ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

The following discussion of risk factors contains forward-looking statements. These risk factors may be important to understanding other statements in this Transition Report on Form 10-K. The following information should be read in conjunction with Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and related notes in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Transition Report on Form 10-K.

Our business, financial condition and operating results can be affected by a number of factors, whether currently known or unknown, including but not limited to those described below, any one or more of which could, directly or indirectly, cause our actual financial condition and operating results to vary materially from those anticipated, projected or assumed in the forward-looking statements. Any of these factors, in whole or in part, could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, stock price and cash flows. These could also be affected by additional factors that apply to all companies generally which are not specifically mentioned below.

Risks Relating to Our Business

The prices for oil and gas affect the level of capital spending by our customers.

Even in a more favorable commodity pricing climate, prices for crude oil and natural gas are highly volatile and extremely sensitive to the respective supply/demand relationship for crude oil and natural gas. The significant decline in crude oil and natural gas prices that began in 2014 has continued to cause many of our customers to significantly reduce drilling, completion and other production activities and related spending on our products and services through the transition period ended December 31, 2017. Some industry analysts expect that a further decrease in offshore spending is likely during calendar year 2018 and that any improvements in offshore exploration and development activity would likely not occur until late calendar year 2019 or early in calendar year 2020. In addition, the reduction in demand from our customers has resulted in an oversupply of the vessels available for service, and such oversupply has substantially reduced the prices we can charge our customers for our services.

Many factors affect the supply of and demand for crude oil and natural gas and, therefore, influence prices of these commodities, including:

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The depressed level of oil and natural gas prices significantly curtailed our customers’ drilling, completion and other production activities and related spending on our services. The energy industry’s level of capital spending is substantially related to current and expected future demand for hydrocarbons and the prevailing commodity prices of crude oil and, to a lesser extent, natural gas. When commodity prices are low, or when our customers believe that they will be low in the future, our customers generally reduce their capital spending budgets for onshore and offshore drilling, exploration and field development. The depressed levels of crude oil and natural gas prices has reduced significantly the energy industry’s level of capital spending and as long as current conditions persist, capital spending and demand for our services may remain similarly depressed. It is difficult to predict how long the current commodity price conditions will continue, or to what extent low commodity prices will affect our business. Because a prolonged material downturn in crude oil and natural gas prices and/or perceptions of long-term lower commodity prices can negatively impact the development plans of exploration and production companies given the long-term nature of large-scale development projects, a downturn of any such duration would likely result in a significant decline in demand for offshore support services. Declining or continuing depressed oil and natural gas prices may result in negative pressures on:

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Moreover, higher commodity prices will not necessarily translate into increased demand for offshore support services or sustained higher pricing for offshore support vessel services, in part because customer demand is based on future commodity price expectations and not solely on current prices. Additionally, increased commodity demand may in the future be satisfied by land-based energy resource production and any increased demand for offshore support vessel services can be more than offset by an increased supply of offshore support vessels resulting from the construction of additional offshore support vessels.

Crude oil pricing volatility has increased in recent years as crude oil has emerged as a widely-traded financial asset class. To the extent speculative trading of crude oil causes excessive crude oil pricing volatility, our results of operations could potentially be negatively impacted if such price volatility affects spending and investment decisions of offshore exploration, development and production companies.

Our customer base has undergone consolidation, and additional consolidation is possible.

Oil and natural gas companies and other energy companies and energy services companies have undergone consolidation, and additional consolidation is possible. Consolidation reduces the number of customers for our equipment, and may negatively affect exploration, development and production activity as consolidated companies focus, at least initially, on increasing efficiency and reducing costs and may delay or abandon exploration activity with less promise. Such activity could adversely affect demand for our offshore services.

The high level of competition on the offshore marine service industry could negatively impact pricing for our services.

We operate in a highly competitive industry, which could depress charter and utilization rates and adversely affect our financial performance. We compete for business with our competitors on the basis of price; reputation for quality service; quality, suitability and technical capabilities of our vessels; availability of vessels; safety and efficiency; cost of mobilizing vessels from one market to a different market; and national flag preference. In addition, competition in international markets may be adversely affected by regulations requiring, among other things, local construction, flagging, ownership or control of vessels, the awarding of contracts to local contractors, the employment of local citizens and/or the purchase of supplies from local vendors.

We derive a significant amount of revenue from a relatively small number of customers.

For the periods from August 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017 (Successor), April 1, 2017 through July 31, 2017 (Predecessor), and the twelve months ended March 31, 2017 (Predecessor), the five largest customers accounted for approximately 45%, 48% and 53%, respectively, of our total revenues, while the 10 largest customers accounted for approximately 64%, 69% and 75%, respectively, of our total revenues. While it is normal for our customer base to change over time as our time charter contracts expire and are replaced, our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be materially adversely affected if one or more of these customers were to decide to interrupt or curtail their activities, in general, or their activities with us, terminate their contracts with us, fail to renew existing contracts, and/or refuse to award new contracts.

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The rise in production of unconventional crude oil and gas resources could increase supply without a commensurate growth in demand which would negatively impact oil and gas prices.

The rise in production of unconventional crude oil and gas resources in North America and the commissioning of a number of new large Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export facilities around the world have contributed to an over-supplied natural gas market. Production from unconventional resources has increased as drilling efficiencies have improved, lowering the costs of extraction. There has also been a buildup of crude oil inventories in the United States in part due to the increased development of unconventional crude oil resources. Prolonged increases in the worldwide supply of crude oil and natural gas, whether from conventional or unconventional sources, without a commensurate growth in demand for crude oil and natural gas will likely continue to weigh on the price of crude oil and natural gas. A prolonged period of low crude oil and natural gas prices would likely have a negative impact on development plans of exploration and production companies, which in turn, may result in a decrease in demand for offshore support vessel services.

