We see shoots of recovery for the offshore support vessel (OSV) sector as it emerges from oversupply. An influx of rigs is expected to intensify demand for OSVs. That said, the road to recovery may not be smooth, with variable positivity expected across regions and vessel classes.
Maintain Overweight. Valuations are undemanding as the sector is trading 8x forward P/E. Ezion is our top pick. We also raise our target price for STX OSV. Otherwise, all our stock ratings, earnings forecasts and target prices are intact.
OSV supply tightens
With fleet growth coming to an end, we see OSV supply tightening in 2012. We finally detect some light at the end of the tunnel for once-chronic oversupplied AHTS. Further, data suggests that the ultra-large AHTS segment could be under-built. The PSV segment is expected to remain well-balanced in 2012 with plenty of work coming through. Lastly, an influx of rigs in 2012-13 should lead to a healthier demand/supply balance.
Most positive on North Sea & Brazil.
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