2020 compared with an income tax expense of $27.7 million in the year ended December 31, 2019 primarily due to the reversal of some uncertain tax positions during 2020 as well as an NOL carryback for a tax refund under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Americas Segment Operations. Vessel revenues in the Americas segment decreased 7.5%, or $10.3 million, during the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease is primarily due to a decrease of five active vessels primarily due to the pandemic. Overall, Americas segment active utilization increased from 84.2% during 2019 to 85.7% during 2020 and average day rates during these same periods increased 7.7%, which was generally due to a greater portion of the segment’s vessels being hired at current prevailing day rates which were higher than those in 2019.    

Operating profit for the Americas segment for the year ended December 31, 2020, was $5.7 million greater than operating profit for the year ended December 31, 2019. Even though revenues decreased from period to period, the higher operating profit was primarily related to a $18.6 million decrease in vessel operating costs resulting from the decrease in vessel activity because of the pandemic and $2.1 million lower general and administrative cost due from ongoing cost saving efforts. These declines were partially offset by a $4.6 million increase in depreciation because of increased amortization of deferred drydock costs.

Middle East/Asia Pacific Segment Operations.  Vessel revenues in the Middle East/Asia Pacific segment increased $6.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2019. The Middle East/Asia Pacific average day rates were 10.1% higher for 2020 than for 2019. Middle East/Asia Pacific segment active utilization decreased from 79.1% to 76.4% and average active vessel fleet count was flat. Our Middle East/Asia Pacific segment was only marginally affected by COVID-19.

Operating loss for the Middle East/Asia Pacific segment was approximately flat compared with the prior year because increased revenue was offset by higher vessel operating costs and an increase in depreciation resulting from increased amortization of deferred drydock costs.

Europe/Mediterranean Segment Operations. Vessel revenues in the Europe/Mediterranean segment decreased 32.4%, or $40.1 million, during the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2019 primarily due to a 13 active vessel decrease. Europe/Mediterranean segment active utilization increased from 85.8% to 89.8% and average day rates increased by 5.4%. These increases in average day rates are due to the mix of vessels under longer term higher day rate contracts continuing while shorter term and spot contracts were delayed or canceled.  This Segment experienced a significant downturn due to the pandemic.

Operating loss for the Europe/Mediterranean segment increased from $1.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 to $8.6 million in 2020 for the year ended December 31, 2020.  This decrease resulted from lower revenue, which more than offset lower operating costs associated with lower vessel activity and lower general and administrative costs attributable to our ongoing cost reduction efforts.

West Africa Segment Operations.  Vessel revenues in the West Africa segment decreased 37.5%, or $47.3 million, during the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2019. The West Africa active vessel fleet decreased by 14 vessels during the comparative periods. West Africa segment active utilization decreased from 75.1% to 62.8% and average day rates increased by 3.2%. The decreases in revenue were mainly due to the capacity reduction and utilization decline caused by the negative impact of the pandemic. This segment had the most negative impact from the pandemic because of significant contract cancellations

The operating loss for the West Africa segment was $27.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, as compared to $8.3 million operating profit for the year ended December 31, 2019 primarily resulting from decreased revenue and $6.6 million of increased depreciation and amortization resulting from higher amortization of drydock costs. These declines were partially offset by lower operating costs associated with the lower vessel activity and lower general and administrative costs attributable to our ongoing cost reduction efforts.  

Vessel Utilization and Average Rates by Segment

Owned or chartered vessels include stacked vessels. We consider a vessel to be stacked if the vessel crew is furloughed or substantially reduced and limited maintenance is being performed on the vessel. We reduce operating costs by stacking vessels when management does not foresee opportunities to profitably or strategically operate the vessels in the near future. Vessels are stacked when market conditions warrant and they are no longer considered stacked when they are returned to active service, sold or otherwise disposed. When economically practical marketing opportunities arise, the stacked vessels can be returned to active service by performing any necessary maintenance on the vessel and either rehiring or returning fleet personnel to operate the vessel. Although not currently fulfilling charters, stacked vessels are considered to be in service and are included in the calculation of our utilization statistics.

We had 35 and 19 stacked vessels in our active fleet as of  December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. As of  December 31, 2019, we had 46 total vessels that were classified as assets held for sale. During 2020, we designated an additional 32 assets for disposition and sold 53 vessels that had been designated as held for sale plus an additional three vessels from our active fleet.  At December 31, 2020, 23 vessels remain reclassified as assets held for sale in current assets.