Uncertain economic conditions may lead our customers to postpone capital spending.

Uncertainty about future global economic market conditions makes it challenging to forecast operating results and to make decisions about future investments. The success of our business is both directly and indirectly dependent upon conditions in the global financial and credit markets that are outside of our control and difficult to predict. Uncertain economic conditions may lead our customers to postpone capital spending in response to tighter credit markets and reductions in our customers’ income or asset values. Similarly, when lenders and institutional investors reduce, and in some cases, cease to provide funding to corporate and other industrial borrowers, the liquidity and financial condition of our company and our customers can be adversely impacted. These factors may also adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition. Factors such as interest rates, availability of credit, inflation rates, economic uncertainty, changes in laws (including laws relating to taxation), trade barriers, commodity prices, currency exchange rates and controls, and national and international political circumstances (including wars, terrorist acts, security operations, and seaborne refugee issues) can have a material negative effect on our business, revenues and profitability.

An increase in vessel supply without a corresponding increase in the working offshore rig count could exacerbate the industry’s currently oversupplied condition.

Over the past decade, the combination of historically high commodity prices and technological advances resulted in significant growth in deepwater exploration, field development and production. During this time, construction of offshore vessels increased significantly in order to meet projected requirements of customers and potential customers. Excess offshore support vessel capacity usually exerts downward pressure on charter day rates. Excess capacity can occur when newly constructed vessels enter the worldwide offshore support vessel market and also when vessels migrate between markets. A discussion about our vessel fleet and vessel construction programs appears in the “Vessel Count, Dispositions, Acquisitions and Construction Programs” section of Item 7 in this Transition Report on Form 10-K.

The offshore support vessel market has approximately 255 new-build offshore support vessels (deepwater PSVs, deepwater AHTS vessels and towing-supply vessels only) either under construction, on order or planned as of December 2017, which may be delivered to the worldwide offshore support vessel market primarily over the next 12  to 24 months, according to IHS-Markit. The current worldwide fleet of these classes of vessels is estimated at 3,445 vessels, according to the same source. An increase in vessel capacity without a corresponding increase in the working offshore rig count could exacerbate the industry’s currently oversupplied condition which may have the effect of lowering charter rates and utilization rates, which, in turn, would result in lower revenues to the company.

In addition, the provisions of U.S. shipping laws restricting engagement of U.S. coastwise trade to vessels controlled by U.S. citizens may from time to time be circumvented by foreign competitors that seek to engage in trade reserved for vessels controlled by U.S. citizens and otherwise qualifying for coastwise trade. A repeal, suspension or significant modification of U.S. shipping laws, or the administrative erosion of their benefits, permitting vessels that are either foreign-flagged, foreign-built, foreign-owned, foreign-controlled or foreign-operated to engage in the U.S. coastwise trade, could also result in excess vessel capacity and increased competition, especially for our vessels that operate in North America.

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We operate in various regions throughout the world and are exposed to many risks inherent in doing business in countries other than the United States.  

We operate in various regions throughout the world and are exposed to many risks inherent in doing business in countries other than the United States, some of which have recently become more pronounced. Our customary risks of operating internationally include political and economic instability within the host country; possible vessel seizures or nationalization of assets and other governmental actions by the host country, including enforcement of customs, immigration or other laws that are not well developed or consistently enforced; foreign government regulations that favor or require the awarding of contracts to local competitors; an inability to recruit, retain or obtain work visas for workers of international operations; difficulties or delays in collecting customer and other accounts receivable; changing taxation policies; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; foreign currency revaluations and devaluations; restrictions on converting foreign currencies into U.S. dollars; expatriating customer and other payments made in jurisdictions outside of the United States; and import/export quotas and restrictions or other trade barriers, most of which are beyond the control of the company. See (i) the “Legal Proceedings” section of “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7 and Note (14) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Transition Report on Form 10-K and (ii) “Sonatide Joint Venture” in Item 1 and Note (14) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 in this Transition Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of our Sonatide joint venture in Angola. While we no longer operate in Venezuela, we have substantial operations in Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Angola, Nigeria and throughout the west coast of Africa, which generate a large portion of our revenue, where we are exposed to the risks described above.

We are also subject to acts of piracy and kidnappings that put our assets and personnel at risk. The increase in the level of these criminal or terrorist acts over the last several years has been well-publicized. As a marine services company that operates in offshore, coastal or tidal waters in challenging areas, we are particularly vulnerable to these kinds of unlawful activities. Although we take what we consider to be prudent measures to protect our personnel and assets in markets that present these risks, including solicitation of advice from third-party experts, we have confronted these kinds of incidents in the past, and there can be no assurance we will not be subjected to them in the future.

The continued threat of terrorist activity, other acts of war or hostility and civil unrest have significantly increased the risk of political, economic and social instability in some of the geographic areas in which we operate. It is possible that further acts of terrorism or civil unrest may be directed against the United States domestically or abroad, and such acts of terrorism or civil unrest could be directed against properties and personnel of U.S. headquartered companies such as ours. To date, we have not experienced any material adverse effects on our results of operations and financial condition as a result of terrorism, political instability, civil unrest or war.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flow to meet our debt service and other obligations.

