John Costain
Analyst · Citi
Thank you. If any of you have not seen the earnings release or slide presentation, they’re both available on the Investors section of our website. On today’s call, our review will include non-U.S. GAAP measures such as DCF and adjusted EBITDA. The earnings release includes a reconciliation of these non-U.S. GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. A quick reminder that any forward-looking financial statements made during today’s call are subject to risks and uncertainties and these are discussed at length in our annual and quarterly SEC filings. As you know, actual event and results can differ materially from those forward looking statements. The partnership does not undertake a duty to update any forward looking statements, and now onto the presentation. KNOT Offshore Partners KNOP’s focus is on the Shuttle Tanker segment. The shuttle tanker provides the vital service transporting oil from the offshore oil production unit to shore side. In effects a midstream mobile pipeline business with fully contracted stable non-volume based revenue streams. KNOT trades at significant yield premium to the Alerian Index which represents around 80% of MLPs by market cap. Unlike most of these MLPs however we are operating in a space with substantial oil production growth prospects. In a recent press release about Brazilian pre-salts Petrobras have highlighted oil production operated in the pre-salts areas have exceeded 1 million barrels per day, less than two year after reaching the production of about 0.5 million barrels per day. The average cost of extraction of pre-salt wells total less than $8 per barrel of oil equivalent and has gradually been decreasing. The average time to build a well reached 89 days, a reduction of 71% between 2010 and 2016. The Brazilian government is cautiously loosening the Petrobras pre-salts operator monopoly and Statoil recently became the first international oil company to acquire operational control of a project within the giant pre-salt fields. Our sponsor Knutsen NYK is according to Clarkson Platou, the number one brokerage in oil, parts of the largest shipping group in the world and NYK is a major company in the Mitsubishi family. We have young fleets and today for the second quarter of 2016 we report our highest ever revenues and operating income, together with our highest ever EBITDA and distributable cash flow, a very solid financial situation. Our sector is unique amongst many MLPs in that there are no speculative ordering of shuttle tankers, so the partnership should yield both stable and sustainable revenues. Before ordering a new vessel, our sponsor, Knutsen NYK, will always agree a long term employment contract with the charter. Now turning to the presentation Slide 3, the financial highlights, for the second quarter of 2016, our partnership generated record revenues and operating income from 43.1 million and 20.2 million respectively. Also our highest ever adjusted EBITDA and distributable cash flow of 34.1 million and 18.5 million. We declared a stable distribution of $0.52 for this quarter with a coverage ratio of 1.23. We had again an excellent operation performance of 99.9% utilization in this quarter. The partnership elected not to repurchase any common units under its repurchase program during the quarter. On June 30, 2016, the Partnership entered into an amended and restated senior secured credit facility, which includes a new revolver facility tranche of 15 million, this further strengthen the balance sheet and increase financial flexibility. Slide 4, KNOP has very good access to bank financing. We have managed to utilize the good banking relationship of KNOP offshore partners and our strong Knutsen NYK which has an active banking that is about 30 banks worldwide to add an incremental non-amortizing revolving credit facility of $50 million, which we can utilize as we see fit for general corporate purposes. This new facility has a margin 250 basis points compared to 212.5 basis points for our existing revolver facility but will only cost 1% i.e. 150k per annum as long as it remains unused, which we think is a low price to pay for additional finance flexibility it gets the partnership. We utilized existing loan and security documentation as well as our existing banks, it is very straightforward put in place with marginal cost and it highlights what we have previously messaged, mainly that we have very good banking relationships. We have a capacity to optimize our balance if we have the requirements and desire to do so. We believe we can raise additional debt as required, but with this new facility we certainly do not see any need for doing so at the moment. We have a very large liquidity cushion giving the stable measure of our contracts. We it comes to maturities in 2018, which we are sometime asked about, to the balloons primarily relate to the two vessels serving the Goliat Field, and we do not intent to re-finance these loans any time soon as we are happy with the loans and the terms attached. Refinancing the loans add unnecessary costs since we are very comfortable with the employment prospects of these two vessels and if you have employment for your shuttle tankers with a first class charter, refinancing is not really anywhere based on our rather extends experience as a shipping company. Slide 5, income statement. Total revenues were 43.