KNOT Offshore Partners (KNOP) 6-K 4 Jan 17 2016 Q3 Current report (foreign) Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	6-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Trading Symbol	KNOP
Entity Registrant Name	KNOT Offshore Partners LP
Entity Central Index Key	1,564,180
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31

Condensed Consolidated Statemen

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Operating revenues: (Notes 3 and 9)
Time charter and bareboat revenues	$ 43,390	$ 39,281	$ 128,080	$ 112,333
Other income	197	3	596	154
Total revenues	43,587	39,284	128,676	112,487
Operating expenses: (Note 9)
Vessel operating expenses	7,588	5,936	23,210	19,907
Depreciation	13,920	12,420	41,725	35,380
General and administrative expenses	908	1,180	3,164	3,232
Goodwill impairment charge (Note 4)				6,217
Total operating expenses	22,416	19,536	68,099	64,736
Operating income	21,171	19,748	60,577	47,751
Finance income (expense) (Note 9):
Interest income	6	0	9	3
Interest expense	(5,129)	(4,322)	(15,213)	(12,720)
Other finance expense	(315)	(79)	(916)	(178)
Realized and unrealized gain (loss) on derivative instruments (Note 5)	3,613	(6,470)	(2,747)	(11,840)
Net gain (loss) on foreign currency transactions	13	(75)	(104)	(135)
Total finance expense	(1,812)	(10,946)	(18,971)	(24,870)
Income before income taxes	19,360	8,802	41,607	22,881
Income tax expense (Note 8)	(3)		(9)	(6)
Net income	19,357	8,802	41,598	22,875
General Partner's interest in net income	390	164	891	428
Limited Partners' interest in net income	$ 18,967	$ 8,638	$ 40,707	$ 22,447
Earnings per unit (Note 11):
Cash distributions declared and paid per unit (Note 11)	$ 0.520	$ 0.510	$ 0.520	$ 1.510
Common Units [Member]
Finance income (expense) (Note 9):
Net income			$ 35,655	$ 13,596
Limited Partners' interest in net income	$ (4,243)	$ (4,247)	$ (3,480)	$ (12,816)
Earnings per unit (Note 11):
Earnings per unit (basic and diluted)	$ 0.697	$ 0.294	$ 1.563	$ 0.850
Subordinated Units [Member]
Finance income (expense) (Note 9):
Net income			$ 5,052	$ 8,851
Limited Partners' interest in net income		$ (1,935)		$ (5,838)
Earnings per unit (Note 11):
Earnings per unit (basic and diluted)		$ 0.362	$ 1.154	$ 1.033
General Partner Unit [Member]
Finance income (expense) (Note 9):
Net income			$ 891	$ 428
General Partner's interest in net income	$ (87)	$ (126)	$ (72)	$ (381)
Earnings per unit (Note 11):
Earnings per unit (basic and diluted)	$ 0.697	$ 0.294	$ 1.594	$ 0.915

Condensed Consolidated Stateme3

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 19,357	$ 8,802	$ 41,598	$ 22,875
Other comprehensive income, net of tax	0	0	0	0
Comprehensive income	$ 19,357	$ 8,802	$ 41,598	$ 22,875

Condensed Consolidated Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents (Note 6)		$ 27,382	$ 23,573
Amounts due from related parties (Note 9)		69	58
Inventories		758	849
Derivative assets (Notes 5 and 6)		1,645
Other current assets	[1]	1,455	1,800
Total current assets		31,309	26,280
Vessels and equipment:
Vessels		1,352,165	1,351,219
Less accumulated depreciation		(197,518)	(158,292)
Net property, plant, and equipment		1,154,647	1,192,927
Derivative assets (Notes 5 and 6)			695
Accrued income		921
Total assets		1,186,877	1,219,902
Current liabilities:
Trade accounts payable		1,453	1,995
Accrued expenses		3,967	3,888
Current portion of long-term debt (Notes 6 and 7)	[1]	48,877	48,535
Current portion of derivative liabilities (Notes 5 and 6)		2,621	5,138
Income taxes payable (Note 8)		21	249
Current portion of contract liabilities		1,518	1,518
Prepaid charter and deferred revenue		8,954	3,365
Amount due to related parties (Note 9)		765	848
Total current liabilities		68,176	65,536
Long-term liabilities:
Long-term debt (Notes 6 and 7)	[1]	586,332	619,187
Derivative liabilities (Notes 5 and 6)		4,132	1,232
Contract liabilities		8,619	9,757
Deferred tax liabilities (Note 8)		957	877
Other long-term liabilities		1,427	2,543
Total liabilities		669,643	699,132
Commitments and contingencies (Note 10)
Partners' capital:
General partner interest		10,189	10,295
Total partners' capital		517,234	520,770
Total liabilities and equity		1,186,877	1,219,902
Common Units [Member]
Partners' capital:
Common and subordinated unitholders		507,045	411,317
Total partners' capital		$ 507,045	411,317
Subordinated Units [Member]
Partners' capital:
Common and subordinated unitholders			99,158
Total partners' capital			$ 99,158
[1]	Effective January 1, 2016, the Partnership implemented ASU 2015-03, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30), Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, which requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability rather than as an asset. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs is not affected. Therefore, these costs will continue to be amortized as interest expense using the effective interest method. The new guidance is applied retrospectively for all periods presented. As of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 the carrying amount of the deferred debt issuance cost was $3.3 million and $4.0 million, respectively.

Condensed Consolidated Balance5

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Deferred debt issuance cost	$ 3.3	$ 4

Condensed Consolidated Stateme6

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Partners' Capital - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Common Units [Member]	Subordinated Units [Member]	General Partner Unit [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2014	$ 419,365	$ 307,544	$ 103,680	$ 8,141
Net income	22,875	13,596	8,851	428
Other comprehensive income	0	0	0	0	$ 0
Cash distributions	(38,261)	(23,399)	(14,120)	(742)
Proceeds from public offering	116,924	114,500		2,424
Offering cost (Note 13)	(293)	(288)		(5)
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2015	520,610	411,953	98,411	10,246
Beginning Balance at Dec. 31, 2015	520,770	411,317	99,158	10,295
Net income	41,598	35,655	5,052	891
Other comprehensive income	0	0	0	0	$ 0
Cash distributions	(45,134)	(34,049)	(10,088)	(997)
Conversion of subordinated units to common units		94,123	$ (94,123)
Ending Balance at Sep. 30, 2016	$ 517,234	$ 507,045		$ 10,189

Condensed Consolidated Stateme7

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Partners' Capital (Parenthetical) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)shares
Common Units [Member]
Common units issued | shares	5,000,000
Underwriting discount | $	$ 4,300

Condensed Consolidated Stateme8

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - USD ($) $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Cash flows provided by operating activities:
Net income	$ 41,598	$ 22,875
Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation	41,725	35,380
Amortization of contract intangibles / liabilities	(1,138)	(1,138)
Amortization of deferred revenue	(1,257)	(1,436)
Amortization of deferred debt issuance cost	883	859
Drydocking expenditure	(2,595)
Goodwill impairment charge		6,217
Income tax expense	9	6
Income taxes paid	(241)	(336)
Unrealized loss (gain) on derivative instruments	(568)	5,254
Unrealized loss (gain) on foreign currency transactions	30	18
Changes in operating assets and liabilities
Decrease (increase) in amounts due from related parties	(11)	915
Decrease (increase) in inventories	90	248
Decrease (increase) in other current assets	344	(2,239)
Increase (decrease) in trade accounts payable	(565)	(554)
Increase (decrease) in accrued expenses	79	730
Decrease (increase) in accrued revenue	(921)
Increase (decrease) in prepaid revenue	5,730	(1,503)
Increase (decrease) in amounts due to related parties	(82)	(1,526)
Net cash provided by operating activities	83,110	63,770
Cash flows from investing activities:
Disposals (additions) to vessel and equipment	(849)	(1,193)
Net cash used in investing activities	(849)	(38,036)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from long-term debt	5,000
Repayment of long-term debt	(38,221)	(55,439)
Repayment of long-term debt from related parties		(12,000)
Payments of debt issuance cost	(174)	(8)
Cash distribution	(45,134)	(38,261)
Proceeds from public offering, net of underwriters' discount		116,924
Offering cost		(293)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(78,529)	10,923
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash	77	(206)
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents	3,732	36,451
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period	23,573	30,746
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period	$ 27,382	67,197
Dan Sabia [Member]
Cash flows from investing activities:
Payments for acquisition, net of cash acquired		$ (36,843)

Description of Business

Description of Business	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Description of Business	1) Description of Business KNOT Offshore Partners LP (the “Partnership”) is a publicly traded Marshall Islands limited partnership initially formed for the purpose of acquiring 100% ownership interests in four shuttle tankers owned by Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers AS (“KNOT”) in connection with the Partnership’s initial public offering of common units (the “IPO”), which was completed in April 2013. As of September 30, 2016, the Partnership had a fleet of ten shuttle tankers, the Windsor Knutsen Bodil Knutsen Recife Knutsen Fortaleza Knutsen Carmen Knutsen, Hilda Knutsen, Torill Knutsen Dan Cisne Dan Sabia Ingrid Knutsen . Windsor Knutsen one-year Bodil Knutsen Recife Knutsen Fortaleza Knutsen Carmen Knutsen Hilda Knutsen Torill Knutsen Dan Cisne Dan Sabia Ingrid Knutsen

Summary of Significant Accounti

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	2) Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (a) Basis of Preparation The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and applicable rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for interim financial information. All intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements do not include all the disclosures and information required for a complete set of annual financial statements; and, therefore, these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015, which are included in the Partnership’s Annual Report on Form 20-F 20-F”). Under the Partnership’s First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership (the “Partnership Agreement”), KNOT Offshore Partners GP LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of KNOT, and the general partner of the Partnership (the “General Partner”), has irrevocably delegated to the Partnership’s board of directors the power to oversee and direct the operations of, manage and determine the strategies and policies of the Partnership. During the period from the Partnership’s IPO in April 2013 until the time of the Partnership’s first annual general meeting (“AGM”) on June 25, 2013, the General Partner retained the sole power to appoint, remove and replace all members of the Partnership’s board of directors. From the first AGM, four of the seven board members became electable by the common unitholders and accordingly, from this date, KNOT, as the owner of the General Partner, no longer retains the power to control the Partnership’s board of directors and, hence, the Partnership. As a result, the Partnership is no longer considered to be under common control with KNOT and as a consequence, the Partnership will not account for any vessel acquisitions from KNOT after June 25, 2013 as a transfer of equity interests between entities under common control. (b) Significant accounting policies The accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements are consistent with those followed in the preparation of the Partnership’s audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015, as contained in the Partnership’s 2015 20-F. (c) Accounting pronouncement not yet adopted In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The update requires an entity to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on its balance sheet and disclose key information about leasing arrangements. It also offers specific accounting guidance for a lessee, a lessor and sale and leaseback transactions. Lessees and lessors are required to disclose qualitative and quantitative information about leasing arrangements to enable a user of the financial statements to assess the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. The guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years and early adoption is permitted. The Partnership is in the process of evaluating the impact of this standard update on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In May 2014, the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issued a comprehensive revenue recognition standard that will supersede existing revenue guidance under US GAAP and IFRS, ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers 2014-09) 2014-09 2015-14) non-public 2014-09) 2014-09 In August 2014, FASB issued Presentation of Financial Statements – Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40), Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern 2014-15). 2014-15