Vessel Dispositions

We seek opportunities to sell and/or recycle our older vessels when market conditions warrant and opportunities arise. The majority of our vessels are sold to buyers who do not compete with us in the offshore energy industry. The number of vessels disposed by segment are as follows:

Vessel Deliveries

We did not build any vessels in the two years ended December 31, 2020.  In the fourth quarter of 2020, we acquired 11 crew boats for $5.3 million which were added to our active fleet in Africa.

 General and Administrative Expenses

Consolidated general and administrative expenses and the related percentage of each component to total revenues are as follows:

Segment and corporate general and administrative expenses and the related percentage of total general and administrative expenses were as follows:

General and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2020 have decreased as compared to the comparable prior year primarily as a result of our continuing efforts to reduce overhead costs due to the downturn in the offshore services market.

Liquidity, Capital Resources and Other Matters

Availability of Cash

As of  December 31, 2020, we had 155.2 million in cash and cash equivalents (including restricted cash), including amounts held by foreign subsidiaries, the majority of which is available to us without adverse tax consequences. Included in foreign subsidiary cash are balances held in U.S. dollars and foreign currencies that await repatriation due to various currency conversion and repatriation constraints, partner and tax related matters, prior to the cash being made available for remittance to our domestic accounts. We currently intend that earnings by foreign subsidiaries will be indefinitely reinvested in foreign jurisdictions in order to fund strategic initiatives (such as investment, expansion and acquisitions), fund working capital requirements and repay debt (both third-party and intercompany) of our foreign subsidiaries in the normal course of business. Moreover, we do not currently intend to repatriate earnings of our foreign subsidiaries to the U. S. because cash generated from our domestic businesses and the repayment of intercompany liabilities from foreign subsidiaries are currently deemed to be sufficient to fund the cash needs of our operations in the U. S.

Our objective in financing our business is to maintain and preserve adequate financial resources and sufficient levels of liquidity. We do not have a revolving credit facility. Cash and cash equivalents and future net cash provided by operating activities provide us, in our opinion, with sufficient liquidity to meet our liquidity requirements.

Indebtedness

As of December 31, 2020, we had $198.0 million of long -term debt on our consolidated balance sheet of which $27.8 million is due within one year.  Of this amount, our Secured Notes total $147.0 million, which is due in August 2022.  The Secured Notes have a quarterly minimum trailing year interest coverage requirement that began June 30, 2019. Compliance with this covenant has been waived from April 2021 through December 31, 2021. Minimum liquidity requirements and other covenants are set forth in the Indenture.  In addition, we have $50.9 million of long-term debt in a subsidiary that is collateralized by certain of the subsidiary’s vessels.  This debt has similar covenants as the Secured Notes. We believe that our $155.2 million in cash on hand, plus cash generated from our operations and asset sales in 2021 will be sufficient to meet our debt obligations in 2021. Refer to Note (4) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further details on our indebtedness.

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.

Share Repurchases

No shares were repurchased during the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018.  Please refer to Note (12) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Dividends

There were no dividends declared during the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018.  Please refer to Note (11) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by or used in operating activities for any period will fluctuate according to the level of business activity for the applicable period.

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities is as follows:

Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2020, of $4.0 million reflects a net loss of $196.7 million, non-cash impairments of $129.1 million, non-cash depreciation and amortization of $116.7 million, a net gain on asset dispositions of $7.6 million, and stock-based compensation expense of $5.1 million. Changes in operating assets and liabilities used $26.5 million in cash while amounts due to/from affiliates provided $11.9 million in cash.  We paid $33.3 million for regulatory drydocks in 2020.

Net cash used by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2019, of $31.4 million reflects a net loss of $141.2 million, non-cash asset impairments of $37.8 million, non-cash depreciation and amortization of $101.9 million, a net gain on asset dispositions of $2.3 million and stock-based compensation expense of $19.6 million. We paid out $70.4 million for regulatory drydocks, including reactivations, in 2019. Changes in investments in, at equity, and advances to unconsolidated companies decreased by $1.0 million, primarily reflecting foreign exchange losses recognized by our 49% owned Sonatide joint venture.

