Sea1 Offshore Inc. (S5H0.F) Q3 FY2025 Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

Good morning, and welcome to Sea1 Offshore's presentation of our third quarter results. My name is Bernt Omdal, and I am the CEO of the company. Joining me today is our CFO, Vidar Jerstad. Together, we will guide you through the key highlights of our quarterly performance. Sea1 Offshore's third quarter report was published earlier today prior to market opening. In this presentation, we will summarize the main points from the report and refer to the accompanying presentation materials. Following the presentation, we will open the floor for questions. During the third quarter, Sea1 Offshore operated 16 fully owned vessels with an additional 4 vessels currently under construction. All operating vessels delivered a positive EBITDA margin. We had a revenue of $63 million and an EBITDA of $34 million, representing a margin of 54%. Our book equity ratio was 52% and our net interest-bearing debt, $197 million. And it's noteworthy that these results were achieved with fewer vessels in operation compared to the same quarter last year. Some operational highlights. We maintained safe and efficient operations across all regions, reflecting our strong commitment to safety throughout the organization. Our fleet utilization for the quarter was 93%, excluding vessel that was in lay-up and has since been sold. We are pleased to welcome 2 new Board members, Mr. Otto Moltke-Hansen and Mr. Rune Magnus Lundetræ, who have joined as directors following the resignation of previous Board members. Following an extraordinary general meeting held in September, the company has applied for a transfer from Oslo Børs to Euronext Growth, and we are currently awaiting approval for same. We have recently secured a new contract for the PSV Sea1 Atlas in Brazil. The contract has a duration of 3 years with additional 6 months option period. Commencement is scheduled to take place first quarter 2026. I will now hand over to Vidar Jerstad, who will provide further details on our financial performance for the third quarter.

When reviewing the financial results for 2025 versus 2024, keep in mind several key changes. In July 2024, 9 vessels were sold and the number of shares entitled to company profits was reduced by 35%. Sea1 Spearfish was sold in May 2025 and the 47-year-old scientific core-drilling vessel has been placed in lay-up since the start of fourth quarter 2024. However, let's take a look at the income statement. For the third quarter, the company reported revenue of $63.4 million. Operating expenses were $22.8 million, while administrative expenses were $6.4 million. EBITDA for the quarter ended at $34.2 million. This is down from $45.1 million in the same quarter last year. However, adjusted for the vessels sold and the scientific core-drilling vessel in lay-up, this represents an increase of $2 million. Depreciation on ships in the third quarter was $12.4 million. This leaves us with an operating profit of $21.8 million. Net financial items were negative by $7.4 million, which includes a currency loss of $1.5 million. However, a currency gain of $1.6 million is recognized under the other comprehensive income, resulting in a net marginal positive currency effect on equity. Profit before taxes ended at $14.4 million. Taxes for the period amounted to $2.1 million, of which $1.8 million is due to nonrecurring items. Net profit after taxes ended at $12.2 million. This slide represents the operating margin for our 4 main segments. The left side displays results for the third quarter, while the right-hand side shows year-to-date figures. All numbers are before G&A expenses and include only vessels owned at the beginning of this year. On our second quarter report, we noted that the outlook for the anchor handling vessels in the North Sea was uncertain in the near future. Now we know that this quarter, the Anchor Handling segment performed below the same quarter last year. However, the year-to-date results for the anchor handling vessels remain consistent with last year's figures. The Subsea segment's margin declined because of the layup of the scientific core-drilling vessel and that Sea1 Spearfish was sold in mid-May. When adjusting for these changes, the Subsea segment has achieved an operating margin increase of more than 20% in the third quarter and year-to-date. This slide outlines Sea1 Offshore's financial position. Since a dividend payment of $94 million in January, the company has continued to demonstrate robust performance and has now reached a book equity ratio of 52%. Gross interest-bearing debt amounts to $310 million and net interest-bearing debt is $197 million. Additionally, the company has access to further liquidity through an undrawn revolving credit facility of $100 million set up in January. And now the cash flow so far in 2025. We started the year with $68 million in cash. We have received $114 million from operations. We have paid net interest of $5 million. We have invested $52 million in vessels, of which $23 million is in new builds. We have reduced debt by $29 million. We received $113 million from the sale of Sea1 Spearfish, and we have paid dividend of $94 million. Some other changes of $2 million in negative, we ended up with $113 million in cash. Bernt?