Segment Information

Segment Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment Information	3) Segment Information The Partnership has not presented segment information as it considers its operations to occur in one reportable segment, the shuttle tanker market. As of September 30, 2016, the Partnership’s fleet consisted of ten vessels and operated under six time charters and four bareboat charters. As of September 30, 2015, the Partnership’s fleet consisted of nine vessels and operated under five time charters and four bareboat charters. Under the time charters and bareboat charters, the charterer, not the Partnership, controls the choice of which trading areas the applicable Vessel will serve. Accordingly, the Partnership’s management, including the chief operating decision makers, does not evaluate performance according to geographical region. The following table presents revenues and percentage of consolidated revenues for customers that accounted for more than 10% of the Partnership’s consolidated revenues during the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015. All of these customers are subsidiaries of major international oil companies, except KNOT, which was chartering the Windsor Knutsen Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended (U.S. Dollars in thousands) 2016 2015 2016 2015 Fronape International Company, a subsidiary of Petrobras $ 11,368 26 % 11,368 29 % $ 33,866 27 % 29,250 26 % Eni Trading and Shipping S.pA 11,816 27 % 11,810 30 % 35,191 27 % 35,000 31 % Statoil ASA 5,809 13 % 5,864 15 % 16,038 13 % 17,345 15 % Repsol Sinopec Brasil, S.A., a subsidiary of Repsol Sinopec 4,793 11 % 5,126 13 % 14,553 11 % 15,212 14 % Brazil Shipping I Limited, a subsidiary of Shell 5,210 13 % — — 15,344 12 % — — Standard Marine 4,394 10 % — — 13,087 10 % — — Knutsen NYK Offshore — — 5,113 13 % — — 15,526 14 %

Goodwill Impairment Charge

Goodwill Impairment Charge	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Goodwill Impairment Charge	4) Goodwill Impairment Charge During the three months ended June 30, 2015, the Partnership concluded that indicators of impairment were present due to a significant reduction in the price of the Partnership’s common units during the quarter. Consequently, the Partnership performed an interim vessel and goodwill impairment analysis as of June 30, 2015 on its fleet, concluding that there was no impairment to the vessels’ values. However, the Partnership determined that the carrying value of the goodwill exceeded its fair value. The impairment charge relates mainly to capitalized goodwill which arose in 2008 when the Partnership’s predecessor acquired the Windsor Knutsen non-cash

Derivative Instruments

Derivative Instruments	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Derivative Instruments	5) Derivative Instruments The unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements include the results of interest rate swap contracts to manage the Partnership’s exposure related to changes in interest rates on its variable rate debt instruments and the results of foreign exchange forward contracts to manage its exposure related to changes in currency exchange rates on its operating expenses, mainly crew expenses, in currency other than U.S. Dollars and on its contract obligations. The Partnership does not apply hedge accounting for derivative instruments. The Partnership does not speculate using derivative instruments. By using derivative financial instruments to economically hedge exposures to changes in interest rates, the Partnership exposes itself to credit risk and market risk. Derivative instruments that economically hedge exposures are used for risk management purposes, but these instruments are not designated as hedges for accounting purposes. Credit risk is the failure of the counterparty to perform under the terms of the derivative instrument. When the fair value of a derivative instrument is positive, the counterparty owes the Partnership, which creates credit risk for the Partnership. When the fair value of a derivative instrument is negative, the Partnership owes the counterparty, and, therefore, the Partnership is not exposed to the counterparty’s credit risk in those circumstances. The Partnership minimizes counterparty credit risk in derivative instruments by entering into transactions with major banking and financial institutions. The derivative instruments entered into by the Partnership do not contain credit risk-related contingent features. The Partnership has not entered into master netting agreements with the counterparties to its derivative financial instrument contracts. Market risk is the adverse effect on the value of a derivative instrument that results from a change in interest rates, currency exchange rates or commodity prices. The market risk associated with interest rate contracts is managed by establishing and monitoring parameters that limit the types and degree of market risk that may be undertaken. The Partnership assesses interest rate risk by monitoring changes in interest rate exposures that may adversely impact expected future cash flows and by evaluating economical hedging opportunities. The Partnership’s variable interest rate mortgage debt obligations expose the Partnership to variability in interest payments due to changes in interest rates. The Partnership believes that it is prudent to limit the variability of a portion of its interest payments. To meet this objective, the Partnership entered into London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”)-based interest rate swap contracts to manage fluctuations in cash flows resulting from changes in the benchmark interest rate of LIBOR. These swaps change the variable rate cash flow exposure on the mortgage debt obligations to fixed cash flows. Under the terms of the interest rate swap contracts, the Partnership receives LIBOR-based variable interest rate payments and makes fixed interest rate payments, thereby creating the equivalent of fixed rate debt for the notional amount of its debt hedged. As of September 30, 2016, the Partnership had entered into various interest swap agreements for a total notional amount of $407.7 million to hedge against the interest rate risks of its variable rate borrowings. Under the terms of the interest rate swap agreements, the Partnership receives interest based on three or six month LIBOR and pays a weighted average interest rate of 1.54%. As of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the total notional amount of the Partnership’s outstanding interest rate swap contracts that were entered into in order to hedge outstanding or forecasted debt obligations were $407.7 million and $410.0 million, respectively. As of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the carrying amount of the interest rate swaps contracts were net liabilities of $6.8 million and $3.6 million, respectively. See Note 6 —Fair Value Measurements. Changes in the fair value of interest rate swap contracts are reported in realized and unrealized gain (loss) on derivative instruments in the same period in which the related interest affects earnings. The Partnership and its subsidiaries utilize the U.S. Dollar as their functional and reporting currency, because all of their revenues and the majority of their expenditures, including the majority of their investments in vessels and their financing transactions, are denominated in U.S. Dollars. Payment obligations in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar, and in particular operating expenses in Norwegian Kroner (NOK), expose the Partnership to variability in currency exchange rates. The Partnership believes that it is prudent to limit the variability of a portion of its currency exchange exposure. To meet this objective, the Partnership entered into foreign exchange forward contracts to manage fluctuations in cash flows resulting from changes in the exchange rates towards the U.S. Dollar. The agreements change the variable exchange rate to fixed exchange rates at agreed dates. As of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the total contract amount in foreign currency of the Partnership’s outstanding foreign exchange forward contracts that were entered into to economically hedge outstanding future payments in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar were NOK 293.8 million and NOK 289.8 million, respectively. As of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the carrying amount of the Partnership’s foreign exchange forward contracts was an asset of $1.7 million and a liability of $2.1 million, respectively. See Note 6 —Fair Value Measurements. The following table presents the realized and unrealized gains and losses that are recognized in earnings as net gain (loss) for derivative instruments for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended (US $ in thousands) 2016 2015 2016 2015 Realized (loss) Interest rate swap contracts $ (671 ) $ (989 ) $ (2,847 ) $ (3,348 ) Foreign exchange forward contracts (152 ) (3,238 ) (468 ) (3,238 ) Unrealized gain (loss) Interest rate swap contracts 2,744 (4,032 ) (3,122 ) (5,866 ) Foreign exchange forward contracts 1,692 1,789 3,690 612 Total realized and unrealized (loss) gain 3,613 (6,470 ) (2,747 ) (11,840 )

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurements	6) Fair Value Measurements (a) Fair Value of Financial Instruments The following table presents the carrying amounts and estimated fair values of the Partnership’s financial instruments as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015. Fair value is defined as the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. September 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 (U.S. Dollars in thousands) Carrying Fair Value Carrying Fair Value Financial assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 27,382 $ 27,382 $ 23,573 $ 23,573 Non-current Interest rate swap contracts — — 695 695 Foreign exchange forward contracts 1,645 1,645 — — Financial liabilities: Current derivative liabilities: Interest rate swap contracts 2,621 2,621 3,799 3,799 Foreign exchange forward contracts — — 1,339 1,339 Non-current Interest rate swap contracts 4,132 4,132 527 527 Foreign exchange forward contracts — — 705 705 Long-term debt, current and non-current 635,209 635,209 667,772 667,772 The carrying amounts shown in the table above are included in the condensed consolidated balance sheets under the indicated captions. The carrying value of trade accounts receivable, trade accounts payable and receivables/payables to owners and affiliates approximate their fair value. The fair values of the financial instruments shown in the above table as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 represent the amounts that would be received to sell those assets or that would be paid to transfer those liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at that date. Those fair value measurements maximize the use of observable inputs. However, in situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability at the measurement date, the fair value measurement reflects the Partnership’s own judgment about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Those judgments are developed by the Partnership based on the best information available in the circumstances, including expected cash flows, appropriately risk-adjusted discount rates and available observable and unobservable inputs. The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments: • Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash • Foreign exchange forward contracts mid-rates • Interest rate swap contracts • Long-term debt (b) Fair Value Hierarchy The following table presents the placement in the fair value hierarchy of assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis (including items that are required to be measured at fair value or for which fair value is required to be disclosed) as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015: Fair Value Measurements at (U.S. Dollars in thousands) September 30, Quoted Price Significant Significant Financial assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 27,382 $ 27,382 $ — $ — Non-current Interest rate swap contracts — — — — Foreign exchange forward contracts 1,645 — 1,645 — Financial liabilities: Current derivative liabilities: Interest rate swap contracts 2,621 — 2,621 — Foreign exchange forward contracts — — — — Non-current Interest rate swap contracts 4,132 — 4,132 — Long-term debt, current and non-current 635,209 — 635,209 — Fair Value Measurements at (U.S. Dollars in thousands) December 31, Quoted Price Significant Significant Financial assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 23,573 $ 23,573 $ — $ — Non-current Interest rate swap contracts 695 — 695 — Financial liabilities: Current derivative liabilities: Interest rate swap contracts 3,799 — 3,799 — Foreign exchange forward contracts 1,339 — 1,339 — Non-current Interest rate swap contracts 527 527 — Foreign exchange forward contract 705 705 Long-term debt, current and non-current 667,772 — 667,772 — The Partnership’s accounting policy is to recognize transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy on the date of the event or change in circumstances that caused the transfer. There were no transfers into or out of Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015.