Our ability to make payments on our indebtedness and to fund our operations depends on our ability to generate cash in the future. This, to a large extent, is subject to conditions in the oil and natural gas industry, including commodity prices, demand for our services and the prices we are able to charge for our services, general economic and financial conditions, competition in the markets in which we operate, the impact of legislative and regulatory actions on how we conduct our business and other factors, all of which are beyond our control.

Lower levels of offshore exploration and development activity and spending by our customers globally has had a direct and significant impact on our financial performance, financial condition and financial outlook.

We may record additional losses or impairment charges related to our vessels.

We review the vessels in our active fleet for impairment whenever events occur or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset group may not be recoverable and we also perform a review of our stacked vessels not expected to return to active service whenever changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of a vessel may not be recoverable. We have recorded impairment charges of $16.4 million, $184.7 million and $484.7 million, during the period from August 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017 (Successor), the period from April 1, 2017 through July 31, 2017 (Predecessor) and the twelve month period ended March 31, 2017, respectively. In the event that offshore E&P industry conditions continue to deteriorate, or persist at current levels, the company could be subject to additional vessel impairments in future periods. An impairment loss on our property and equipment exists when the estimated undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition are less than its carrying amount. Any impairment

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loss recognized represents the excess of the asset’s carrying value over the estimated fair value. As part of this analysis, we make assumptions and estimates regarding future market conditions. To the extent actual results do not meet our estimated assumptions we may take an impairment loss in the future. Additionally, there can be no assurance that we will not have to take additional impairment charges in the future if the currently depressed market conditions persist.

There are uncertainties in identifying and/or integrating acquisitions.

Although acquisitions have historically been an element of our business strategy, we cannot assure that we will be able to identify and acquire acceptable acquisition candidates on terms favorable to us in the future. We may be required to incur substantial indebtedness or issue equity to finance future acquisitions. Such additional debt service requirements may impose a significant burden on our results of operations and financial condition, and any equity issuance could have a dilutive impact on our stockholders. We cannot be certain that we will be able to successfully consolidate the operations and assets of any acquired business with our own business. Acquisitions may not perform as expected when the transaction was consummated and may be dilutive to our overall operating results. In addition, our management may not be able to effectively manage a substantially larger business or successfully operate a new line of business.

We may not be able to successfully enter or grow a new line of business.

Historically, our operations and acquisitions focused primarily on offshore marine vessel services for the oil and gas industry.  Entry into, or further development of, lines of business in which we have not historically operated may expose us to business and operational risks that are different from those we have experienced historically. Our management may not be able to effectively manage these additional risks or implement successful business strategies in new lines of business. Additionally, our competitors in these lines of business may possess substantially greater operational knowledge, resources and experience than the company.

We may have disruptions or disagreements with our foreign joint venture partners, which could lead to an unwinding of the joint venture.

We operate in several foreign areas through joint ventures with local companies, in some cases as a result of local laws requiring local company ownership. While the joint venture partner may provide local knowledge and experience, entering into joint ventures often requires us to surrender a measure of control over the assets and operations devoted to the joint venture, and occasions may arise when we do not agree with the business goals and objectives of our partner, or other factors may arise that make the continuation of the relationship unwise or untenable. Any such disagreements or discontinuation of the relationship could disrupt our operations, put assets dedicated to the joint venture at risk, or affect the continuity of our business. If we are unable to resolve issues with a joint venture partner, we may decide to terminate the joint venture and either locate a different partner and continue to work in the area or seek opportunities for our assets in another market. The unwinding of an existing joint venture could prove to be difficult or time-consuming, and the loss of revenue related to the termination or unwinding of a joint venture and costs related to the sourcing of a new partner or the mobilization of assets to another market could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Please refer to Item 1 and Item 3 in this Transition Report on Form 10-K for additional discussion of our Sonatide joint venture in Angola and our joint venture in Nigeria, respectively.

Our international operations expose us to currency devaluation and fluctuation risk.

As a global company, our international operations are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risks on all charter hire contracts denominated in foreign currencies. For some of our international contracts, a portion of the revenue and local expenses is incurred in local currencies and we are at risk of changes in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies. In some instances, we receive payments in currencies which are not easily traded and may be illiquid. We generally do not hedge against any foreign currency rate fluctuations associated with foreign currency contracts that arise in the normal course of business, which exposes us to the risk of exchange rate losses. Gains and losses from the revaluation of our monetary assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are included in our consolidated statements of operations. Foreign currency fluctuations may cause the U.S. dollar value of our non-U.S. results of operations and net assets to vary with exchange rate fluctuations. This could have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial position. In addition, fluctuations in currencies relative to currencies in which the earnings are generated may make it more difficult to perform period-to-period comparisons of our reported results of operations.

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To minimize the financial impact of these items, we attempt to contract a significant majority of our services in U.S. dollars and, when feasible, we attempt to not maintain large, non-U.S. dollar-denominated cash balances. In addition, we attempt to minimize the financial impact of these risks by matching the currency of our operating costs with the currency of revenue streams when considered appropriate. We monitor the currency exchange risks associated with all contracts not denominated in U.S. dollars.

As of December 31, 2017, Sonatide maintained the equivalent of approximately $81 million of Angolan kwanza-denominated deposits in Angolan banks, largely related to customer receipts that had not yet been converted to U.S. dollars, expatriated and then remitted to us. A devaluation in the Angolan kwanza relative to the U.S. dollar would result in foreign exchange losses for Sonatide to the extent the Angolan kwanza-denominated asset balances were in excess of kwanza-denominated liabilities, 49% under the current joint venture structure would be borne by us.