As of today, Sea1 Offshore holds a firm contract backlog of $743 million with an additional $599 million in options. Our Subsea fleet accounts for 79% of the total backlog. For the remainder of 2025, we have a firm backlog of approximately $48 million. For 2025, we have full contract coverage for both our PSV and Subsea fleet. Looking ahead to 2026, we maintain 100% covered for these segments and approximately 50% coverage for our anchor handlers. We continue to see increasing activity in term tenders and are optimistic about securing additional long-term contracts. Our OSCV fleet currently consists of 15 owned vessels with 4 offshore energy support vessels under construction and 7 vessels under our technical and commercial management. We have 2 well intervention vessels. We have 2 PSVs. We have 1 offshore construction vessel. We have 2 fast crew vessels and 2 oil spill recovery vessels. And we have, as mentioned, 4 offshore energy support vessels under construction. And then we have 6 anchor handlers, and we manage 7 anchor handlers on behalf of Viking supply ships, giving us operational control of over 13 anchor handlers. This slide outlines our global footprint, including both owned and managed vessels. Our international presence is a key factor in maintaining high fleet utilization. We continue to strategically reposition vessels to regions where we can operate safely at sustainable conditions. Contracts in the Anchor Handler segment are typically shorter in duration. And in Australia, we have Sea1 Sapphire, Sea1 Aquamarine, Sea1 Emerald and Andreas Viking, they are all on term contracts. In Canada, we have the Avalon Sea remaining in operation there. And the rest of the anchor handlers are operating in the North Sea. Sea1 Dorado, she is on a firm contract in Brazil, and the same goes for Sea1 Helix -- Siem Helix 1 and Siem Helix 2. They are both on long-term contracts in Brazil. And then we have our 2 PSVs, Sea1 Atlas and Sea1 Giant. They are both on term contracts in Brazil. And the 2 oil spill recovery vessels and the 2 fast crew vessels, they are still on long-term contract. As previously mentioned, we have a strong contract coverage both for the current and upcoming years. A few comments to the market. The North Sea Anchor Handler market remained weak through most of the third quarter due to project delays and early contract termination of semi-sub rigs in the U.K. sector. And average monthly rates in July and August were significantly below previous years. In September, market conditions improved as vessel departures helped to rebalance supply and demand. However, low activity in the U.K. sector remains a concern in the near term. Globally, the anchor handler market is expected to strengthen in the second half of 2026 with more campaigns anticipated. For construction support vessels, long-term demand remains robust, driven by a record subsea backlog from conventional EPCs. However, short-term activity has declined in several key regions and the downward trend in oil price may lead to deferred investments and spending into early 2026. So to summarize, another strong quarter with high operational activity, excellent HSEQ performance, our new building program progressing as planned. We have a solid financial position, and we have a robust backlog with quality clients, and we have a positive long-term market outlook. That was the end of the presentation, and we will now open the floor for questions.

Okay. So we have received some questions in the chat function. One of them is when do you expect contracts on the new buildings? This is work in progress, and we expect and hope that we will secure contracts next year in 2026. And then there is another question about the same topic on new builds. What type of contracts can we expect? Well, we are pragmatic, but typically, we will be targeting 2- to 5-year contracts. Then there is a question with regards to our anchor handlers operating in Asia Pacific. Can you please update on the firm length on each of the anchor handler term contracts? It seems like the 3 vessels operating on the reconsortium contract will stay there for another 11 months. And then there's a question regarding the anchor handler Ben Viking that Viking Supply ships recently bought. Should we account for the Ben Viking in the profit sharing pool? Well, that is a vessel with a lower specification than the vessels that is currently operating in the revenue share agreement. So this vessel will not be part of that specific revenue sharing agreement. And then there's another question regarding Viking supply ships vessels regarding crane installation. Will this affect your anchor handling earnings? Well, when a vessel is technical off-hire, it does not impact the revenue sharing agreement. But of course, there will be no income on the Viking vessel. And then there is some more questions regarding the new buildings. How are your new builds compared to other new buildings? Well, our new buildings are high-end sophisticated vessel with 250-tonne cranes. They are modern vessels optimized for efficient operation with low fuel consumption and low emission. The vessels are based on ST-245 design and will have capabilities to serve both oil and gas and the renewable market.

And there is a question about our debt level, that our debt level is modest, and that is correct. We have a gross interest-bearing debt of $310 million, net interest-bearing debt of $197 million, and we have a cash position of $113 million. In addition to that, we have a revolving credit facility of $100 million. That is modest. However, we are building 4 new vessels, and we will increase the debt level based on that, of course. What I can say is that is work under progress. We are keeping all doors open, and we experienced good appetite for lenders to increase their Sea1 exposure.

And then there is a question about -- again, about Viking Supply chips. Will you merge with Viking Supply Ships? Such questions we cannot comment on. And then there is some questions regarding Euronext Growth, yes. And well, on the 26th of September, we held an AGM, which approved an application for a change of stock exchange listing from Oslo Børs to Euronext Growth, which is considered a more aligned listing for the company as it is today. The status of the process is that an application has been submitted and it's being considered by Oslo Børs.

And there is also a question regarding the revenue sharing agreement. The revenue sharing agreement is in reality, an operating margin sharing agreement where the total margin will be distributed based on the number of vessels -- or actually the number of vessel days these vessels have been available. In the third quarter, all large anchor handlers owned by the parties were included in the revenue share agreement. The revenue share support efficient operations of the total fleet and enhance the company's ability to position the fleet and utilize opportunities. Good operation of a larger fleet generates positive effects and economies of scale.

If there is any further questions, please let us know. Well, it seems like there is no further questions. So we will -- well, there is one more, sorry. What is the outlook for Avalon Sea? Well, she will continue for another 4 months offshore Canada. That is what we have on hand. What will happen after that, we are a bit unsure, but there is more work in the pipeline. So we hope we will succeed with that as well. The 3 anchor handlers working in Australia, we have already commented on. There's some more questions there, but we expect this contract to end late 2026. All right. There's no more questions. Thank you all for joining, and we are wishing you a good weekend. Thank you.