Long-Term Debt

Long-Term Debt	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Long-Term Debt	7) Long-Term Debt As of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the Partnership had the following debt amounts outstanding: (U.S. Dollars in Vessel September 30, 2016 December 31, $220 million loan facility Windsor Knutsen, Bodil Knutsen, Carmen Knutsen $ 184,643 $ 196,429 $140 million loan facility Fortaleza Knutsen & 120,313 126,875 $117 million loan facility Hilda Knutsen 78,103 81,797 $117 million loan facility Torill Knutsen 79,337 83,033 $172.5 million loan facility Dan Cisne, Dan Sabia 105,139 109,339 $77.5 million loan facility Ingrid Knutsen 70,934 74,217 Total long-term debt 638,469 671,690 Less: current installments 50,084 49,684 Less: unamortized deferred loan issuance costs 1,207 1,149 Current portion of long-term debt 48,877 48,535 Amounts due after one year 588,384 622,006 Less: unamortized deferred loan issuance costs 2,052 2,819 Long-term debt less current installments and unamortized deferred loan issuance costs $ 586,332 $ 619,187 The Partnership’s outstanding debt of $638.5 million as of September 30, 2016 is repayable as follows: (US $ in thousands) Period Balloon Remainder of 2016 $ 16,463 $ — 2017 50,084 — 2018 48,495 154,927 2019 28,582 237,678 2020 17,650 — 2021 and thereafter 71,650 12,940 Total $ 232,924 $ 405,545 As of September 30, 2016, the interest rates on the Partnership’s loan agreements (other than tranche two of the $77.5 million loan facility) were the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) plus a fixed margin ranging from 2.125% to 2.5%. On the export credit loan of $55.1 million which is tranche two of the $77.5 million loan facility secured by the Ingrid Knutsen On June 30, 2016, the Partnership’s subsidiaries KNOT Shuttle Tankers 18 AS, KNOT Shuttle Tankers 17 AS and Knutsen Shuttle Tankers 13 AS, as borrowers, entered into an amended and restated senior secured credit facility (the “Amended Senior Secured Loan Facility”), which amended the Partnership’s existing $240 million senior syndicated secured loan facility secured by the shuttle tankers Bodil Knutsen Carmen Knutsen Windsor Knutsen

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	8) Income Taxes Components of Current and Deferred Tax Expense After the reorganization of the Partnership’s predecessor’s activities into the new group structure in February 2013, all profit from continuing operations in Norway is taxable within the Norwegian Tonnage Tax regime (“the tonnage tax regime”). The consequence of the reorganization was a one-time Fortaleza Knutsen Recife Knutsen The total amount of the entrance tax was estimated to be approximately $3.0 million, which was recognized in the three months ended March 31, 2013. The entrance tax is payable over several years and is calculated by multiplying the tax rate by the declining balance of the gain, which will decline by 20% each year. The amount payable will be affected by the change in tax rate which was reduced to 25% in 2016 from 27% in 2014 and from 28% in 2013 and the fluctuation in currency rates. Approximately $0.2 and $0.1 million of the entrance tax was paid during the first and second quarter of 2015, respectively and $0.2 million was paid during the first quarter of 2016. UK income tax is presented as income taxes payable, while $1.0 million is presented as non-current Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended (US $ in thousands) 2016 2015 2016 2015 Income before income taxes $ 19,360 $ 8,802 $ 41,607 $ 22,881 Income tax (expense) (3 ) — (9 ) (6 ) Effective tax rate 0 % 0 % 0 % 0 % The Partnership records a valuation allowance for deferred tax assets when it is more likely than not that some of or all of the benefit from the deferred tax assets will not be realized. In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, which relates to financial loss carry forwards and other deferred tax assets within the tonnage tax regime, the Partnership considers whether it is more-likely-than-not

Related Party Transactions

Related Party Transactions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Related Party Transactions	9) Related Party Transactions (a) Related Parties Net expenses (income) from related parties included in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 are as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended (US $ in thousands) 2016 2015 2016 2015 Statements of operations: Time charter and bareboat revenues: Charter revenues from KNOT (1) $ — $ 5,113 $ — $ 15,526 Other income: Guarantee income from KNOT to vessel(2) 196 — 577 — Operating expenses: Technical and operational management fee from KNOT Management to Vessels (3) 733 580 2,198 1,743 General and administrative expenses: Administration fee from KNOT Management (4) 327 306 960 700 Administration fee from KOAS (4) 95 97 286 267 Administration fee from KOAS UK (4) 35 38 106 112 Administration and management fee from KNOT (5) 50 46 152 118 Finance income (expense): Interest expense charged from KNOT (6) — — — (268 ) Total 1,044 4,046 3,125 12,318 (US $ in thousands) At September 30, 2016 At December 31, 2015 Balance Sheet: Vessels: Drydocking supervision fee from KNOT (7) $ 38 $ — Drydocking supervision fee from KOAS (7) 16 — Total 54 — (1) Charter revenues from KNOT Bodil Knutsen Windsor Knutsen Windsor Knutsen Windsor Knutsen Windsor Knutsen (2) Guarantee income from KNOT Bodil Knutsen Windsor Knutsen Windsor Knutsen (3) Technical and operational management fee from KNOT to Vessels 24-hour (4) Administration fee from KNOT Management and Knutsen OAS Shipping AS (“KOAS”) and Knutsen OAS (UK) Ltd. (“KOAS UK”) (5) Administration and management fee from KNOT: (6) Interest expense charged from KNOT (7) Drydocking supervision fee from KNOT and KOAS (b) Guarantees and Indemnifications Pursuant to the Omnibus Agreement, KNOT agreed to guarantee the payments of the hire rate under the initial charters of each of the Bodil Knutsen Windsor Knutsen In April 2014, the Partnership was notified that Shell would not exercise its option to extend the Windsor Knutsen re-delivered Under the Omnibus Agreement, KNOT has agreed to indemnify the Partnership until April 15, 2018, against certain environmental and toxic tort liabilities with respect to certain assets that KNOT contributed or sold to the Partnership to the extent arising prior to the time they were contributed or sold. However, claims are subject to a deductible of $0.5 million and an aggregate cap of $5 million. In addition, pursuant to the Omnibus Agreement, KNOT agreed to indemnify the Partnership for any defects in title to certain assets contributed or sold to the Partnership and any failure to obtain, prior to April 15, 2013, certain consents and permits necessary to conduct the Partnership’s business, which liabilities arise within three years after the closing of the IPO on April 15, 2013. (c) Transactions with Management and Directors See Note 9(a) for a discussion of the allocation principles for KNOT’s administrative costs, including management and administrative staff, included in the consolidated statements of operations. (d) Amounts Due from (to) Related Parties Balances with related parties consisted of the following: (U.S. Dollars in thousands) At September 30, At December 31, Balance Sheets: Trading balances due from KOAS $ 28 $ 10 Trading balances due from KNOT and affiliates 41 48 Amount due from related parties $ 69 $ 58 Trading balances due to KOAS $ 586 $ 448 Trading balances due to KNOT and affiliates 179 400 Amount due to related parties $ 765 $ 848 Amounts due from (to) related parties are unsecured and intended to be settled in the ordinary course of business. They primarily relate to vessel management and other fees due to KNOT and KOAS. (e) Trade accounts payables Trade accounts payables to related parties are included in total trade accounts payables in the balance sheet. The balances to related parties consisted of the following: (U.S. Dollars in thousands) At September 30, At December 31, Balance Sheets: Trading balances due to KOAS $ 402 $ 651 Trading balances due to KNOT and affiliates 355 360 Trade accounts payables to related parties $ 757 $ 1,011 (f) Acquisitions from KNOT On June 30, 2015, the Partnership acquired KNOT’s 100% interest in KNOT Shuttle Tankers 21 AS, the company that owns and operates the Dan Sabia. On October 15, 2015, the Partnership acquired KNOT’s 100% interest in Knutsen NYK Shuttle Tankers 16 AS, the company that owns and operates the Ingrid Knutsen. The board of directors of the Partnership (the “Board”) and the conflicts committee of the Board (the “Conflicts Committee”) approved the purchase price for each transaction described above. The Conflicts Committee retained a financial advisor to assist with its evaluation of each of the transactions. See Note—12 Business Acquisitions.

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	10) Commitments and Contingencies Assets Pledged As of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, Vessels with a book value of $1,155 million and $1,193 million, respectively, were pledged as security held as guarantee for the Partnership’s long-term debt and interest rate swap obligations. See Note 5 —Derivative Instruments and Note 7 —Long-Term Debt. Claims and Legal Proceedings From time to time, the Partnership is involved in various claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. In the opinion of management, the ultimate disposition of these matters will not have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Insurance The Partnership maintains insurance on all the Vessels to insure against marine and war risks, which include damage to or total loss of the Vessels, subject to deductible amounts that average $0.150 million per Vessel, and loss of hire. Under the loss of hire policies, the insurer will pay a compensation for the lost hire rate agreed in respect of each Vessel for each day, in excess of 14 deductible days, for the time that the Vessel is out of service as a result of damage, for a maximum of 180 days. In addition, the Partnership maintains protection and indemnity insurance, which covers third-party legal liabilities arising in connection with the Vessels’ activities, including, among other things, the injury or death of third-party persons, loss or damage to cargo, claims arising from collisions with other vessels and other damage to other third-party property, including pollution arising from oil or other substances. This insurance is unlimited, except for pollution, which is limited to $1 billion per vessel per incident. The protection and indemnity insurance is maintained through a protection and indemnity association, and as a member of the association, the Partnership may be required to pay amounts above budgeted premiums if the member claims exceed association reserves, subject to certain reinsured amounts. If the Partnership experiences multiple claims each with individual deductibles, losses due to risks that are not insured or claims for insured risks that are not paid, it could have a material adverse effect on the Partnership’s results of operations and financial condition.

Earnings per Unit and Cash Dist

Earnings per Unit and Cash Distributions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings per Unit and Cash Distributions	11) Earnings per Unit and Cash Distributions The calculations of basic and diluted earnings per unit (1) are presented below: (US $ in thousands, except per unit data) Three Three Nine Nine Net income attributable to the partners of KNOT Offshore Partners LP $ 19,357 $ 8,802 $ 41,598 $ 22,875 Less: Distributions paid (2) 15,027 15,110 45,149 41,910 Under (over) distributed earnings (4,330 ) (6,308 ) (3,551 ) (19,035 ) Under (over) distributed earnings attributable to: Common unitholders (3) (4,243 ) (4,247 ) (3,480 ) (12,816 ) Subordinated unitholders (3) — (1,935 ) — (5,838 ) General Partner (87 ) (126 ) (72 ) (381 ) Weighted average units outstanding (basic and diluted) (in thousands): Common unitholders 27,194 18,807 22,817 16,005 Subordinated unitholders — 8,568 4,377 8,568 General Partner 559 559 559 467 Earnings per unit (basic and diluted): Common unitholders $ 0.697 $ 0.294 $ 1.563 $ 0.850 Subordinated unitholders (4) — 0.362 1.154 1.033 General Partner 0. 697 0.294 1.594 0.915 Cash distributions declared and paid in the period per unit (5) 0.520 0.510 1.560 1.510 Subsequent event: Cash distributions declared and paid per unit relating to the period (6) 0.520 0.520 0.520 0.520 (1) Earnings per unit have been calculated in accordance with the cash distribution provisions set forth in the Partnership’s Partnership Agreement. (2) This refers to distributions made or to be made in relation to the period irrespective of the declaration and payment dates and based on the number of units outstanding at the record date. This includes cash distributions to the IDR holder (KNOT) for the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 of $0.6 million and of $0.6 million, respectively, and for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 of $1.8 million and of $1.5 million, respectively. (3) On May 18, 2016 all subordinated units converted in to common units on a one-for-one (4) This includes the net income attributable to the IDR holder. The IDRs generally may not be transferred by KNOT until March 31, 2018. The net income attributable to IDRs for the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 was $0.6 million and $0.6 million, respectively, and for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 was $1.8 million and $1.5 million, respectively. (5) Refers to cash distributions declared and paid during the period. (6) Refers to cash distributions declared and paid subsequent to the period end. As of September 30, 2016, 66.8% of the Partnership’s total number of units outstanding representing limited partner interests were held by the public (in the form of 18,536,226 common units, representing 68.2% of the Partnership’s common units) and 30.9% of such units were held by KNOT (in the form of 8,567,500 common units, representing 31.5% of the Partnership’s common units). In addition, KNOT, through its ownership of the General Partner, held the 2.01% general partner interest (in the form of 558,674 general partner units) and a 0.3% limited partner interest (in the form of 90,368 common units). Earnings per unit is determined by dividing net income, after deducting the distribution paid or to be made in relation to the period, by the weighted-average number of units outstanding during the applicable period. The General Partner’s, common unitholders’ and subordinated unitholders’ interest in net income are calculated as if all net income was distributed according to the terms of the Partnership Agreement, regardless of whether those earnings would or could be distributed. The Partnership Agreement does not provide for the distribution of net income. Rather, it provides for the distribution of available cash, which is a contractually defined term that generally means all cash on hand at the end of each quarter less the amount of cash reserves established by the Board to provide for the proper conduct of the Partnership’s business, including reserves for maintenance and replacement capital expenditures and anticipated credit needs and capital requirements. In addition, KNOT, as the initial holder of all IDRs, has the right, at the time when there are no subordinated units outstanding and it has received incentive distributions at the highest level to which it is entitled (48.0% for each of the prior four consecutive fiscal quarters), to reset the initial cash target distribution levels at higher levels based on the distribution at the time of the exercise of the reset election. Unlike available cash, net income is affected by non-cash For a description of the provisions of the Partnership Agreement relating to cash distributions, please see Note 21 in the Partnership’s audited consolidated financial statements contained in the 2015 20-F.