Investing Activities

Net cash provided by investing activities is as follows:

Net cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020, was $23.4 million, reflecting proceeds from the sale of assets of $38.3 million related to the disposal of 56 vessels, 25 of which were recycled.  Additions to property and equipment were comprised of $14.9 million, primarily for the purchase of eleven crew vessels, upgrades to our existing fleet and continued enhancements to our current enterprise software system.

Net cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2019, was $10.8 million, reflecting the receipt of proceeds from the sale of assets of $28.8 million related to the disposal of 40 vessels, 22 of which were recycled. Additions to property and equipment were comprised of $18.0 million, primarily for upgrades to our existing fleet and the implementation of a new enterprise software system.

Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities is as follows:

Financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2020, used $99.8 million of cash, as a result of the repayment of $76.2 million of our secured notes in open market purchases and a voluntary tender offer.   Financing activities also included $21.9 million of scheduled semiannual payments and additional prepayments on the TROMS offshore debt.

Financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2019, used $149.6 million of cash, as a result of the repayment of the $125.0 million of our secured notes and a $11.4 million redemption premium and consent fee, pursuant to a tender offer associated with the repayment of secured notes. Financing activities also included $8.7 million of scheduled semiannual payments on the TROMS offshore debt.

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. Information related to various commitments and contingencies, including legal proceedings, is disclosed in Note (12) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Contractual Obligations and Contingent Commitments

Contractual Obligations

The following table summarizes our consolidated contractual obligations as of December 31, 2020 and the effect such obligations, inclusive of interest costs, are expected to have on our liquidity and cash flows in future periods.

Letters of Credit and Surety Bonds

In the ordinary course of business, we had other commitments that we are contractually obligated to fulfill with cash should the obligations be called. These obligations include standby letters of credit, surety bonds and performance bonds that guarantee our performance as it relates to our vessel contracts, insurance, customs and other obligations in various jurisdictions. While these obligations are not normally called, the obligation could be called by the beneficiaries at any time before the expiration date should we breach certain contractual and/or performance or payment obligations. As of December 31, 2020, we had approximately $40.5 million of outstanding standby letters of credit, surety bonds and performance bonds, geographically concentrated in Mexico, Brazil and Nigeria.

Application of Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and related disclosures and disclosures of any contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. We evaluate the reasonableness of these estimates and assumptions continually based on a combination of historical experience and other assumptions and information that comes to our attention that may vary the outlook for the future. Estimates and assumptions about future events and their effects are subject to uncertainty, and accordingly, these estimates may change as new events occur, as more experience is acquired, as additional information is obtained and as the business environment in which we operate changes. As a result, actual results may differ from estimates under different assumptions.

The Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, as described in Note (1) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, should be read in conjunction with this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. We have defined a critical accounting estimate as one that is important to the portrayal of our financial condition or results of operations and requires us to make difficult, subjective or complex judgments or estimates about matters that are uncertain. We believe the following critical accounting policies that affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements are described below. There are other items within our consolidated financial statements that require estimation and judgment, but they are not deemed critical as defined above.

Receivables and Allowance for Credit Losses

In the normal course of business, we extend credit to our customers on a short-term basis. Our principal customers are major oil and natural gas exploration, field development and production companies. We routinely review and evaluate our accounts receivable balances for collectability. The determination of the collectability of amounts due from our customers requires us to use estimates and make judgments regarding future events and trends, including monitoring our customers’ payment history and current credit worthiness to determine that collectability is reasonably assured, as well as consideration of the overall business climate in which our customers operate. Expected credit losses are recorded on the initial recognition of our primary financial assets, which are trade accounts receivable and contract assets. We also have net receivable balances related to joint ventures in which we own less than 50%. We review and evaluate these receivables for collectability in a similar manner as we evaluate trade receivables. We believe that our allowance for credit losses is adequate to cover potential bad debt losses under current conditions; however, uncertainties regarding changes in the financial condition of our customers, either adverse or positive, could impact the amount and timing of any additional provisions for credit losses that may be required.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

We review the vessels in our active fleet for impairment whenever events occur or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable. In such evaluation, the estimated future undiscounted cash flows generated by an asset group are compared with the carrying amount of the asset group to determine if a write-down may be required. With respect to vessels that are expected to remain in active service, we group together for impairment testing purposes vessels with similar operating and marketing characteristics. Due in part to the modernization of our fleet more newer vessels are being stacked and are expected to return to active service. Stacked vessels expected to return to active service are generally newer vessels, have similar capabilities and likelihood of future active service as other currently operating vessels, are generally current with classification societies in regard to their regulatory certification status, and are being actively marketed. Stacked vessels expected to return to active service are evaluated for impairment as part of their assigned active asset group and not individually.

