OSVs: Rising Tide Won’t Lift All Boats

The offshore supply vessel (OSV) industry has emerged from its 2017 trough, thanks in large part to a slight shrinkage of the active fleet, a string of debt restructurings, improved cost management, and an uptick in drilling activity in a few regions. The industry is far from healthy, though, and the climb back to financial well-being will likely be long and unsteady. Not every operator will survive. And even though we’ve seen some improvement from 2017 levels, leverage ratios remain sky-high, the supply of vessels far outstrips demand, and—most crucially—the price of oil remains volatile. In the face of that acute price uncertainty, oil majors remain reluctant to commit to new long-term offshore projects, which has stifled demand for charters in all but a few regions.

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