Our insurance coverage and contractual indemnity protections may not be sufficient to protect us under all circumstances or against all risks .

Our operations are subject to the hazards inherent in the offshore oilfield business. These include blowouts, explosions, fires, collisions, capsizings, sinkings, groundings and severe weather conditions. Some of these events could be the result of (or exacerbated by) mechanical failure or navigation or operational errors. These hazards could result in personal injury and loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property and equipment (including to the property and equipment of third parties), pollution or environmental damage and suspension of operations, increased costs and loss of business. Damages arising from such occurrences may result in lawsuits alleging large claims, and we may incur substantial liabilities or losses as a result of these hazards.

We carry what we consider to be prudent levels of liability insurance, and our vessels are generally insured for their estimated market value against damage or loss, including war, terrorism acts and pollution risks. While we maintain insurance protection and seek to obtain indemnity agreements from our customers requiring the customers to hold us harmless from some of these risks, our insurance and contractual indemnity protection may not be sufficient or effective to protect us under all circumstances or against all risks. Our insurance coverages are subject to deductibles and certain exclusions. We do not directly or fully insure for business interruption. The occurrence of a significant event not fully insured or indemnified against or the failure of a customer to meet its indemnification obligations to us could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, while we believe that we should be able to maintain adequate insurance in the future at rates considered commercially acceptable, we cannot guarantee that such insurance will continue to be available at commercially acceptable rates given the markets in which we operate.

With our extensive international operations, we are subject to certain compliance risks under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or similar worldwide anti-bribery laws.

Our global operations require us to comply with a number of U.S. and international laws and regulations, including those involving anti-bribery and anti-corruption. As a U.S. corporation, we are subject to the regulations imposed by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which generally prohibits U.S. companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business or obtaining an improper business benefit. We have adopted proactive procedures to promote compliance with the FCPA, but we may be held liable for actions taken by local partners or agents even though these partners or agents may themselves not be subject to the FCPA. Any determination that we have violated the FCPA (or any other applicable anti-bribery laws in countries in which we do business) could have a material adverse effect on our business and business reputation, as well as our results of operations, and cash flows.

There may be changes to, complex and developing laws and regulations to which we are subject that would increase our cost of compliance and operational risk.

Our operations are subject to many complex and burdensome laws and regulations. Stringent federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations governing worker health and safety and the manning, construction and operation of vessels significantly affect our operations. Many aspects of the marine industry are subject to extensive governmental regulation by the United States Coast Guard, the United States Customs and Border Protection, and their foreign equivalents; as well as to standards imposed by private industry organizations such as the American Bureau of Shipping, the Oil Companies International Marine Forum, and the International Marine Contractors Association.

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Further, many of the countries in which we operate have laws, regulations and enforcement systems that are less well developed than the laws, regulations and enforcement systems of the United States, and the requirements of these systems are not always readily discernible even to experienced and proactive participants. These countries’ laws can be unclear, and, the application and enforcement of these laws and regulations can be unpredictable and subject to frequent change or reinterpretation.  Sometimes governments may apply such changes or reinterpretations with retroactive effect, and may impose associated taxes, fees, fines or penalties on the company based on that reinterpretation or retroactive effect. While we endeavor to comply with applicable laws and regulations, our compliance efforts might not always be wholly successful, and failure to comply may result in administrative and civil penalties, criminal sanctions, imposition of remedial obligations or the suspension or termination of our operations. These laws and regulations may expose us to liability for the conduct of, or conditions caused by, others, including charterers or third party agents. Moreover, these laws and regulations could be changed or be interpreted in new, unexpected ways that substantially increase costs that we may not be able to pass along to our customers. Any changes in laws, regulations or standards imposing additional requirements or restrictions could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

There may be changes in the laws governing U.S. taxation of foreign source income.

We operate globally through various subsidiaries which are subject to changes in applicable tax laws, treaties or regulations in the jurisdictions in which we conduct our business, including laws or policies directed toward companies organized in jurisdictions with low tax rates. We determine our income tax expense based on our interpretation of the applicable tax laws and regulations in effect in each jurisdiction for the period during which we operate and earn income. A material change in the tax laws, tax treaties, regulations or accounting principles, or interpretation thereof, in one or more countries in which we conduct business, or in which we are incorporated or a resident of, could result in a higher effective tax rate on our worldwide earnings, and such change could be significant to our financial results. In addition, our overall effective tax rate could be adversely and suddenly affected by lower than anticipated earnings in countries with lower statutory rates and higher than anticipated earnings in countries with higher statutory rates, or by changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities.

Approximately 90% of our revenues and a majority of our net income are generated by our operations outside of the United States. Our effective tax rate has historically averaged approximately 30% until recent years where the decline of the oil and gas market significantly impacted our operations and overall effective tax rate.  The effective tax rate for the current year is near zero due to the Company’s full valuation allowance position in the US and moderate foreign taxes paid in local jurisdictions compared to the Company’s significant net operating loss.