We estimate cash flows based upon historical data adjusted for our best estimate of expected future market performance, which, in turn, is based on industry trends. The primary estimates and assumptions used in reviewing active vessel groups for impairment and estimating undiscounted cash flows include utilization rates, average day rates and average daily operating expenses. These estimates are made based on recent actual trends in utilization, day rates and operating costs and reflect management’s best estimate of expected market conditions during the period of future cash flows. These assumptions and estimates have changed considerably as market conditions have changed, and they are reasonably likely to continue to change as market conditions change in the future. Although we believe our assumptions and estimates are reasonable, deviations from the assumptions and estimates could produce materially different results. Management estimates may vary considerably from actual outcomes due to future adverse market conditions or poor operating results that could result in the inability to recover the current carrying value of an asset group, thereby possibly requiring an impairment charge in the future. As our fleet continues to age, management closely monitors the estimates and assumptions used in the impairment analysis in order to properly identify evolving trends and changes in market conditions that could impact the results of the impairment evaluation.

If an asset group fails the undiscounted cash flow test, we estimate the fair value of each asset group and compare such estimated fair value to the carrying value of each asset group in order to determine if impairment exists.

Management estimates the fair value of each vessel in an asset group considered Level 3, as defined by ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, by considering items such as the vessel’s age, length of time stacked, likelihood of a return to active service, actual recent sales of similar vessels, among others. Third party appraisals, broker values or internal valuations based on recent sale activity are utilized for vessels expected to be sold as an operating vessel. We leverage information for vessels in a similar class, similar age, or similar specification to be used as a basis of fair value for vessels expected to be sold. Internal valuations are also prepared for vessels expected to be sold for recycling utilizing an estimated recycle value per lightweight ton based on the region of the vessel is located and the weight of the vessel and recent recycle activity. We record an impairment charge when the carrying value of an asset group exceeds its estimated fair value. In previous years, we sought opportunities to dispose of our older vessels when market conditions warranted and opportunities would arise. As a result, vessel dispositions would vary from year to year, and gains (losses) on sales of assets would also fluctuate significantly from period to period. The majority of our vessels were sold to buyers with whom we do not compete in the offshore energy industry.  We continue to employ that strategy, but to a lesser extent.  When circumstances warrant we review our fleet and make decisions remove assets that are not considered to be part of our long-term plans.  In these circumstance we will reclassify the identified vessels as held for sale and, if necessary, we will revalue these vessels to net realizable value.  We consider the valuation approach for our assets held for sale to be a Level 3 fair value measurement due to the level of estimation involved in valuing assets to be recycled or sold.  We determine the fair value of the vessels held for sale using two methodologies depending on the vessel and on our planned method of disposition.  We designated certain vessels to be recycled and valued those vessels using recycling yard pricing schedules based on dollars per ton. We generally value vessels that will be sold rather than recycled at the midpoint of a value range based on sales agreements or using comparative sales in the marketplace.

Income Taxes  

The asset-liability method is used for determining our income tax provisions, under which current and deferred tax liabilities and assets are recorded in accordance with enacted tax laws and rates. Under this method, the amounts of deferred tax liabilities and assets at the end of each period are determined using the tax rate expected to be in effect when taxes are actually paid or recovered. In addition, we determine our effective tax rate by estimating our permanent differences resulting from differing treatment of items for tax and accounting purposes.

As a global company, we are subject to the jurisdiction of taxing authorities in the United States and by the respective tax agencies in the countries in which we operate internationally, as well as to tax agreements and treaties among these governments. Our operations in these different jurisdictions are taxed on various bases: actual income before taxes, deemed profits (which are generally determined using a percentage of revenue rather than profits) and withholding taxes based on revenue. Determination of taxable income in any tax jurisdiction requires the interpretation of the related tax laws and regulations and the use of estimates and assumptions regarding significant future events such as the amount, timing and character of deductions, permissible revenue recognition methods under the tax law and the sources and character of income and tax credits. Changes in tax laws, regulations, agreements and treaties, foreign currency exchange restrictions or our level of operations or profitability in each taxing jurisdiction could have an impact on the amount of income taxes that we provide during any given year. We are periodically audited by various taxing authorities in the United States and by the respective tax agencies in the countries in which we operate internationally. The tax audits generally include questions regarding the calculation of taxable income. Audit adjustments affecting permanent differences could have an impact on our effective tax rate.