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2016 compared to 42.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 Q1, an increase of $1.1 million. The increase was mainly due to revenues from the Bodil Knutsen in Q2 as the vessel was dry-dock during the first quarter and incurred 21 days in off-hire. There are now scheduled off-hires for the remainder of 2016. Operating expenses in Q2 were $22.8 million in line with Q1, operating income for Q2 was $20.2 million compared to $19.2 to Q1. Net income was significant impacted by the recognition of realized and unrealized losses on derivative instruments of 3.2 in both Q2 and Q1, due to lowering long term interest rates. Net income for Q2 was 11.6 compared 10.7 million for Q1, this equates to an earnings per units of $0.42. If we adjust for the unrealized non-cash element of the derivatives $1.6 million loss, earnings per unit to $0.47. Slide 6, adjusted EBITDA. In Q2 the partnership generated our best ever adjusted EBITDA of 34.1 million, this compared to 33.1 million to Q1, adjusted EBITDA refers to earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization. It provides a proxy to cash flow and adjusted EBITDA is a non-US GAAP measure used by our investors to measure the financial performance. With a wasting asset like a vessel, younger fleets in theory should produce lower EBITDAs for every dollar invested. The annuity effect reduces the value loss in the early years, and younger fleets or assets also have longer to enjoy the anticipated improvement in these markets. KNOP fleets have an average age 4.5 years about compared to the rest of the industry average shuttle tanker rates of over 11 years. Slide 7, distributable cash flow. Our highest ever distributable cash flow of $18.5 million was reported in Q2 and this compared to $17.9 million for Q1. We maintain our highest distribution level which for the quarter was $0.52 per unit equivalent to an annual distribution of $2.08. This distribution had a coverage ratio of 1.23 in Q2. At the end of June we had our best -- sorry on Slide 8, at the end of June we had our best available liquidity positions to date with cash and cash equivalents of $25.7 million and an ongoing undrawn credit facility of $30 million. The credit facilities are available until June 2019, we believe the treasury position is very comfortable given our predictable cash flow. Total interest-bearing debt outstanding was $649 million. Annually we currently have a scheduled repayments of $53.8 million this compares to replacement CapEx charge of $28 million when computing distributable cash flow. We did not have any loan maturity before the second half of 2018 and our cash flow indicate we’ll maintain our current distribution until that time. At the end of June total partner's equity was 513 million with 27.7 million units issued, this equates to $18.52 per unit. Slide 9, financial guidance for existing fleet for the current year. We are in line to deliver on our financial guidance given early calls of the year. Slide 10, stable operational performance results in stable financial performance, since the formation of KNOP, we have had very strong levels of vessel utilization which means continuingly high and an increasing predictable revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and discounts in cash flow as more vessels are added to the fleet. In Q2, we had record distributable cash flow of 18.5 million and we’ll make 15 million distribution. Since our initial public offerings three years ago, we have declared distribution of $6.14, so our initial investors have received a total payout of nearly 30% including the two Q2 distribution. Our current unit yield is around 11%. Slide 11, long term contracts backed by leading energy companies. The Windsor Knutsen has been on two year contract from 13 October, 2015 with as Brazil Shipping, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell with options to extend for further six years. Hilda Knutsen and sister ship Torvill Knutsen have both commenced employments on the Goliat field, and of the original five year contracts on the two vessels on average of 2.25 years of the firm charter period remains. Given the specialized nature of this contract, we would expect the vessels to operate on this field throughout its life. The Bodil Knutsen, the largest shuttle tanker operating in the North Sea is ice-class, and on charter to Statoil ASA until May 2017. There are two further years of options to extend and the sponsor may, in any event, guarantee income at the current level until April 2018. Statoil has recently been given permission to proceed with the development of the Johan Castberg oilfield in the Barents Sea, 240 km north of Hammerfest. This should provide medium term employment and security for the Bodil. Four of our vessels are on long-term bareboat charter to 2023 with Petrobras Transporte. These vessels are among the youngest in the Petrobras fleet delivered between 2011 and 2012. Dan Sabia and Dan Cisne are of unique