Changes in applicable tax regulations could negatively affect our financial results.  The Company is subject to taxation in the U.S. and numerous foreign jurisdictions. On December 22, 2017, the U.S. government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”). The changes included in the Tax Act are broad and complex.  The final transition impacts of the Tax Act may differ from the estimates provided elsewhere in this report, possibly materially, due to, among other things, changes in interpretations of the Tax Act, any legislative action to address questions that arise because of the Tax Act, any changes in accounting standards for income taxes or related interpretations in response to the Tax Act, or any updates or changes to estimates the company has utilized to calculate the transition impacts. Additionally, longstanding international tax norms that determine each country’s jurisdiction to tax cross-border international trade are evolving as a result of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting reporting requirements (“BEPS") recommended by the G8, G20 and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ("OECD"). As these and other tax laws and related regulations change, our financial results could be materially impacted. Given the unpredictability of these possible changes and their potential interdependency, it is very difficult to assess whether the overall effect of such potential tax changes would be cumulatively positive or negative for our earnings and cash flow, but such changes could adversely impact our financial results.

In addition, our income tax returns are subject to review and examination by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities where tax returns are filed. We routinely evaluate the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for taxes. We do not recognize the benefit of income tax positions we believe are more likely than not to be disallowed upon challenge by a tax authority. If any tax authority successfully challenges our operational structure or intercompany transfer pricing policies, or if the terms of certain income tax treaties were to be interpreted in a manner that is adverse to our structure, or if we lose a material tax dispute in any country, our effective tax rate on our worldwide earnings could increase, and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

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Any changes in environmental regulations could increase the cost of energy and future production of oil and gas.

Our operations are subject to federal, state, local and international laws and regulations that control the discharge of pollutants into the environment or otherwise relate to environmental protection. Compliance with such laws and regulations may require installation of costly equipment, increased manning or operational changes. Some environmental laws impose strict liability for remediation of spills and releases of oil and hazardous substances, which could subject us to liability without regard to whether we were negligent or at fault.

A variety of regulatory developments, proposals and requirements have been introduced (and in some cases enacted) in the U.S. and various other countries that are focused on restricting the emission of carbon dioxide, methane and other gases. Notwithstanding the current downturn in the oil industry punctuated by lessened demand and lower oil prices, any such regulations could ultimately result in the increased cost of energy as well as environmental and other costs, and capital expenditures could be necessary to comply with the limitations. These developments may have an adverse effect on future production and demand for hydrocarbons such as crude oil and natural gas in areas of the world where our customers operate and thus adversely affect future demand for our offshore support vessels and other assets, which are highly dependent on the level of activity in offshore oil and natural gas exploration, development and production markets.  In addition, the increased regulation of environmental emissions may create greater incentives for the use of alternative energy sources. Unless and until regulations are implemented and their effects are known, we cannot reasonably or reliably estimate their impact on our financial condition, results of operations and ability to compete. However, any long term material adverse effect on the crude oil and natural gas industry may adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Adoption of climate change and greenhouse gas restrictions could increase the cost of energy and future production of oil and gas.

Due to concern over the risk of climate change, a number of countries have adopted, or are considering the adoption of, regulatory frameworks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These include adoption of cap and trade regimes, carbon taxes, restrictive permitting, increased efficiency standards, and incentives or mandates for renewable energy. These requirements could make our customer’s products more expensive and reduce demand for hydrocarbons, as well as shift hydrocarbon demand toward relatively lower-carbon sources such as natural gas, any of which may reduce demand for our services.

We may be subject to additional unionization efforts, new collective bargaining agreements or work stoppages.

In locations in which the company is required to do so, we have union workers, subject to collective bargaining agreements, that are periodically in negotiation. These negotiations could result in higher personnel expenses, other increased costs, or increased operational restrictions. Further, efforts have been made from time to time to unionize other portions of our workforce, including our U.S. GOM employees. We have also been subjected to threatened strikes or work stoppages and other labor disruptions in certain countries. Additional unionization efforts, new collective bargaining agreements or work stoppages could materially increase our costs and operating restrictions, reduce our revenues, or limit our flexibility.

Risks Related to Our Securities

Our common stock is subject to restriction on foreign ownership and possible required divestiture by non-U.S. Citizen stockholders.

Certain of our operations are conducted in the U.S. coastwise trade and are governed by the U.S. federal law commonly known as the Jones Act. The Jones Act restricts waterborne transportation of goods and passengers between points in the United States to vessels owned and controlled by “U.S. Citizens” as defined thereunder (which we refer to as U.S. Citizens). We could lose the privilege of owning and operating vessels in the Jones Act trade if non-U.S. Citizens were to own or control, in the aggregate, more than 25% of common stock in the company. Such loss could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated By-Laws authorize our Board of Directors to establish with respect to any class or series of capital stock of the company certain rules, policies and procedures, including procedures with respect to transfer of shares, to ensure compliance with the Jones Act. In order to provide a reasonable margin for compliance with the Jones Act, our Board of Directors has determined that, all non-U.S. citizens in the aggregate may own up to 24% of the outstanding shares of common stock and any individual non-U.S. Citizen may own up to 4.9% of the outstanding shares of common stock.

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On the Effective Date, approximately 22% of the company’s outstanding common stock was owned by non-U.S. Citizens. At and during such time that the permitted limit of ownership by non-U.S. Citizens is reached with respect to shares of common stock, as applicable, we will be unable to issue any further shares of such class of common stock or approve transfers of such class of common stock to non-U.S. Citizens. Any purported transfer of common stock in the company in violation of these ownership provisions will be ineffective to transfer the common stock or any voting, dividend or other rights associated with them. The existence and enforcement of these requirements could have an adverse impact on the liquidity or market value of our equity securities in the event that U.S. Citizens were unable to transfer shares in the company to non-U.S. Citizens. Furthermore, under certain circumstances, this ownership requirement could discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of the company.