The carrying value of our net deferred tax assets is based on our present belief that we will be unable to generate sufficient future taxable income in certain tax jurisdictions to utilize such deferred tax assets, based on estimates and assumptions. If these estimates and related assumptions change in the future, we may be required to adjust valuation allowances against our deferred tax assets resulting in additional income tax expense or benefit in our consolidated statement of operations. Management evaluates the realizability of the deferred tax assets and assesses the need for changes to valuation allowances on a quarterly basis. While we have considered future taxable income and ongoing prudent and feasible tax planning strategies in assessing the present need for a valuation allowance, in the event we were to determine that we would be able to realize our deferred tax assets in the future in excess of our net recorded amount, an adjustment to the valuation allowance would increase income in the period such determination was made. Should we determine that we would not be able to realize all or part of our net deferred tax asset in the future, an adjustment to the deferred tax asset would be charged to income in the period such determination was made.

Deferred taxes are not provided on undistributed earnings of certain non-U.S. subsidiaries and business ventures because we consider those earnings to be permanently invested abroad.

We record uncertain tax positions on the basis of a two-step process in which (1) we determine whether it is more likely than not that the tax positions would be sustained on the basis of the technical merits of the position and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, we recognize the largest amount of tax benefit that was more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority. The recognition and measurement of tax liabilities for uncertain tax positions in any tax jurisdiction requires the interpretation of the related tax laws and regulations as well as the use of estimates and assumptions regarding significant future events. Changes in tax laws, regulations, agreements and treaties, foreign currency exchange restrictions or our level of operations or profitability in each taxing jurisdiction could have an impact on the amount of income taxes during any given year.

New Accounting Pronouncements

For information regarding the effect of new accounting pronouncements, refer to Note (1) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Market risk refers to the potential losses arising from changes in interest rates, foreign currency fluctuations and exchange rates, equity prices and commodity prices including the correlation among these factors and their volatility. We are primarily exposed to interest rate risk and foreign currency fluctuations and exchange risk. We enter into derivative instruments only to the extent considered necessary to meet our risk management objectives and do not use derivative contracts for speculative purposes.

Interest Rate Risk and Indebtedness

Changes in interest rates may result in changes in the fair market value of our financial instruments, interest income and interest expense. Our financial instruments that are exposed to interest rate risk are our cash equivalents. Due to the short duration and conservative nature of the cash equivalent investment portfolio, we do not expect any material loss with respect to our investments. The book value for cash equivalents is considered to be representative of its fair value.

Secured Notes

Please refer to Note (4) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion on our outstanding debt.

Because the existing terms on secured notes outstanding at December 31, 2020, bear interest at fixed rates, interest expense would not be impacted by changes in market interest rates. The following table discloses how the estimated fair value of our respective senior notes, as of December 31, 2020, would change with a 100 basis-point increase or decrease in market interest rates.

Troms Offshore Debt

Troms Offshore had outstanding $176.1 million of NOK denominated debt and $30.4 million of U.S. denominated fixed rate debt outstanding at December 31, 2020. The following table discloses how the estimated fair value of the fixed rate Troms Offshore notes, as of December 31, 2020, would change with a 100 basis-point increase or decrease in market interest rates: 

Foreign Exchange Risk

Our financial instruments that can be affected by foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, trade receivables, trade payables and debt denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. We periodically enter into spot and forward derivative financial instruments as a hedge against foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities, currency commitments, or to lock in desired interest rates. Spot derivative financial instruments are short-term in nature and 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. We have no derivative instruments as of December 31, 2020. Forward derivative financial instruments are generally longer-term in nature but generally do not exceed one year. The accounting for gains or losses on forward contracts is dependent on the nature of the risk being hedged and the effectiveness of the hedge.

Other

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 of 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 the revenue streams when considered appropriate. We continually monitor the currency exchange risks associated with all contracts not denominated in U.S. dollars.

Discussions related to our joint venture operations are disclosed in Note (5) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

TIDEWATER INC.

Report on Form 10-K

Items 8, 15(a), and 15(c)

Index to Financial Statements and Schedule

All other schedules are omitted as the required information is inapplicable or the information is presented in the financial statements or the related notes.