Business Acquisitions

Business Acquisitions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Business Acquisitions	12) Business Acquisitions In June 2015 and October 2015, the Partnership acquired from KNOT equity interests in certain subsidiaries which own and operate the Dan Sabia Ingrid Knutsen The Board and the Conflicts Committee approved the purchase price for each transaction. The Conflicts Committee retained a financial advisor to assist with its evaluation of each of the transactions. The details of each transaction are as follows: (US $ in thousands) Final Ingrid Knutsen Final Dan Sabia Purchase consideration (1) $ 12,863 $ 41,186 Less: Fair value of net assets acquired: Vessel and equipment (2) 115,000 103,389 Cash 4,744 4,343 Inventories 144 — Others current assets 188 25 Amounts due from related parties 1 935 Long-term debt (84,275 ) (64,470 ) Long-term debt from related parties (20,253 ) — Derivatives liabilities — (802 ) Trade accounts payable (94 ) (4 ) Accrued expenses (1,555 ) (335 ) Prepaid charter and deferred revenue (762 ) (442 ) Amounts due to related parties (275 ) (1,453 ) Sub total 12,863 41,186 Difference between the purchase price and fair value of net assets acquired $ — $ — Goodwill — — Difference between the purchase price and allocated values $ — $ — (1) The purchase price is comprised of the following: (US $ in thousands) Final Ingrid Knutsen Final Dan Sabia Cash consideration paid to KNOT $ 10,472 $ 38,531 Purchase price adjustments 2,391 2,655 Total purchase consideration $ 12,863 $ 41,186 (2) Vessels and equipment includes allocation to dry docking for the Ingrid Knutsen Dan Sabia Dan Sabia On June 15, 2015, the Partnership’s wholly owned subsidiary, KNOT Shuttle Tankers AS, acquired KNOT’s 100% interest in KNOT Shuttle Tankers 21 AS, the company that owns and operates the Dan Sabia Revenue and profit contributions The Dan Sabia The table below shows comparative summarized consolidated pro forma financial information for the Partnership for the nine months ended September 30, 2015, giving effect to the Partnership’s acquisition and financing of the Dan Sabia (US $ in thousands) Nine Months Ended Revenue $ 116,984 Net income 23,840 Included in the pro forma adjustments are depreciation related to the purchase price allocation performed on the acquired identifiable assets as if the acquisitions had taken place on January 1, 2015. In addition, the pro forma adjustments include finance expenses related to the increased borrowings as if the acquisitions had taken place on January 1, 2015. Ingrid Knutsen On October 15, 2015, the Partnership’s wholly owned subsidiary, KNOT Shuttle Tankers AS, acquired KNOT’s 100% interest in Knutsen NYK Shuttle Tankers 16 AS, the company that owns and operates the Ingrid Knutsen

Equity Offerings

Equity Offerings	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Equity [Abstract]
Equity Offerings	13) Equity Offerings (US $ in thousands) June 2015 Gross proceeds received (1) $ 121,224 Less: Underwriters’ discount 4,300 Less: Offering expenses 293 Net proceeds received 116,631 (1) Includes General Partner’s 2% proportional capital contribution. On June 2, 2015, the Partnership sold 5,000,000 common units, representing limited partner interests, in an underwritten public offering (the “June 2015 Offering”). In connection with the June 2015 Offering, the General Partner contributed a total of $2.4 million in order to maintain its 2% general partner interest in the Partnership. The Partnership’s total net proceeds from the June 2015 Offering and the related General Partner’s contribution were $116.6 million. The Partnership used the net proceeds from the June 2015 Offering to fund the cash portion of the purchase price of the Dan Sabia

Unit Activity

Unit Activity	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Equity [Abstract]
Unit Activity	14) Unit Activity The following table shows the movement in the number of common units, subordinated units and general partner units from December 31, 2014 until September 30, 2016. (in units) Common Units Subordinated Units General Partner Units December 31, 2014 13,807,500 8,567,500 456,633 June 2015 5,000,000 — 102,041 Repurchase program (180,906 ) — — December 31, 2015 18,626,594 8,567,500 558,674 Subordinated units converted to common units 8,567,500 (8,567,500 ) — September 30, 2016 27,194,094 — 558,674 On August 12, 2015, the Board authorized a program for the Partnership to repurchase up to 666,667 of its common units. The board of directors of the General Partner concurrently authorized the General Partner to purchase up to 333,333 common units of the Partnership. On August 10, 2016, the Board and the board of directors of the General Partner authorized an extension of the common unit purchase program to August 31, 2017. As of December 31, 2015, the Partnership and the General Partner had purchased 180,906 and 90,368 common units, respectively, pursuant to the program at an average purchase price of $12.71 per unit. No additional common units have been purchased by the Partnership or the General Partner in 2016. The Partnership and the General Partner may therefore purchase up to an additional 485,761 and 242,965 common units, respectively, under the extended program. All purchases are made pursuant to a single program and are allocated approximately two-thirds one-third The subordination period for the 8,567,500 subordinated units ended on May 18, 2016. All of the subordinated units, which were owned by KNOT, converted to common units on a one-for-one

Subsequent Events

Subsequent Events	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Subsequent Events [Abstract]
Subsequent Events	15) Subsequent Events The Partnership has evaluated subsequent events from the balance sheet date through January 4, 2017, the date at which the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements were available to be issued, and determined that there are no other items to disclose, except as follows: On November 14, 2016, the Partnership paid a quarterly cash distribution of $0.52 per unit with respect to the quarter ended September 30, 2016. The total amount of the distribution was $15.0 million. On December 1, 2016 the Partnership’s wholly owned subsidiary, KNOT Shuttle Tankers AS, acquired 100% of the shares of Knutsen Shuttle Tankers 19 AS (“KNOT 19”), the company that owns the shuttle tanker Raquel Knutsen The purchase price was settled by way of seller’s credit (the “Seller’s Credit”) in the amount of approximately $13.0 million. In connection with the Acquisition, KNOT provided to KNOT Shuttle Tankers AS a loan in the amount of approximately $12.0 million (the “Seller’s Loan”). The Seller’s Credit and the Seller’s Loan are non-amortizing, The Raquel Knutsen ten-year two-year The Partnership has accounted for the acquisition of the Raquel Knutsen 20-F (US $ in thousands) December 1, 2016 Purchase consideration (1) $ 20,252 Less: Fair value of net assets acquired: Vessel and equipment 116,500 Long-term debt (103,519 ) Post-closing adjustments 7,271 Sub total 20,252 Difference between the purchase price and fair value of net assets acquired — (1) This includes the purchase consideration for the vessel less the assumed bank debt plus post-closing adjustments for working capital, interest rate swaps, certain intercompany balances and capitalized fees related to the financing of the vessel. On December 6, 2016, the Partnership entered into a Series A Preferred Unit Purchase Agreement to issue and sell in a private placement $50 million of Series A Convertible Preferred Units (the “Preferred Units”) at a price of $24.00 per unit (the “Issue Price”), resulting in approximately 2,083,333 Preferred Units, representing limited partner interests in the Partnership, expected to be outstanding as of the closing date (the “Closing Date”) of the private placement. The Preferred Units will be perpetual and will pay cumulative, quarterly distributions in arrears at an annual rate of 8.0% of the Issue Price, on or prior to the date of payment of distributions on the Partnership’s common units. The Partnership has the option to issue and sell on the Closing Date up to an additional $49 million of Preferred Units to other purchasers at the Issue Price. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close in January 2017. Assuming the Partnership issues $50 million of Preferred Units, the net proceeds, after deducting estimated fees and expenses, are expected to be approximately $48.5 million. The Partnership expects to use the net proceeds for general partnership purposes, which may include acquisitions, capital expenditures or the repayment of indebtedness.

Summary of Significant Accoun24

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Preparation	(a) Basis of Preparation The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and applicable rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for interim financial information. All intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements do not include all the disclosures and information required for a complete set of annual financial statements; and, therefore, these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015, which are included in the Partnership’s Annual Report on Form 20-F 20-F”). Under the Partnership’s First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership (the “Partnership Agreement”), KNOT Offshore Partners GP LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of KNOT, and the general partner of the Partnership (the “General Partner”), has irrevocably delegated to the Partnership’s board of directors the power to oversee and direct the operations of, manage and determine the strategies and policies of the Partnership. During the period from the Partnership’s IPO in April 2013 until the time of the Partnership’s first annual general meeting (“AGM”) on June 25, 2013, the General Partner retained the sole power to appoint, remove and replace all members of the Partnership’s board of directors. From the first AGM, four of the seven board members became electable by the common unitholders and accordingly, from this date, KNOT, as the owner of the General Partner, no longer retains the power to control the Partnership’s board of directors and, hence, the Partnership. As a result, the Partnership is no longer considered to be under common control with KNOT and as a consequence, the Partnership will not account for any vessel acquisitions from KNOT after June 25, 2013 as a transfer of equity interests between entities under common control.
Significant accounting policies	(b) Significant accounting policies The accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the unaudited condensed consolidated interim financial statements are consistent with those followed in the preparation of the Partnership’s audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015, as contained in the Partnership’s 2015 20-F.
Accounting pronouncement not yet adopted	(c) Accounting pronouncement not yet adopted In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The update requires an entity to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on its balance sheet and disclose key information about leasing arrangements. It also offers specific accounting guidance for a lessee, a lessor and sale and leaseback transactions. Lessees and lessors are required to disclose qualitative and quantitative information about leasing arrangements to enable a user of the financial statements to assess the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. The guidance will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years and early adoption is permitted. The Partnership is in the process of evaluating the impact of this standard update on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In May 2014, the FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issued a comprehensive revenue recognition standard that will supersede existing revenue guidance under US GAAP and IFRS, ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers 2014-09) 2014-09 2015-14) non-public 2014-09) 2014-09 In August 2014, FASB issued Presentation of Financial Statements – Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40), Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern 2014-15). 2014-15

Segment Information (Tables)