size and the Fortaleza Knutsen and Recife Knutsen have shallow drafts with lots of thruster capacity. Three of these vessels will take their five year special survey in 2016 two have been completed. These vessels are heavily utilized by the charterer. Delivered in 2013, the Carmen Knutsen is on charter direct for Respol Sinopec until 2023. The Ingrid Knutsen was delivered in December 2013 and is operating in the North Sea on a time-charter for Standard Marine Tonsberg AS, a Norwegian subsidiary of Exxon Mobil. This will expire in the first quarter of 2024. The charterer has extension options on the charter for additional five one-year periods. On Slide 12, significant fleet growth since IPO, at the time of the IPO, our fleet of four vessels had average age of three years. Now over three years, we have a fleet of 10 vessels which have an average age of 4.5 years, combined with a strong sponsor support and we are very well placed to go in the medium term. Slide 13, positive news from Brazil, the Brazilian government sold 66% share in a 1 billion-barrel Carcara to Statoil making the Norwegian major the first international oil company to acquire operational control of a project within the giant pre-salt fields. In May 2016, oil production in pre-salt field exceeded 1 million barrels per day less than two years after reaching a production of 0.5 million barrels per day and within 10 years of discovery. The new record was obtained using just 52 production wells. The average time to build an offshore well in a Statoil station, pre-salt cluster used to be approximately 310 days with the introductions of advanced technologies and increasing project efficiency by 2015 that time has dropped to 128 days. And in the first five months of 2016, the average time to build a well dropped to 89 base, a reduction of 71% during 2010 and 2016. The average cost of extraction of the pre-salt wells has gradually decreasing and today totals less than $8 per barrel of oil equivalent. Slide 14. Still significant amount for new shuttle tanker projects, today there is no shuttle tanker capacity and traditionally there has been no speculative ordering. Fearnleys sees a significant demand for new shuttle tankers going forward and they expect tenders for an excess of 40 vessels up to 2020. This includes attrition demand which represents more than half the total. The lower oil price coupled with political uncertainty in Brazil have led to delays in the shuttle tanker orders, but no projects being cancelled. So there is pent up demand. A short note on foreign flagged offshore service vessels, OSVs, these operate in Brazil under a license that must get renewed annually. And such license are not granted if local tonnage is available for charter. Falling demand for OSVs had led to Brazil flag vessels being redeployed, blocking foreign vessels. When it comes to out unit, many would-be investors seem to be concerned about our connection with Brazil, they should not be, as blocking has nothing to do with the shuttle tanker. Petrobras remains a first class charter of our four vessels, dry-docking two of them in first half of the year. BarCap recently had this to say regarding concerns emerging about their ability to meet cash flow viewing these fears as overdone. They stated in a report, in addition to its productive E&P assets, Petrobras benefits from our management team with a successful financial track record and liquidity levers including asset sales and new funding from diverse sources both locally and abroad. Our contracts are of a long term nature and that of course is in a much better position at it is operating a niche market for transportation of crude oil from offshore oil fields to the terminal, a critical components of the supply chain and in Brazil demand for such transportation is increasing substantially. Slide 15, dropdown inventory five potential acquisitions. Today we have a further potential dropdown inventory of five vessels. The same as when we did the IPO, even though we have added six vessels to the fleet. The fixed contract period for the dropdown fleet is a minimum of 5.9 years on average. It could be longer depending on which series of options the charter elects to take on delivery. Slide 16, summary. In summary, we have a solid and highly profitable contract base. With a revenue backlog of $746 million on an average contract duration as of the 31 June, of 5.1 years, we have a modern shuttle tanker fleet with an average age of around 4.5 years versus the rest of the industry average of 11.25 years. The partnership is well placed and highly focused on expanding the medium terms as the oil markets recover and the shuttle tanker market expands substantially. No one has more expertise and experience in operating sophisticated shuttle tanker like Knutsen offshore and we operate these assets with real expertise. We’ve had minimum lost hire with a total of just seven hours of quarter for 10 vessels in the MLP fleet. This is in line with our average utilization since the IPO. We have a large sponsor asset base with an ability to capture a good proportions expanding markets. And that’s the end of the presentation, I will turn it over now for the Q&A section.