KNOT Offshore Partners LP (NYSE:KNOP) Q3 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

Gary Chapman: Yes, I appreciate that, Jim. And I’ve said before and on previous earnings call and I’m happy to say to them, we try to run this business on a conservative basis. We’re generally not inclined to make rash decisions. We tried very hard to do the best for our unitholders and also making sure that we can access the benefits that we think are going to come in the good market that we see in the future. So I fully get your point.

Operator: Our next question comes from , who is an individual investor.

Unidentified Analyst: Just wanted to have a quick question. Realistically, what are the chances of spending some of the cash on repurchasing shares on the open market?

Gary Chapman: We’ve never ruled that out. It’s something that the board has always kept on the table. We’ve historically not done that, we’ve not gone down that route. We felt that the money has been better used and it makes more sense to keep that money in cash in the business. And obviously, that’s a decision for the board rather than myself, so I won’t sort of pontificate on what the board might or might not decide to do in the future. But we haven’t typically done that. And I think at the moment, with our outlook, I think the business probably needs the cash that it’s got, and we’re focused on getting all of the charters that we need at good rates. So that we’re in a good sustainable position. So I think to answer your question, I don’t think it’s on the cards at the moment. But as I say, I won’t speak on behalf of the board. But I think at the moment, that’s probably not our priority.

Unidentified Analyst: I only asked because the coverage ratio is below one, that’s the only reason.

Operator: Our next question comes from Rob Silvera of R.E. Silvera & Associates Marine Surveyors.

Rob Silvera: Gary, very concerned about this last report that you put out for a number of reasons, not just the financial reasons, but what it seems to point to based on your past actions. And my first question is, what was your purpose of revealing all of the new and upcoming shuttle tankers of Knutsen NYK that maybe available in the future, why did you reveal all of those?

Gary Chapman: Yes, that slide has sort of been in our presentation, certainly, as long as I’ve been performing this role. And we always like to disclose what the sponsor has, because through the omnibus agreement, we have the ability to purchase those ships from the sponsor, at a point in the future, subject to all kinds of different things. But I think it’s important that we disclose that information, so that people can understand where the future might be in terms of fleet growth for the business. So there’s nothing sinister about, it’s really just trying to be transparent.

Rob Silvera: Well, currently, with our current situations with expiring contracts and the need to employ the ships, the report is obviously very troubling to the market, because we’ve lost over year’s worth of dividends in the price of the stock for today. As we speak, it’s down at $11.66 down , so that’s very discouraging. And I think based on your past, pardon my horsey throat, your past conference calls. On the last one, you had said that there were no new dropdowns coming that you contemplated and then this latest drop down, which came in July, comes as a surprise based on what you’re telling people that is going to happen in the future. And that’s also happened a few quarters back when you mentioned nothing about drop downs. And then right after the conference call within a week, there was a dropdown and you didn’t tell us that that was coming or even contemplated at that point in time. And I think that kind of communication hurts.