Segment Information (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Schedule of Revenues and Percentage of Combined Revenues for Customers	The following table presents revenues and percentage of consolidated revenues for customers that accounted for more than 10% of the Partnership’s consolidated revenues during the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015. All of these customers are subsidiaries of major international oil companies, except KNOT, which was chartering the Windsor Knutsen Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended (U.S. Dollars in thousands) 2016 2015 2016 2015 Fronape International Company, a subsidiary of Petrobras $ 11,368 26 % 11,368 29 % $ 33,866 27 % 29,250 26 % Eni Trading and Shipping S.pA 11,816 27 % 11,810 30 % 35,191 27 % 35,000 31 % Statoil ASA 5,809 13 % 5,864 15 % 16,038 13 % 17,345 15 % Repsol Sinopec Brasil, S.A., a subsidiary of Repsol Sinopec 4,793 11 % 5,126 13 % 14,553 11 % 15,212 14 % Brazil Shipping I Limited, a subsidiary of Shell 5,210 13 % — — 15,344 12 % — — Standard Marine 4,394 10 % — — 13,087 10 % — — Knutsen NYK Offshore — — 5,113 13 % — — 15,526 14 %

Derivative Instruments (Tables)

Derivative Instruments (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Realized and Unrealized Gains and Losses Recognized in Earnings	The following table presents the realized and unrealized gains and losses that are recognized in earnings as net gain (loss) for derivative instruments for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended (US $ in thousands) 2016 2015 2016 2015 Realized (loss) Interest rate swap contracts $ (671 ) $ (989 ) $ (2,847 ) $ (3,348 ) Foreign exchange forward contracts (152 ) (3,238 ) (468 ) (3,238 ) Unrealized gain (loss) Interest rate swap contracts 2,744 (4,032 ) (3,122 ) (5,866 ) Foreign exchange forward contracts 1,692 1,789 3,690 612 Total realized and unrealized (loss) gain 3,613 (6,470 ) (2,747 ) (11,840 )

Fair Value Measurements (Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Carrying Amounts and Estimated Fair Values of Partnership 's Financial Instruments	The following table presents the carrying amounts and estimated fair values of the Partnership’s financial instruments as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015. Fair value is defined as the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. September 30, 2016 December 31, 2015 (U.S. Dollars in thousands) Carrying Fair Value Carrying Fair Value Financial assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 27,382 $ 27,382 $ 23,573 $ 23,573 Non-current Interest rate swap contracts — — 695 695 Foreign exchange forward contracts 1,645 1,645 — — Financial liabilities: Current derivative liabilities: Interest rate swap contracts 2,621 2,621 3,799 3,799 Foreign exchange forward contracts — — 1,339 1,339 Non-current Interest rate swap contracts 4,132 4,132 527 527 Foreign exchange forward contracts — — 705 705 Long-term debt, current and non-current 635,209 635,209 667,772 667,772
Schedule of Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis	The following table presents the placement in the fair value hierarchy of assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis (including items that are required to be measured at fair value or for which fair value is required to be disclosed) as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015: Fair Value Measurements at (U.S. Dollars in thousands) September 30, Quoted Price Significant Significant Financial assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 27,382 $ 27,382 $ — $ — Non-current Interest rate swap contracts — — — — Foreign exchange forward contracts 1,645 — 1,645 — Financial liabilities: Current derivative liabilities: Interest rate swap contracts 2,621 — 2,621 — Foreign exchange forward contracts — — — — Non-current Interest rate swap contracts 4,132 — 4,132 — Long-term debt, current and non-current 635,209 — 635,209 — Fair Value Measurements at (U.S. Dollars in thousands) December 31, Quoted Price Significant Significant Financial assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 23,573 $ 23,573 $ — $ — Non-current Interest rate swap contracts 695 — 695 — Financial liabilities: Current derivative liabilities: Interest rate swap contracts 3,799 — 3,799 — Foreign exchange forward contracts 1,339 — 1,339 — Non-current Interest rate swap contracts 527 527 — Foreign exchange forward contract 705 705 Long-term debt, current and non-current 667,772 — 667,772 —

Long-Term Debt (Tables)

Long-Term Debt (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Schedule of Long-Term Debt	As of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the Partnership had the following debt amounts outstanding: (U.S. Dollars in Vessel September 30, 2016 December 31, $220 million loan facility Windsor Knutsen, Bodil Knutsen, Carmen Knutsen $ 184,643 $ 196,429 $140 million loan facility Fortaleza Knutsen & 120,313 126,875 $117 million loan facility Hilda Knutsen 78,103 81,797 $117 million loan facility Torill Knutsen 79,337 83,033 $172.5 million loan facility Dan Cisne, Dan Sabia 105,139 109,339 $77.5 million loan facility Ingrid Knutsen 70,934 74,217 Total long-term debt 638,469 671,690 Less: current installments 50,084 49,684 Less: unamortized deferred loan issuance costs 1,207 1,149 Current portion of long-term debt 48,877 48,535 Amounts due after one year 588,384 622,006 Less: unamortized deferred loan issuance costs 2,052 2,819 Long-term debt less current installments and unamortized deferred loan issuance costs $ 586,332 $ 619,187
Summary of Partnership's Outstanding Debt Repayable	The Partnership’s outstanding debt of $638.5 million as of September 30, 2016 is repayable as follows: (US $ in thousands) Period Balloon Remainder of 2016 $ 16,463 $ — 2017 50,084 — 2018 48,495 154,927 2019 28,582 237,678 2020 17,650 — 2021 and thereafter 71,650 12,940 Total $ 232,924 $ 405,545

Income Taxes (Tables)

Income Taxes (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Components of Current and Deferred Income Tax Expense Attributable to Income from Continuing Operations	Profit and loss from continuing operation before income taxes was taxable to Norway and significant components of current and deferred income tax expense attributable to income from continuing operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended (US $ in thousands) 2016 2015 2016 2015 Income before income taxes $ 19,360 $ 8,802 $ 41,607 $ 22,881 Income tax (expense) (3 ) — (9 ) (6 ) Effective tax rate 0 % 0 % 0 % 0 %

Related Party Transactions (Tab

Related Party Transactions (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Related Party Transactions [Abstract]
Schedule of Related Party Costs and Expenses	Net expenses (income) from related parties included in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 are as follows: Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended (US $ in thousands) 2016 2015 2016 2015 Statements of operations: Time charter and bareboat revenues: Charter revenues from KNOT (1) $ — $ 5,113 $ — $ 15,526 Other income: Guarantee income from KNOT to vessel(2) 196 — 577 — Operating expenses: Technical and operational management fee from KNOT Management to Vessels (3) 733 580 2,198 1,743 General and administrative expenses: Administration fee from KNOT Management (4) 327 306 960 700 Administration fee from KOAS (4) 95 97 286 267 Administration fee from KOAS UK (4) 35 38 106 112 Administration and management fee from KNOT (5) 50 46 152 118 Finance income (expense): Interest expense charged from KNOT (6) — — — (268 ) Total 1,044 4,046 3,125 12,318 (1) Charter revenues from KNOT Bodil Knutsen Windsor Knutsen Windsor Knutsen Windsor Knutsen Windsor Knutsen (2) Guarantee income from KNOT Bodil Knutsen Windsor Knutsen Windsor Knutsen (3) Technical and operational management fee from KNOT to Vessels 24-hour (4) Administration fee from KNOT Management and Knutsen OAS Shipping AS (“KOAS”) and Knutsen OAS (UK) Ltd. (“KOAS UK”) (5) Administration and management fee from KNOT: (6) Interest expense charged from KNOT (7) Drydocking supervision fee from KNOT and KOAS
Schedule of Dues Payables to Related Party	(US $ in thousands) At September 30, 2016 At December 31, 2015 Balance Sheet: Vessels: Drydocking supervision fee from KNOT (7) $ 38 $ — Drydocking supervision fee from KOAS (7) 16 — Total 54 —
Summary of Amounts Due from (to) Related Parties	Balances with related parties consisted of the following: (U.S. Dollars in thousands) At September 30, At December 31, Balance Sheets: Trading balances due from KOAS $ 28 $ 10 Trading balances due from KNOT and affiliates 41 48 Amount due from related parties $ 69 $ 58 Trading balances due to KOAS $ 586 $ 448 Trading balances due to KNOT and affiliates 179 400 Amount due to related parties $ 765 $ 848
Schedule of Trade Accounts Payables to Related Parties	Trade accounts payables to related parties are included in total trade accounts payables in the balance sheet. The balances to related parties consisted of the following: (U.S. Dollars in thousands) At September 30, At December 31, Balance Sheets: Trading balances due to KOAS $ 402 $ 651 Trading balances due to KNOT and affiliates 355 360 Trade accounts payables to related parties $ 757 $ 1,011

Earnings per Unit and Cash Di31

Earnings per Unit and Cash Distributions (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Schedule of Calculations of Basic and Diluted Earnings per Unit	The calculations of basic and diluted earnings per unit (1) are presented below: (US $ in thousands, except per unit data) Three Three Nine Nine Net income attributable to the partners of KNOT Offshore Partners LP $ 19,357 $ 8,802 $ 41,598 $ 22,875 Less: Distributions paid (2) 15,027 15,110 45,149 41,910 Under (over) distributed earnings (4,330 ) (6,308 ) (3,551 ) (19,035 ) Under (over) distributed earnings attributable to: Common unitholders (3) (4,243 ) (4,247 ) (3,480 ) (12,816 ) Subordinated unitholders (3) — (1,935 ) — (5,838 ) General Partner (87 ) (126 ) (72 ) (381 ) Weighted average units outstanding (basic and diluted) (in thousands): Common unitholders 27,194 18,807 22,817 16,005 Subordinated unitholders — 8,568 4,377 8,568 General Partner 559 559 559 467 Earnings per unit (basic and diluted): Common unitholders $ 0.697 $ 0.294 $ 1.563 $ 0.850 Subordinated unitholders (4) — 0.362 1.154 1.033 General Partner 0. 697 0.294 1.594 0.915 Cash distributions declared and paid in the period per unit (5) 0.520 0.510 1.560 1.510 Subsequent event: Cash distributions declared and paid per unit relating to the period (6) 0.520 0.520 0.520 0.520 (1) Earnings per unit have been calculated in accordance with the cash distribution provisions set forth in the Partnership’s Partnership Agreement. (2) This refers to distributions made or to be made in relation to the period irrespective of the declaration and payment dates and based on the number of units outstanding at the record date. This includes cash distributions to the IDR holder (KNOT) for the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 of $0.6 million and of $0.6 million, respectively, and for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 of $1.8 million and of $1.5 million, respectively. (3) On May 18, 2016 all subordinated units converted in to common units on a one-for-one (4) This includes the net income attributable to the IDR holder. The IDRs generally may not be transferred by KNOT until March 31, 2018. The net income attributable to IDRs for the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 was $0.6 million and $0.6 million, respectively, and for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 was $1.8 million and $1.5 million, respectively. (5) Refers to cash distributions declared and paid during the period. (6) Refers to cash distributions declared and paid subsequent to the period end.