The market price of our securities is subject to volatility.

Upon emergence from the Chapter 11 proceeding, our old common stock was canceled and we issued new common stock. The market price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to, and the level of trading that develops with our common stock may be affected by, numerous factors beyond our control such as, our limited trading history subsequent to our emergence from bankruptcy, on occasion our securities are thinly traded, the lack of comparable historical financial information due to our adoption of fresh start accounting, actual or anticipated variations in our operating results and cash flow, business conditions in our markets and the general state of the securities markets and the market for energy-related stocks, as well as general economic and market conditions and other factors that may affect our future results, including those described in this Transition Report on Form 10-K.

Because we currently have no plans to pay cash dividends or other distributions on our common stock, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

We currently do not expect to pay any cash dividends or other distributions on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay cash dividends or other distributions on our common stock will be at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors and, if we elect to pay such dividends in the future, we may reduce or discontinue entirely the payment of such dividends at any time. The Board of Directors may take into account general and economic conditions, our financial condition and operating results, our available cash and current and anticipated cash needs, capital requirements, agreements governing any existing and future indebtedness we or our subsidiaries may incur and other contractual, legal, tax and regulatory restrictions and implications on the payment of dividends by us to our stockholders, and such other factors as the Board of Directors may deem relevant. As a result, you may not receive any return on an investment in our common stock unless you sell our common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.

Our ability to raise capital in the future may be limited, which could make us unable to fund our capital requirements.

Our business and operations may consume cash more quickly than we anticipate potentially impairing our ability to make capital expenditures to maintain our fleet and other assets in suitable operating condition. If our cash flows from operating activities are not sufficient to fund capital expenditures, we would be required to further reduce these expenditures or to fund capital expenditures through debt or equity issuances or through alternative financing plans or selling assets. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, we may be unable to fund our capital requirements.  Our ability to raise debt or equity capital or to refinance or restructure existing debt arrangements will depend on the condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time, among other things. Any limitations in our ability to finance future capital expenditures may limit our ability to respond to changes in customer preferences, technological change and other market conditions, which may diminish our competitive position within our sector.

If we issue additional equity securities, existing stockholders will experience dilution. Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation permits our Board of Directors to issue preferred stock which could have rights and preferences senior to those of our common stock. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, our security holders bear the risk of our future securities offerings reducing the market price of our common stock or other securities, diluting their interest or being subject to rights and preferences senior to their own.

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If securities analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or if they downgrade or provide negative outlook on our securities or our industry, the price of our securities and our trading volume could decline.

The trading markets for our securities rely in part on the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our business. We do not control these analysts. Furthermore, if one or more of the analysts who do cover us downgrade or provide negative outlook on our securities or our industry or the stock of any of our competitors, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of our securities could decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our business or fails to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause the price or trading volume of our securities to decline.

Anti-takeover provisions and limitations on foreign ownership in our organizational documents could delay or prevent a change of control.

Certain provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and our Amended and Restated By-Laws may have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, defer or prevent a merger, acquisition, tender offer, takeover attempt or other change of control transaction that a stockholder might consider in its best interest, including those attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares held by our stockholders. These provisions provide for, among other things:

These anti-takeover provisions and foreign ownership limitations could discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of our company, including actions that our stockholders may deem advantageous, or negatively affect the trading price of our common stock and other securities. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing and to cause us to take other corporate actions you desire.

The exercise of all or any number of outstanding warrants or the issuance of stock-based awards may dilute your holding of shares of our common stock.

We have a significant number of securities providing for the right to purchase of our common stock. Investors could be subject to increased dilution upon the exercise of our New Creditor Warrants on a nominal exercise price subject to Jones Act-related foreign ownership restrictions, and the exercise of our Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants. At the Effective Date, we issued 18,456,186 shares of common stock in the reorganized company, 2,432,432 Series A Warrants with a strike price of $57.06 per warrant, 2,629,657 Series B Warrants with a strike price of $62.28 per warrant and 7,684,453 New Creditor Warrants (with an additional 3,859,361 of New Creditor Warrants issuable related to the Sale Leaseback Claims which have since been resolved.). As of December 31, 2017, we had 7,884,006 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the New Creditor Warrants, with an exercise price of $0.001 per share.  We also have up to 2,432,432 and 2,629,657 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the 2,432,432 Series A Warrants and 2,629,657 Series B Warrants with exercise prices of $57.06 and $62.28, respectively.  

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Additionally, a total of 3,048,877 shares of common stock were reserved for issuance under the 2017 Stock Incentive Plan as equity-based awards to employees, directors and certain other persons. As of December 31, 2017, 1,157,646 of restricted shares have been granted under the 2017 Stock Incentive Plan and are subject to vesting requirements. The exercise of equity awards, including any restricted stock that we may grant in the future, and the exercise of warrants and the subsequent sale of shares of common stock issued thereby, could have an adverse effect on the market for our common stock, including the price that an investor could obtain for their shares. Investors may experience dilution in the value of their investment upon the exercise of the warrants and any restricted stock that may be granted or issued pursuant to the 2017 Stock Incentive Plan.

There may be a limited trading market for our New Creditor Warrants and you may have difficulty trading and obtaining quotations for New Creditor Warrants.

