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 developmentpromotion of ESG practices across the organization. Our board considers our sustainability agenda at least annually in connection with our strategic plan. The Nominating and maintenance. These services include towingCorporate Governance Committee is tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the effectiveness of our ESG policies, goals and anchor handling for, mobile offshore drilling units; transporting suppliesprograms, including review of our annual Sustainability Report. Other board committees are also involved with the assessment and personnel necessarymanagement of our environmental and social priorities through their oversight responsibilities, including risk and talent management.

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,many of these areas, including but not limited to offshore construction companies, windfarm development companies, diving companiesthe following:

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. Theimpacted by the reduction in demand for hydrocarbons together withresulting from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the reduction in demand for hydrocarbons compounded by a global over-supply of oil resulted in an unprecedented decline in the price of oil, haswhich 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,

Upon consummation of the business combination, GulfMark stockholders received 1.10Tidewater Inc. 2017 Stock Incentive Plan (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)“2017 Plan”), 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,became effective as a result of the aforementioned dividend payment, the cash balancesrestructuring of the joint venturecompany in 2017, and the Tidewater Inc. Legacy GLF Management Incentive Plan (the “Legacy GLF Plan”), which was originally adopted by GulfMark but was assumed and converted by us in the business combination.

ReferCFFO target (60% of the overall target award); a safety performance target (10% of the overall target award); an operational efficiency target (20% of the overall target award); and individual performance goals (10% of the overall target award). Actual performance under the 2020 STI plan resulted in a payout of 80% of target award for each participant, including our named executives. For more information, please see “Compensation Discussion and Analysis – Compensation Components – Short-Term Cash Incentive Compensation.”

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 vesselforce and has long term debt of $4.7 million which is securedeffect and his employment will be governed by the vessellegacy change of control agreement.

Refer to Note 5 of Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K2020:

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. Citizensall employees 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, Socialdate, Tidewater 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 occursconsolidated subsidiaries had over 5,400 employees 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 hasglobe, with over 90% of our fleet working internationally in more than 30 countries. WeTo aid in maintaining a uniformity of comparison, we annualized the compensation for full-time workers who joined us after the first of the year and converted all amounts paid in foreign currencies to U.S. dollars based on the exchange ratio for each such currency reported on the same day.

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 torather 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 teamas crew 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 abilityprovide services 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.