Subsequent Events (Tables)

Subsequent Events (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Schedule of Purchase Price of Each Transaction	The Board and the Conflicts Committee approved the purchase price for each transaction. The Conflicts Committee retained a financial advisor to assist with its evaluation of each of the transactions. The details of each transaction are as follows: (US $ in thousands) Final Ingrid Knutsen Final Dan Sabia Purchase consideration (1) $ 12,863 $ 41,186 Less: Fair value of net assets acquired: Vessel and equipment (2) 115,000 103,389 Cash 4,744 4,343 Inventories 144 — Others current assets 188 25 Amounts due from related parties 1 935 Long-term debt (84,275 ) (64,470 ) Long-term debt from related parties (20,253 ) — Derivatives liabilities — (802 ) Trade accounts payable (94 ) (4 ) Accrued expenses (1,555 ) (335 ) Prepaid charter and deferred revenue (762 ) (442 ) Amounts due to related parties (275 ) (1,453 ) Sub total 12,863 41,186 Difference between the purchase price and fair value of net assets acquired $ — $ — Goodwill — — Difference between the purchase price and allocated values $ — $ — (1) The purchase price is comprised of the following: (US $ in thousands) Final Ingrid Knutsen Final Dan Sabia Cash consideration paid to KNOT $ 10,472 $ 38,531 Purchase price adjustments 2,391 2,655 Total purchase consideration $ 12,863 $ 41,186 (2) Vessels and equipment includes allocation to dry docking for the Ingrid Knutsen Dan Sabia
Raquel Knutsen [Member]
Schedule of Purchase Price of Each Transaction	The provisional fair values allocated to each class of identifiable assets of Knutsen Shuttle Tankers 19 AS and the difference between the purchase price and net assets acquired was calculated as follows: (US $ in thousands) December 1, 2016 Purchase consideration (1) $ 20,252 Less: Fair value of net assets acquired: Vessel and equipment 116,500 Long-term debt (103,519 ) Post-closing adjustments 7,271 Sub total 20,252 Difference between the purchase price and fair value of net assets acquired — (1) This includes the purchase consideration for the vessel less the assumed bank debt plus post-closing adjustments for working capital, interest rate swaps, certain intercompany balances and capitalized fees related to the financing of the vessel.

Business Acquisitions (Tables)

Business Acquisitions (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Schedule of Summarized Consolidated Pro Forma Financial Information	The table below shows comparative summarized consolidated pro forma financial information for the Partnership for the nine months ended September 30, 2015, giving effect to the Partnership’s acquisition and financing of the Dan Sabia (US $ in thousands) Nine Months Ended Revenue $ 116,984 Net income 23,840

Equity Offerings (Tables)

Equity Offerings (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Equity [Abstract]
Schedule of Equity Offerings	(US $ in thousands) June 2015 Gross proceeds received (1) $ 121,224 Less: Underwriters’ discount 4,300 Less: Offering expenses 293 Net proceeds received 116,631 (1) Includes General Partner’s 2% proportional capital contribution.

Unit Activity (Tables)

Unit Activity (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
Equity [Abstract]
Schedule of Movement in Number of Common Units, Subordinated Units and General Partner Units	The following table shows the movement in the number of common units, subordinated units and general partner units from December 31, 2014 until September 30, 2016. (in units) Common Units Subordinated Units General Partner Units December 31, 2014 13,807,500 8,567,500 456,633 June 2015 5,000,000 — 102,041 Repurchase program (180,906 ) — — December 31, 2015 18,626,594 8,567,500 558,674 Subordinated units converted to common units 8,567,500 (8,567,500 ) — September 30, 2016 27,194,094 — 558,674

Description of Business - Addit

Description of Business - Additional Information (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016TankerVessel	Sep. 30, 2015Vessel
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Number of shuttle tankers to be acquired | Tanker	4
Initial public offering completion date	2013-04
Percentage of ownership interests to be acquired by Partnership in four shuttle tankers	100.00%
Number of operating vessels | Vessel	10	9
Windsor Knutsen [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Time charters expiration year	2,017
Bodil Knutsen [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Time charters expiration year	2,019
Time charterer options extension year	2,024
Recife Knutsen [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Bareboat charters expiration year	2,023
Fortaleza Knutsen [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Bareboat charters expiration year	2,023
Carmen Knutsen [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Time charters expiration year	2,023
Time charterer options extension year	2,026
Hilda Knutsen and Torill Knutsen [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Time charters expiration year	2,018
Time charterer options extension year	2,023
Dan Cisne [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Bareboat charters expiration year	2,023
Dan Sabia [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Bareboat charters expiration year	2,024
Ingrid Knutsen [Member]
Collaborative Arrangements and Non-collaborative Arrangement Transactions [Line Items]
Time charters expiration year	2,024
Time charterer options extension year	2,029

Segment Information - Additiona

Segment Information - Additional Information (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016BoatsVesselTimesSegment	Sep. 30, 2015BoatsVesselTimes
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Number of reportable segments | Segment	1
Number of time charters | Times	6	5
Number of bareboat charters | Boats	4	4
Number of vessels | Vessel	10	9
Minimum [Member] | Revenues [Member] | Customer Concentration Risk [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Benchmark percentage of revenues and combined revenues concentration	10.00%	10.00%

Segment Information - Schedule

Segment Information - Schedule of Revenues and Percentage of Combined Revenues for Customers (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 43,587	$ 39,284	$ 128,676	$ 112,487
Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers AS [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Revenues		5,113		15,526
Fronape International Company, a Subsidiary of Petrobras Transporte S.A. [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Revenues	11,368	11,368	33,866	29,250
Eni Trading and Shipping S.pA [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Revenues	11,816	11,810	35,191	35,000
Statoil ASA [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Revenues	5,809	5,864	16,038	17,345
Repsol Sinopec Brasil, S.A., a Subsidiary of Repsol Sinopec Brasil, B.V. [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Revenues	4,793	$ 5,126	14,553	$ 15,212
Brazil Shipping I Limited, a Subsidiary of Shell [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Revenues	5,210		15,344
Standard Marine AS, a Subsidiary of ExxonMobil [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Revenues	$ 4,394		$ 13,087
Customer Concentration Risk [Member] | Revenues [Member] | Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers AS [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Percentage of combined revenues for customers		13.00%		14.00%
Customer Concentration Risk [Member] | Revenues [Member] | Fronape International Company, a Subsidiary of Petrobras Transporte S.A. [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Percentage of combined revenues for customers	26.00%	29.00%	27.00%	26.00%
Customer Concentration Risk [Member] | Revenues [Member] | Eni Trading and Shipping S.pA [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Percentage of combined revenues for customers	27.00%	30.00%	27.00%	31.00%
Customer Concentration Risk [Member] | Revenues [Member] | Statoil ASA [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Percentage of combined revenues for customers	13.00%	15.00%	13.00%	15.00%
Customer Concentration Risk [Member] | Revenues [Member] | Repsol Sinopec Brasil, S.A., a Subsidiary of Repsol Sinopec Brasil, B.V. [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Percentage of combined revenues for customers	11.00%	13.00%	11.00%	14.00%
Customer Concentration Risk [Member] | Revenues [Member] | Brazil Shipping I Limited, a Subsidiary of Shell [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Percentage of combined revenues for customers	13.00%		12.00%
Customer Concentration Risk [Member] | Revenues [Member] | Standard Marine AS, a Subsidiary of ExxonMobil [Member]
Revenue, Major Customer [Line Items]
Percentage of combined revenues for customers	10.00%		10.00%

Goodwill Impairment Charge - Ad

Goodwill Impairment Charge - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015
Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]
Impairment of vessels		$ 0
Goodwill impairment charge	$ 6,217,000	6,217,000	$ 6,217,000
Goodwill	$ 0	$ 0

Derivative Instruments - Additi

Derivative Instruments - Additional Information (Detail) NOK in Millions, $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2016USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016NOK	Dec. 31, 2015USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015NOK
Interest Rate Swap Contracts [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate	1.54%	1.54%
Derivative, Notional amount of outstanding obligations	$ 407.7		$ 410
Carrying amount of derivative liabilities	6.8		3.6
Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Derivative, Notional amount of outstanding obligations | NOK		NOK 293.8		NOK 289.8
Carrying amount of derivative liabilities			$ 2.1
Carrying amount of derivative assets	$ 1.7

Derivative Instruments - Schedu

Derivative Instruments - Schedule of Realized and Unrealized Gains and Losses Recognized in Earnings (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Realized gain (loss)	$ 3,613	$ (6,470)	$ (2,747)	$ (11,840)
Unrealized gain (loss)			568	(5,254)
Interest Rate Swap Contracts [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Realized gain (loss)	(671)	(989)	(2,847)	(3,348)
Unrealized gain (loss)	2,744	(4,032)	(3,122)	(5,866)
Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Realized gain (loss)	(152)	(3,238)	(468)	(3,238)
Unrealized gain (loss)	$ 1,692	$ 1,789	$ 3,690	$ 612

Fair Value Measurements - Carry

Fair Value Measurements - Carrying Amounts and Estimated Fair Values of Partnership 's Financial Instruments (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Financial assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 27,382	$ 23,573	$ 67,197	$ 30,746
Non-current derivative assets		695
Financial liabilities:
Current derivative liabilities	2,621	5,138
Non-current derivative liabilities	4,132	1,232
Long-term debt, current and non-current	638,469	671,690
Interest Rate Swap Contracts [Member]
Financial assets:
Non-current derivative assets		695
Financial liabilities:
Current derivative liabilities	2,621	3,799
Non-current derivative liabilities	4,132	527
Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts [Member]
Financial assets:
Non-current derivative assets	1,645
Financial liabilities:
Current derivative liabilities		1,339
Non-current derivative liabilities		705
Carrying Amount [Member]
Financial assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	27,382	23,573
Financial liabilities:
Long-term debt, current and non-current	635,209	667,772
Carrying Amount [Member] | Interest Rate Swap Contracts [Member]
Financial assets:
Non-current derivative assets		695
Financial liabilities:
Current derivative liabilities	2,621	3,799
Non-current derivative liabilities	4,132	527
Carrying Amount [Member] | Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts [Member]
Financial assets:
Non-current derivative assets	1,645
Financial liabilities:
Current derivative liabilities		1,339
Non-current derivative liabilities		705
Fair Value [Member]
Financial assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	27,382	23,573
Financial liabilities:
Long-term debt, current and non-current	635,209	667,772
Fair Value [Member] | Interest Rate Swap Contracts [Member]
Financial assets:
Non-current derivative assets		695
Financial liabilities:
Current derivative liabilities	2,621	3,799
Non-current derivative liabilities	4,132	527
Fair Value [Member] | Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts [Member]
Financial assets:
Non-current derivative assets	$ 1,645
Financial liabilities:
Current derivative liabilities		1,339
Non-current derivative liabilities		$ 705

Fair Value Measurements - Sched

Fair Value Measurements - Schedule of Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on Recurring Basis (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Financial assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 27,382	$ 23,573
Non-current derivative assets		695
Financial liabilities:
Current derivative liabilities	2,621	5,138
Non-current derivative liabilities	4,132	1,232
Long-term debt, current and non-current	635,209	667,772
Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts [Member]
Financial assets:
Non-current derivative assets	1,645
Financial liabilities:
Current derivative liabilities		1,339
Non-current derivative liabilities		705
Interest Rate Swap Contracts [Member]
Financial assets:
Non-current derivative assets		695
Financial liabilities:
Current derivative liabilities	2,621	3,799
Non-current derivative liabilities	4,132	527
Quoted Price in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) [Member]
Financial assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	27,382	23,573
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member]
Financial liabilities:
Long-term debt, current and non-current	635,209	667,772
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts [Member]
Financial assets:
Non-current derivative assets	1,645
Financial liabilities:
Current derivative liabilities		1,339
Non-current derivative liabilities		705
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Interest Rate Swap Contracts [Member]
Financial assets:
Non-current derivative assets		695
Financial liabilities:
Current derivative liabilities	2,621	3,799
Non-current derivative liabilities	$ 4,132	$ 527