While there are trades of our New Creditor Warrants, there is currently no trading market for the New Creditor Warrants and there can be no assurance that an active trading market will develop.  The lack of an active market may impair your ability to sell your New Creditor Warrants at the time you wish to sell them or at a price that you consider reasonable. The lack of an active market may also reduce the fair market value of your New Creditor Warrants. While there are unsolicited quotes for our New Creditor Warrants on the OTC Pink Market, there is no market maker for this security on the OTC Pink Market.  As a result, you may find it difficult to dispose of, or to obtain accurate quotations of the price of, our New Creditor Warrants. This severely limits the liquidity of our New Creditor Warrants, and will likely reduce the market price of our New Creditor Warrants.

There is no guarantee that the Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants issued by us in accordance with the Plan will become in the money, and unexercised warrants may expire with limited or no value. Further, the terms of such warrants may be amended.

As long as our stock price is below the strike price of each of the Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants, ($57.06 per share for Series A Warrants, and $62.28 per share for Series B Warrants), these warrants will have limited economic value, and they may expire with limited or no value. In addition, the warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least a certain percentage of the then-outstanding warrants originally issued to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the holders. Any material amendment to the terms of the warrant in a manner adverse to a holder would require holders of at least a certain percentage of the then outstanding warrants, but less than all holders, approve of such amendment.

We may not be able to maintain a listing of our common stock, Series A Warrants and Series B Warrants on the NYSE .

We must meet certain financial and liquidity criteria to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE. If we fail to meet any of the NYSE’s continued listing standards, our common stock, Series A Warrants or Series B Warrants may be delisted. A delisting of our common stock, Series A Warrants or Series B Warrants may materially impair our stockholders’ ability to buy and sell our common stock, Series A Warrants or Series B Warrants and could have an adverse effect on the market price of, and the efficiency of, the trading market for these securities. A delisting of our common stock, Series A Warrants or Series B Warrants could significantly impair our ability to raise capital.

Risks Related to Our Emergence from Our Chapter 11 Proceedings

We recently emerged from bankruptcy, during which time we prepared projected financial information that may not be updated and should not be relied upon by investors.

In connection with the disclosure statement we filed with the Bankruptcy Court, and the hearing to consider confirmation of the Plan, we prepared projected financial information to demonstrate to the Bankruptcy Court the feasibility of the Plan and our ability to continue operations upon our emergence from bankruptcy. Those projections were prepared solely for the purpose of the bankruptcy proceedings and have not been, and will not be, updated on an ongoing basis and should not be relied upon by investors. At the time they were prepared, the projections reflected numerous assumptions concerning our anticipated future performance with respect to prevailing and anticipated market and economic conditions that were and remain beyond our control and that may not materialize. Projections are inherently subject to substantial and numerous uncertainties and to a wide variety of significant business, economic and competitive risks, and the assumptions underlying the projections and/or valuation estimates may prove to be wrong in material respects. Actual results may vary significantly from those contemplated by the projections. As a result, investors should not rely on these projections.

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Our actual financial results after emergence from bankruptcy may not be comparable to our historical financial information as a result of the implementation of the Plan and the transactions contemplated thereby and our adoption of fresh start accounting.  

We emerged from bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code on July 31, 2017. Upon our emergence from bankruptcy, we adopted fresh start accounting, as a consequence of which our assets and liabilities were adjusted to fair values and our accumulated deficit was restated to zero. In addition, we adopted new accounting policies related to cost recognition, the useful lives of our vessels and the anticipated salvage values of our vessels. Accordingly, our future financial condition and results of operations may not be comparable to the financial condition or results of operations reflected in our historical financial statements. The lack of comparable historical financial information may discourage investors from purchasing our securities.

Upon our emergence from bankruptcy, the composition of our shareholder base and our Board of Directors changed significantly.

Pursuant to the Plan, the composition of our Board of Directors changed significantly upon our emergence from bankruptcy. Upon emergence from the bankruptcy, only one director, Jeffrey M. Platt, our former President and Chief Executive Officer, previously served on the board of directors of our Predecessor.  Following Mr. Platt’s retirement from the company, including from his membership on the Board of Directors, on October 15, 2017, our Board consists of six directors, with a non-executive Chairman of the Board, none of whom have previously served on the Board of Directors. The current directors have different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives from those individuals who previously served on the Board of Directors and, thus, may have different views on the issues that will determine the future of the company. There is no guarantee that the current Board will pursue, or will pursue in the same manner, our strategic plans in the same manner as our prior Board of Directors. As a result, the future strategy and plans of the company may differ materially from those of the past.

The ability to attract and retain key personnel is critical to the success of our business and may be affected by our emergence from bankruptcy.

The success of our business depends on key personnel. The ability to attract and retain these key personnel may be difficult in light of our emergence from bankruptcy, the uncertainties currently facing the business and changes we may make to the organizational structure to adjust to changing circumstances. We may need to enter into retention or other arrangements that could be costly to maintain. If executives, managers or other key personnel resign, retire or are terminated or their service is otherwise interrupted, we may not be able to replace them in a timely manner and we could experience significant declines in productivity.

Our consolidation activities following the restructuring may not achieve the results we expect.

