Gabriel Podskubka
Analyst · Rothschild & Company
Thank you, Giovanni, and I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you. Before we go to our results, I would like to express that I'm deeply honored by the trust that Paolo Rocca and the Tenaris Board of Directors have placed in me and with it, the enormous responsibility of leading this company in the next phase of growth. At the same time, I'm very pleased that we will be able to count on the continued support and leadership of Paolo as Chairman of the Board. When I joined the company as a graduate engineer in 1995, I never imagined how Tenaris would grow so quickly and come to play the leading role in serving the world's energy industry that it does today. During all these years, Paolo has been the architect of the growth and the transformation of Tenaris and a constant presence and inspiration to all of us. The journey has been truly extraordinary, and it has been a privilege to experience it from the inside and to have had so many opportunities for professional growth. I look forward to building on his remarkable achievements. Now let's move on to our first quarter results and the Panorama that we have ahead. This quarter, reminding us that the geopolitical risk and uncertainty is ever present in the oil and gas industry. As is well known, the conflict in the Middle East has led to the closure of Hormuz through which 20% of the world's oil and LNG normally passes. During this time, our first priority has been the safety of our 1,000 employees in the region. I would like to give a special thanks to them for their unwavering commitment to serving our customers through this turbulent period. In Saudi Arabia and the UAE, our customers have continued their operations, and we continue to support them. However, customers in Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq have had to shut in most of their operations. We expect our sales in the region to be affected in the second quarter in around $140 million. We are also seeing higher logistic costs as we seek alternative routes to the region and also from the global increase in fuel prices. Amidst the regional turmoil, we continue to differentiate our service in the region. ADNOC Offshore recognized our reliable service and HSE performance with the Supplier of the Year award. In Kuwait, we have been awarded a 5-year contract for the supply of casing products and accessories to be used in the development of a complex new field. As an immediate consequence of the supply disruption in the Middle East, oil and gas companies and consuming countries are looking at diversifying supply. Investments in short-cycle shale plays in the Americas are likely to benefit and some rig direct customers in the United States and Argentina are already confirming that they are adding rigs. The fleet of high-spec rigs operating in Vaca Muerta is expected to increase by 15% by the year-end as new rigs and hydraulic fracturing sets are brought into the country. Tenaris will start to operate its third set of hydraulic fracturing equipment towards the end of the year. We are preparing for an increase of activity in the United States in the second half of the year, while in Canada, industry and government are working to increase LNG and pipeline takeaway capacity, which will allow activity growth in the years ahead. We are also strengthening our rig direct service through the integration of AllTorque's, hardware and software for torque monitoring operations. We recently acquired this specialized technology and know-how that now forms part of our well integrity service and will add further value to our customers. The outlook for deepwater drilling, offshore pipeline construction and further exploration activity in the next 3 years is promising. There is a significant number of deepwater projects in Africa, Asia and the Mediterranean, which are nearing final investment decisions, while in the United States, Brazil and the Guyana-Suriname Basin, developments are also moving forward. Operators are looking to shorten time from discovery to first production, and Tenaris is supporting them by fast tracking the integrated supply of OCTG, line pipe, coating and accessories. As we look into the eventual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Tenaris, with its extensive presence, flexible supply options around the world. Its differentiated service and technology for shale and deepwater operations and the strength of its financial position is well placed to serve our customers as they respond to the need to replenish oil and gas inventories and increase drilling activity. I would now open the floor for questions.