Long-Term Debt - Schedule of Lo

Long-Term Debt - Schedule of Long-Term Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total		$ 638,469	$ 671,690
Less: current installments		50,084	49,684
Less: unamortized deferred loan issuance costs		1,207	1,149
Current portion of long-term debt	[1]	48,877	48,535
Amounts due after one year		588,384	622,006
Less: unamortized deferred loan issuance costs		2,052	2,819
Long-term debt less current installments and unamortized deferred loan issuance costs	[1]	586,332	619,187
220 Million Secured Loan Facility [Member] | Windsor Knutsen Bodil Knutsen Carmen Knutsen [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total		184,643	196,429
140 Million Loan Facility [Member] | Fortaleza Knutsen and Recife Knutsen [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total		120,313	126,875
117 Million Loan Facility [Member] | Hilda Knutsen [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total		78,103	81,797
117 Million Loan Facility [Member] | Torill Knutsen [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total		79,337	83,033
172.5 Million Loan Facility [Member] | Dan Cisne Dan Sabia [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total		105,139	109,339
77.5 Million Loan Facility [Member] | Ingrid Knutsen [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total		$ 70,934	$ 74,217
[1]	Effective January 1, 2016, the Partnership implemented ASU 2015-03, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30), Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, which requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability rather than as an asset. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs is not affected. Therefore, these costs will continue to be amortized as interest expense using the effective interest method. The new guidance is applied retrospectively for all periods presented. As of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 the carrying amount of the deferred debt issuance cost was $3.3 million and $4.0 million, respectively.

Long-Term Debt - Schedule of 45

Long-Term Debt - Schedule of Long-Term Debt (Parenthetical) (Detail)	Sep. 30, 2016USD ($)
220 Million Secured Loan Facility [Member] | Windsor Knutsen Bodil Knutsen Carmen Knutsen [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument face amount	$ 220,000,000
140 Million Loan Facility [Member] | Fortaleza Knutsen and Recife Knutsen [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument face amount	140,000,000
117 Million Loan Facility [Member] | Hilda Knutsen [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument face amount	117,000,000
117 Million Loan Facility [Member] | Torill Knutsen [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument face amount	117,000,000
172.5 Million Loan Facility [Member] | Dan Cisne Dan Sabia [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument face amount	172,500,000
77.5 Million Loan Facility [Member] | Ingrid Knutsen [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument face amount	$ 77,500,000

Long-Term Debt - Additional Inf

Long-Term Debt - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt		$ 638,500,000
Total long-term debt		$ 638,469,000	$ 671,690,000
Partnership's Loan Agreements [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt interest rate description		London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") plus a fixed margin ranging from 2.125% to 2.5%.
Partnership's Loan Agreements [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt fixed margin percentage		2.125%
Partnership's Loan Agreements [Member] | London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt fixed margin percentage		2.50%
77.5 Million Loan Facility, Tranche Two [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Total long-term debt		$ 55,100,000
Long term debt interest rate percentage		3.85%
240 Million Secured Loan Facility [Member] | Senior Term Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior secured credit facility	$ 240,000,000
Guarantee Commission [Member] | 77.5 Million Loan Facility, Tranche Two [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt interest rate percentage		1.35%
Bank Facility Rate [Member] | 77.5 Million Loan Facility, Tranche Two [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt interest rate percentage		2.50%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt interest rate percentage	2.125%
Senior secured credit facility	$ 20,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Amended Senior Secured Loan Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long term debt interest rate description		LIBOR plus a fixed margin of 2.5%
Long term debt interest rate percentage	2.50%
Senior secured credit facility	$ 35,000,000
Additional borrowing capacity after amendment	$ 15,000,000
Line of credit facility expiration date	Jun. 30, 2019
Line of credit facility commitment fee percentage	40.00%

Long-Term Debt - Summary of Par

Long-Term Debt - Summary of Partnership's Outstanding Debt Repayable (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Debt Instrument, Redemption [Line Items]
Remainder of 2016	$ 16,463
2,017	50,084
2,018	48,495
2,018	28,582
2,019	17,650
2021 and thereafter	71,650
Total	232,924
Total	638,469	$ 671,690
Balloon Repayment [Member]
Debt Instrument, Redemption [Line Items]
2,018	154,927
2,019	237,678
2021 and thereafter	12,940
Total	$ 405,545

Income Taxes - Additional infor

Income Taxes - Additional information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Entrance tax							$ 3
Entrance tax, annual decline in gain				20.00%
Norwegian corporate tax rate				25.00%	27.00%	28.00%
Entrance tax paid, current	$ 0.2	$ 0.1	$ 0.2
Entrance tax payable, non current				$ 1

Income Taxes - Schedule of Prof

Income Taxes - Schedule of Profit and Loss from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes and Components of Current and Deferred Income Tax Expense (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income before income taxes	$ 19,360	$ 8,802	$ 41,607	$ 22,881
Income tax (expense)	$ (3)		$ (9)	$ (6)
Effective tax rate	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Related Party Transactions - Sc

Related Party Transactions - Schedule of Related Party Costs and Expenses (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Total	$ 1,044	$ 4,046	$ 3,125	$ 12,318
KNOT [Member] | Charter Revenues [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Time charter and bareboat revenues		5,113		15,526
KNOT [Member] | Guarantee Income [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Other income	196		577
KNOT [Member] | Technical and Operational Management Fee [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Operating expenses	733	580	2,198	1,743
KNOT [Member] | General and Administrative Expenses [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Administration fee	327	306	960	700
KNOT [Member] | Administration and Management Fee [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Administration fee	50	46	152	118
KNOT [Member] | Interest Expenses [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Interest expense charged from KNOT				(268)
KOAS [Member] | General and Administrative Expenses [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Administration fee	95	97	286	267
KOAS UK [Member] | General and Administrative Expenses [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Administration fee	$ 35	$ 38	$ 106	$ 112

Related Party Transactions - 51

Related Party Transactions - Schedule of Dues Payables to Related Party (Detail) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016USD ($)
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Drydocking supervision fee	$ 54
KNOT [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Drydocking supervision fee	38
KOAS [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Drydocking supervision fee	$ 16

Related Party Transactions - 52

Related Party Transactions - Schedule of Related Party Costs and Expenses (Parenthetical) (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016
KOAS [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Margin rate on administration cost	5.00%
KOAS UK [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Margin rate on administration cost	5.00%

Related Party Transactions - Ad

Related Party Transactions - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Oct. 15, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Guarantor obligations, related party disclosure			Pursuant to the Omnibus Agreement, KNOT agreed to guarantee the payments of the hire rate under the initial charters of each of the Bodil Knutsen and the Windsor Knutsen for a period of five years from the closing date of the IPO.
KNOT Shuttle Tankers 21 AS [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Partnership, ownership interest		100.00%
Knutsen NYK Shuttle Tankers 21 AS [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Partnership, ownership interest	100.00%
Omnibus Agreement [Member]
Related Party Transaction [Line Items]
Guarantor obligations, related party disclosure			In addition, pursuant to the Omnibus Agreement, KNOT agreed to indemnify the Partnership for any defects in title to certain assets contributed or sold to the Partnership and any failure to obtain, prior to April 15, 2013, certain consents and permits necessary to conduct the Partnership's business, which liabilities arise within three years after the closing of the IPO on April 15, 2013.
Environmental claims indemnification deductible			$ 500,000
Environmental claims indemnification liabilities aggregate cap			$ 5,000,000
Initial public offering completion date			Apr. 15, 2013

Related Party Transactions - Su

Related Party Transactions - Summary of Amounts Due from (to) Related Parties (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Balance Sheets:
Amount due from related parties	$ 69	$ 58
Amount due to related parties	765	848
KOAS [Member]
Balance Sheets:
Amount due from related parties	28	10
Amount due to related parties	586	448
KNOT [Member]
Balance Sheets:
Amount due from related parties	41	48
Amount due to related parties	$ 179	$ 400

Related Party Transactions - 55

Related Party Transactions - Schedule of Trade Accounts Payables to Related Parties (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Balance Sheets:
Amount due to related parties	$ 765	$ 848
Trade Accounts Payables [Member]
Balance Sheets:
Amount due to related parties	757	1,011
Trade Accounts Payables [Member] | KOAS [Member]
Balance Sheets:
Amount due to related parties	402	651
Trade Accounts Payables [Member] | KNOT [Member]
Balance Sheets:
Amount due to related parties	$ 355	$ 360

Commitments and Contingencies -

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Book value of assets pledged as security	$ 1,155,000,000	$ 1,193,000,000
Insurance coverage deductible amount per vessel	$ 150,000
Lost hire compensation insurance coverage, description	Under the loss of hire policies, the insurer will pay a compensation for the lost hire rate agreed in respect of each Vessel for each day, in excess of 14 deductible days, for the time that the Vessel is out of service as a result of damage, for a maximum of 180 days.
Insurance coverage for pollution, maximum liability per vessel	$ 1,000,000,000
Lost hire compensation insurance coverage, deductible days	14 days
Maximum [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Lost hire compensation insurance coverage, deductible days	180 days

Earnings per Unit and Cash Di57

Earnings per Unit and Cash Distributions - Schedule of Calculations of Basic and Diluted Earnings per Unit (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Earnings Per Unit Basic And Diluted [Line Items]
Net income attributable to the partners of KNOT Offshore Partners LP	$ 19,357	$ 8,802	$ 41,598	$ 22,875
Less: Distributions paid	15,027	15,110	45,149	41,910
Net income (loss)	(4,330)	(6,308)	(3,551)	(19,035)
Under (over) distributed earnings attributable to:
Under (over) distributed earnings to limited partners	18,967	8,638	40,707	22,447
Under (over) distributed earnings to general partners	$ 390	$ 164	$ 891	$ 428
Earnings per unit (basic and diluted):
Cash distributions declared and paid in the period per unit	$ 0.520	$ 0.510	$ 0.520	$ 1.510
Subsequent event: Cash distributions declared and paid per unit relating to the period	$ 0.520	$ 0.520	$ 0.520	$ 0.520
Common Units [Member]
Earnings Per Unit Basic And Diluted [Line Items]
Net income attributable to the partners of KNOT Offshore Partners LP			$ 35,655	$ 13,596
Under (over) distributed earnings attributable to:
Under (over) distributed earnings to limited partners	$ (4,243)	$ (4,247)	$ (3,480)	$ (12,816)
Weighted average units outstanding (basic and diluted)
Weighted average units outstanding, basic and diluted	27,194	18,807	22,817	16,005
Earnings per unit (basic and diluted):
Earnings per unit, basic and diluted	$ 0.697	$ 0.294	$ 1.563	$ 0.850
Subordinated Units [Member]
Earnings Per Unit Basic And Diluted [Line Items]
Net income attributable to the partners of KNOT Offshore Partners LP			$ 5,052	$ 8,851
Under (over) distributed earnings attributable to:
Under (over) distributed earnings to limited partners		$ (1,935)		$ (5,838)
Weighted average units outstanding (basic and diluted)
Weighted average units outstanding, basic and diluted		8,568	4,377	8,568
Earnings per unit (basic and diluted):
Earnings per unit, basic and diluted		$ 0.362	$ 1.154	$ 1.033
General Partner Unit [Member]
Earnings Per Unit Basic And Diluted [Line Items]
Net income attributable to the partners of KNOT Offshore Partners LP			$ 891	$ 428
Under (over) distributed earnings attributable to:
Under (over) distributed earnings to general partners	$ (87)	$ (126)	$ (72)	$ (381)
Weighted average units outstanding (basic and diluted)
Weighted average units outstanding, basic and diluted	559	559	559	467
Earnings per unit (basic and diluted):
Earnings per unit, basic and diluted	$ 0.697	$ 0.294	$ 1.594	$ 0.915