Following our restructuring in 2017, we implemented a number of consolidation measures in both our operations and corporate offices to reduce expenses which included wage and headcount reductions in our workforce, reductions in compensation and benefits for shore-based staff, the termination of various contracts, the closing or abandoning of certain office facilities, the downsizing of our presence in select markets, and the sale of our ROV business. There can be no assurance that our consolidation activities following the restructuring will produce the cost savings we anticipate in the expected timeframe or that the cumulative restructuring activities will not have to increase in order to achieve our cost savings targets. Any delay or failure to achieve the cost savings and any increase in our anticipated cumulative consolidation activities would likely cause our future earnings to be lower than anticipated. The cost-cutting initiative may result in higher personnel turnover, interfere with our ability to attract and retain key employees, shrink our international business footprint, and result in material adverse consequences to the business and operations.

Transfers or issuances of our equity before or in connection with Chapter 11 proceedings may impair our ability to utilize our tax loss and credit carryforwards in future years.  

Under U.S. federal income tax law, a corporation is generally permitted to deduct from taxable income net operating losses carried forward from prior years and reduce any resulting tax liability by tax credits carried forward from prior years. We had net operating loss carryforwards of approximately $215.8 million and certain other beneficial tax attributes, including foreign tax credits, as of December 31, 2017. The net operating loss attribute was reduced to $14.1 million in accordance with the tax treatment of the company’s Chapter 11 proceedings. We believe that our consolidated group will generate additional tax losses and credits for the 2018 tax year.  Our ability to utilize our tax loss and credit carryforwards to offset future taxable

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income and to reduce our U.S. federal income tax liability is subject to certain requirements and restrictions. If we experience an “ownership change”, as defined in section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, then our ability to use our tax losses and credits may be substantially limited, which could have a negative impact on our financial position and results of operations. Generally, an “ownership change” of a corporation occurs if one or more stockholders owning 5% or more of the corporation’s common stock have aggregate increases in their ownership of such stock of more than 50 percentage points over the prior three-year period. Under section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code, absent an applicable exception, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change”, the amount of its tax losses and credits that may be utilized to offset future taxable income or to reduce its tax liability generally is subject to an annual limitation.  Because the value of our stock can fluctuate materially, it is possible an ownership change would materially limit our ability to utilize our remaining federal income tax net operating loss carry-forwards in the future. There can be no assurance that we will be able to utilize our federal income tax net operating loss carry-forwards to offset future taxable income.

Restrictive covenants in our Indenture and amended and restated Troms credit agreement may restrict our ability to raise capital and pursue our business strategies.

The Indenture and amended and restated Troms credit agreement contain certain restrictive covenants, including restrictions on the incurrence of debt and liens and our ability to make investments and restricted payments.  These covenants limit our ability, among other things, to:

The Indenture and amended and restated Troms credit agreement also require us to comply with certain financial covenants, including maintenance of minimum liquidity and, commencing June 30, 2019, compliance with a minimum consolidated interest coverage ratio.  A breach of any of these restrictive covenants could result in a default under our Indenture or the amended and restated Troms credit agreement. If a default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee or noteholders holding at least 25% of the aggregate principal amount of then outstanding notes under the Indenture and the lenders under amended and restated Troms credit agreement may elect to declare all borrowings thereunder outstanding, together with accrued interest and other fees, to be immediately due and payable. If we are unable to repay our indebtedness when due or declared due, the noteholders and the lenders under amended and restated Troms credit agreement will also have the right to proceed against the collateral pledged to them to secure the indebtedness. If such indebtedness were to be accelerated, our assets may not be sufficient to repay in full our secured indebtedness.  Please refer to Note (7) of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Transition Report on Form 10-K for additional information on the Indenture and amended and restated Troms credit agreement.

As a result of the restrictive covenants under the Indenture and amended and restated Troms credit agreement, we may be prevented from taking advantage of business opportunities. In addition, the restrictions contained in the Indenture and the amended and restated Troms credit agreement may also limit our ability to plan for or react to market conditions, meet capital needs or otherwise restrict our activities or business plans and adversely affect our ability to finance our operations, refinance, enter into acquisitions, execute our business strategy, effectively compete with companies that are not similarly restricted or engage in other business activities that would be in our interest. In the future, we may also incur additional debt obligations that might subject us to additional and different restrictive covenants that could further affect our financial and operational flexibility. We cannot assure you that we will be granted waivers or amendments to these agreements if for any reason we are unable to comply with these agreements, or that we will be able to refinance our debt on acceptable terms or at all.  

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The amount of our debt and the restrictive covenants in our Indenture and amended and restated Troms credit agreement could have significant consequences for our operations.

As of December 31, 2017, we had approximately $448 million of debt. Our level of indebtedness, and the covenants contained in the agreements governing our debt, could have important consequences for our operations, including:

We may not be able to obtain debt financing if and when needed with favorable terms, if at all.

There are a number of potential negative consequences for the energy and energy services sectors that may result if commodity prices remain depressed or decline or if E&P companies continue to de-prioritize investments in offshore exploration, development and production, including a general outflow of credit and capital from the energy and energy services sectors and/or offshore focused energy and energy service companies, further efforts by lenders to reduce their loan exposure to the energy sector, the imposition of increased lending standards for the energy and energy services sectors, higher borrowing costs and collateral requirements or a refusal to extend new credit or amend existing credit facilities in the energy and energy services sectors. These potential negative consequences may be exacerbated by the pressure exerted on financial institutions by bank regulatory agencies to respond quickly and decisively to credit risk that develops in distressed industries. All of these factors may complicate the ability of borrowers to achieve a favorable outcome in negotiating solutions to even marginally stressed credits.

Future debt financing arrangements, if available at all, may require additional collateral, higher interest rates and more restrictive terms. Additional collateral requirements and higher borrowing costs may limit our long- and short-term financial flexibility.

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