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM  

To the shareholders and the Board of Directors of Tidewater Inc. and subsidiaries 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Tidewater Inc. and subsidiaries   (the "Company") as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, equity, and cash flows, for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020, and the related notes and the schedule listed in the Index at Item 15 (collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020, in conformity with  accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated March 4, 2021, expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company'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 Company 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 audit 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 included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the 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.

Critical Audit Matters

The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current-period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

Table of Contents                         

Income Taxes – Accounting for Uncertain Tax Positions – Refer to Notes 1 and 6 to the consolidated financial statements

Critical Audit Matter Description

The Company is subject to the jurisdiction of taxing authorities in the United States and by the respective international tax agencies in the countries in which the Company operates. The Company’s operations in these different jurisdictions are taxed on various bases: actual income before taxes, deemed profits (which are generally determined using a percentage of revenue rather than profits), and withholding taxes based on revenue.   The Company records uncertain tax positions on the basis of a two-step process in which (1) the Company determines whether it is more likely than not that the tax positions would be sustained on the basis of the technical merits of the position and (2) for those tax positions that met the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, the Company recognizes the largest amount of tax benefit that was more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority.

The recognition and measurement of tax liabilities for uncertain tax positions in any tax jurisdiction requires the interpretation of the related tax laws and regulations as well as the use of estimates and assumptions regarding significant future events. Changes in tax laws, regulations, agreements and treaties, foreign currency exchange restrictions or the Company’s level of operations or profitability in each taxing jurisdiction could have an impact on the amount of income taxes during any given year. Given the significance of the tax liabilities for uncertain tax positions, multiple jurisdictions in which the Company files its tax returns, and the complexity in determining the tax liabilities for uncertain tax positions, the tax liabilities for uncertain tax positions is considered a critical estimate that involved especially challenging, subjective, or complex auditor judgment.

How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit

Our audit procedures related to the tax liabilities for uncertain tax positions included the following, among others:

Asset Impairments – Refer to Notes 1 and 8 to the consolidated financial statements

Critical Audit Matter Description

The Company reviews the vessels in its fleet for impairment whenever events occur or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable.

When the Company identifies an indicator of impairment, the Company will perform an evaluation comparing the estimated future undiscounted cash flows generated by an asset group with the carrying amount of the asset group to determine if a write-down may be required. The primary estimates and assumptions used in reviewing active vessel groups for impairment and estimating undiscounted cash flows include utilization rates, average day rates and average daily operating expenses. These estimates are based on recent actual trends in utilization, day rates and operating costs for vessels in similar classes and operating regions. The trends are adjusted to reflect management’s best estimate of expected market conditions during the period of future cash flows.

Table of Contents                                

We identified impairment of vessels as a critical audit matter because of the significant judgments made by management to identify indicators of impairment and develop assumptions utilized in the impairment model, as well as the value to apply to vessels expected to be sold or recycled. This requires a high degree of auditor judgment and increased extent of effort related to evaluating indicators of impairment and forecast assumptions.

How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit

Our audit procedures related to the Company’s vessel impairment analysis included the following, among others:

Assets Held for Sale – Refer to Notes 1 and 8 to the consolidated financial statements

Critical Audit Matter Description

The Company reviews its vessels classified as held for sale on a quarterly basis to ensure the vessels meet criteria required for held for sale classification and revalues the vessels to  determine whether any fair value adjustments are required to measure the vessels at the lower of fair value less cost to sell or carrying value prior to classification as held for sale.

In order to estimate the fair value less cost to sell for the vessels, the Company prepares internal valuations based on recent sales activities for vessels expected to be sold as an operating vessel. The Company leverages information for vessels in a similar class, similar age, or similar specification to be used as a basis of fair value. Internal valuations are also prepared for vessels expected to be recycled utilizing an estimated value per lightweight ton based on the region of the vessel is located, the weight of the vessel and recent recycling activity.

We identified valuation of vessels held for sale as a critical audit matter because of the significant judgments made by management to apply to vessels expected to be sold or recycled. This requires a high degree of auditor judgment, including the involvement of fair value specialists, and increased extent of effort related to analyzing the selected value.

How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit

Our audit procedures related to the valuation of the Company’s vessels held for sale included the following, among others:

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP                          

Houston, Texas

March 4, 2021  

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2004.

TIDEWATER INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except share and par value data)

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

TIDEWATER INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands, except share and per share data)