Earnings per Unit and Cash Di58

Earnings per Unit and Cash Distributions - Schedule of Calculations of Basic and Diluted Earnings per Unit (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Earnings Per Unit Basic And Diluted [Line Items]
Subordinated units converted in to common units			One-for-one basis
Net Income	$ (4,330)	$ (6,308)	$ (3,551)	$ (19,035)
KNOT [Member]
Earnings Per Unit Basic And Diluted [Line Items]
Cash distributions	600	600	1,800	1,500
IDR Holders [Member]
Earnings Per Unit Basic And Diluted [Line Items]
Net Income	$ 600	$ 600	$ 1,800	$ 1,500

Earnings per Unit and Cash Di59

Earnings per Unit and Cash Distributions - Additional Information (Detail) - shares	Jun. 02, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2014
Distribution Made to Limited Partner [Line Items]
Percentage of general partner interest	2.00%					2.00%
KNOT [Member]
Distribution Made to Limited Partner [Line Items]
Percentage of limited partner interest							0.30%
Number of common units and subordinated units outstanding		90,368					90,368
Common Units [Member]
Distribution Made to Limited Partner [Line Items]
Percentage of limited partner interest							66.80%
Number of common units and subordinated units outstanding		18,536,226					18,536,226
Percentage of partnership's units							68.20%
Subordinated Units [Member] | KNOT [Member]
Distribution Made to Limited Partner [Line Items]
Percentage of limited partner interest							30.90%
Number of common units and subordinated units outstanding		8,567,500					8,567,500
Percentage of partnership's units							31.50%
General Partner Unit [Member]
Distribution Made to Limited Partner [Line Items]
Number of General Partner Units Outstanding		558,674			558,674		558,674	456,633
General Partner Unit [Member] | KNOT [Member]
Distribution Made to Limited Partner [Line Items]
Percentage of general partner interest							2.01%
Number of General Partner Units Outstanding		558,674					558,674
IDR Holders [Member] | KNOT [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Distribution Made to Limited Partner [Line Items]
Percentage of operating surplus distributed to unitholders		48.00%	48.00%	48.00%	48.00%

Business Acquisitions - Schedul

Business Acquisitions - Schedule of Purchase Price of Each Transaction (Detail) - USD ($)	Oct. 15, 2015	Jun. 15, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015
Less: Fair value of net assets acquired:
Goodwill			$ 0
Ingrid Knutsen [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase consideration	$ 12,863,000
Less: Fair value of net assets acquired:
Vessel and equipment	115,000,000
Cash	4,744,000
Inventories	144,000
Others current assets	188,000
Amounts due from related parties	1,000
Long-term debt	(84,275,000)
Long-term debt from related parties	(20,253,000)
Trade accounts payable	(94,000)
Accrued expenses	(1,555,000)
Prepaid charter and deferred revenue	(762,000)
Amounts due to related parties	(275,000)
Sub total	12,863,000
Difference between the purchase price and fair value of net assets acquired	0
Goodwill	0
Difference between the purchase price and allocated values	$ 0
Dan Sabia [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase consideration		$ 41,186,000
Less: Fair value of net assets acquired:
Vessel and equipment		103,389,000
Cash		4,343,000
Others current assets		25,000
Amounts due from related parties		935,000
Long-term debt		(64,470,000)
Derivatives liabilities		(802,000)
Trade accounts payable		(4,000)
Accrued expenses		(335,000)
Prepaid charter and deferred revenue		(442,000)
Amounts due to related parties		(1,453,000)
Sub total		41,186,000
Difference between the purchase price and fair value of net assets acquired		0
Goodwill		0
Difference between the purchase price and allocated values		$ 0

Business Acquisitions - Sched61

Business Acquisitions - Schedule of Purchase Price of Each Transaction (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Oct. 15, 2015	Jun. 15, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016
Ingrid Knutsen [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash consideration paid to KNOT	$ 10,472
Purchase price adjustments	2,391
Total purchase consideration	12,863
Vessels and equipment	$ 115,000
Dan Sabia [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Cash consideration paid to KNOT		$ 38,531
Purchase price adjustments		2,655
Total purchase consideration		41,186
Vessels and equipment		$ 103,389
Dry Docking [Member] | Ingrid Knutsen [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Vessels and equipment			$ 1,263
Dry Docking [Member] | Dan Sabia [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Vessels and equipment			$ 389

Business Acquisitions - Additio

Business Acquisitions - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Oct. 15, 2015	Jun. 15, 2015	Jun. 02, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Revenues					$ 43,587	$ 39,284		$ 128,676	$ 112,487
Net Income					$ (4,330)	$ (6,308)		$ (3,551)	$ (19,035)
Dan Sabia [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, percentage of interest acquired		100.00%
Business acquisition, fair value of vessel and equipment acquired		$ 103,389
Business acquisition, outstanding debt		64,470
Purchase price adjustments		$ 2,655
Revenues							$ 2,900
Net Income							$ 1,500
Ingrid Knutsen [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business acquisition, percentage of interest acquired	100.00%
Business acquisition, fair value of vessel and equipment acquired	$ 115,000
Business acquisition, outstanding debt	84,275
Purchase price adjustments	$ 2,391
Common Units [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Common units issued			5,000,000	5,000,000					5,000,000
Common Units [Member] | Dan Sabia [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Common units issued		5,000,000

Business Acquisitions - Sched63

Business Acquisitions - Schedule of Summarized Consolidated Pro Forma Financial Information (Detail) - Dan Sabia [Member] $ in Thousands	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Revenue	$ 116,984
Net income	$ 23,840

Equity Offerings - Schedule of

Equity Offerings - Schedule of Equity Offerings (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 02, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015
Equity [Abstract]
Gross proceeds received		$ 121,224
Less: Underwriters' discount		4,300
Less: Offering expenses		293	$ 293
Net proceeds received	$ 116,600	$ 116,631

Equity Offerings - Schedule o65

Equity Offerings - Schedule of Equity Offerings (Parenthetical) (Detail)	Jun. 02, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015
Equity [Abstract]
General Partner's proportional capital contribution, percentage	2.00%	2.00%

Equity Offerings - Additional I

Equity Offerings - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jun. 02, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015
Subsidiary or Equity Method Investee [Line Items]
General partner's contribution	$ 2,400
General partner interest in Partnership, percentage	2.00%		2.00%
Net proceeds from public offering and related General Partner's contribution	$ 116,600		$ 116,631
Common Units [Member]
Subsidiary or Equity Method Investee [Line Items]
Limited partnership common units sold	5,000,000	5,000,000		5,000,000

Unit Activity - Schedule of Mov

Unit Activity - Schedule of Movement in Number of Common Units, Subordinated Units and General Partner Units (Detail) - shares	Jun. 02, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Common Units [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Subordinated units converted to common units				8,567,500
Number of Units Issued	5,000,000	5,000,000			5,000,000
Repurchase program			(180,906)
Number of Units				27,194,094		18,626,594	13,807,500
General Partner Unit [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of Units Issued		102,041
Number of General Partner Units Outstanding				558,674		558,674	456,633
Subordinated Units [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Subordinated units converted to common units				(8,567,500)
Number of Units				8,567,500		8,567,500	8,567,500

Unit Activity - Additional Info

Unit Activity - Additional Information (Detail) - $ / shares	6 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Aug. 12, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Subordinated units converted in to common units		One-for-one basis
Common Units [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Partners' Capital Account, Units Purchased	180,906
Partners capital account weighted average purchase price			$ 12.71
Number of Units		27,194,094	18,626,594		13,807,500
Common Units [Member] | KNOT [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Partners' Capital Account, Units Purchased		0	180,906
Common Units [Member] | General Partner [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Partners' Capital Account, Units Purchased		0	90,368
Subordinated Units [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of Units		8,567,500	8,567,500		8,567,500
Maximum [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Partnership authorized to repurchase common units		485,761		666,667
General Partner authorized to repurchase common units		242,965		333,333

Subsequent Events - Additional

Subsequent Events - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)	Dec. 06, 2016	Dec. 01, 2016	Nov. 14, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Goodwill				$ 0
Subsequent Event [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Cash distribution paid, date paid			Nov. 14, 2016
Cash distribution paid, per unit			$ 0.52
Cash distribution paid, aggregate			$ 15,000,000
Subsequent Event [Member] | Private Placement [Member] | Series A Preferred Unit [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Gross proceeds from private placement of Preferred Units	$ 50,000,000
Preferred Units issued, price per unit	$ 24
Preferred Units issued	2,083,333
Preferred Units, interest rate on issue price	8.00%
Preferred Units additional units issuable	49,000,000
Proceeds from private placement of Preferred Units	$ 48,500,000
Subsequent Event [Member] | Raquel Knutsen [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Business acquisition, fair value of vessel and equipment acquired		$ 116,500,000
Business acquisition, outstanding indebtedness		(103,519,000)
Post-closing adjustments		7,271,000
Indebtedness repaid		29,000,000
Secured credit facility outstanding		74,500,000
Final balloon payment to be paid		$ 30,500,000
Credit facility maturity date		Mar. 31, 2025
Credit facility interest rate description		LIBOR plus a margin of 2.0%
Credit facility interest rate		2.00%
Business acquisition, percentage of interest acquired		100.00%
Purchase price adjustment for capitalized fees related to financing		$ 1,100,000
Time charter period		10 years
Time charter expiration period		3 years
Time charter additional expiration period		2 years
Goodwill		$ 0
Subsequent Event [Member] | Raquel Knutsen [Member] | Sellers Credit [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Credit facility amount		13,000,000
Subsequent Event [Member] | Raquel Knutsen [Member] | Sellers Loan [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Credit facility amount		$ 12,000,000
Subsequent Event [Member] | Raquel Knutsen [Member] | Sellers Credit and Sellers Loan [Member]
Subsequent Event [Line Items]
Credit facility interest rate description		LIBOR plus a margin of 4.5%
Credit facility interest rate		4.50%
Credit facility maturity term		5 years

Subsequent Events - Schedule of

Subsequent Events - Schedule of Purchase Price of Each Transaction (Detail) - Subsequent Event [Member] - Raquel Knutsen [Member] $ in Thousands	Dec. 01, 2016USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Purchase consideration	$ 20,252
Less: Fair value of net assets acquired:
Vessel and equipment	116,500
Long-term debt	(103,519)
Post-closing adjustments	7,271
Sub total	20,252
Difference between the purchase price and fair value of net assets acquired	$ 0