OilVoice - ATP Announces Third Quarter 2009 Results

ATP Announces Third Quarter 2009 Results

05 November 2009

ATP Oil & Gas Corporation announces third quarter 2009 results reflecting a net loss attributable to common shareholders of $9.1 million, or $(0.20) per basic and diluted share for the third quarter 2009, compared to a net profit of $36.5 million or $1.03 per basic and $1.02 per diluted share for the third quarter 2008. Oil and gas production for the third quarter 2009 was 1.4 MMBoe (56% oil) versus 2.0 MMBoe (40% oil) for the third quarter 2008. Revenues from oil and gas production were $75.0 million for the third quarter 2009, compared to $118.3 million for the third quarter 2008. This is the ninth consecutive quarter that oil revenues have accounted for more than half of ATP’s revenues. In the North Sea, the partial sale of producing properties coupled with the deliberate curtailment of production due to lower than anticipated gas prices led to lower volumes in 2009 compared with the previous periods. In the Gulf of Mexico unplanned maintenance on the turbine-compressors at Gomez and normal declines in production rates contributed to lower production volumes during the same comparable periods.

Operationally, ATP continued to focus on its Telemark Hub. Since the end of the second quarter, 2009 ATP:

• Discovered additional pay sands at Mississippi Canyon (“MC”) 941 in the Telemark Hub;
• On November 1, 2009, ATP’s new deepwater drilling and production facility, the ATP Titan, sailed out of dry dock and should arrive on location at MC 941 next week.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2009, ATP incurred $339.1 million of capital expenditures toward its capital expenditure budget. Additionally, ATP’s vendors agreed to defer payment of $23.6 million of property development costs and contributed services in exchange for net profits interests in Telemark totaling $101.7 million during the year. Total capital expenditures during the period were $559.6 million, including capitalized interest of approximately $71.5 million and foreign exchange gains and other noncash additions totaling $23.5 million. These costs were incurred primarily at the Telemark Hub for the activities mentioned above, the Gomez Hub and the Canyon Express Hub in the Gulf of Mexico and the Cheviot development in the North Sea. We are revising our 2009 estimated capital expenditure budget, which excludes capitalized interest, to a range of $400 to $450 million from the previously announced range of $350 million to $400 million.

From a financial standpoint, ATP was extremely active with asset monetization, capital market transactions and financing activities. Since the end of the second quarter of 2009 ATP:

Executed an agreement with its contractor to defer $99 million of Octabuoy hull construction costs without delaying the construction schedule;
• Realized $74.5 million, net of fees and expenses, from monetizing both the oil and natural gas pipelines that service ATP’s Gomez Hub;
• Conveyed an overriding royalty interest for $15 million;
• Raised $93.4 million by selling common stock and $135.5 million by selling perpetual convertible preferred stock, net of fees and expenses;
• Amended its senior secured term loan facilities to improve financial flexibility;
• Reduced outstanding Term Loans by $112.6 million since June 30, 2009.

ATP had working capital of approximately $73.2 million as of September 30, 2009, an increase of approximately $36.7 million from December 31, 2008. Working capital, as defined in our Senior Secured Credit Facility, was $235.2 million as of September 30, 2009, compared to $72.6 million as of December 31, 2008. ATP had cash of $317.1 million at September 30, 2009, compared to $215.0 million at December 31, 2008.

ATP amended its agreement with COSCO Nantong Shipyard Ltd. (“COSCO”) of China to defer $99 million of primarily 2010 construction costs for the Octabuoy hull. This amendment will keep construction of the Octabuoy hull on pace for a 2011 delivery and facilitates ATP’s objective to achieve first oil production at Cheviot in 2012.

ATP executed an asset sale agreement in the third quarter of 2009 for net proceeds of $74.5 million for the oil and gas pipelines that service the Gomez Hub at MC 711. ATP used $42.2 million of net proceeds from this asset sale to reduce indebtedness. This transaction has been accounted for as a financing obligation in our financial statements.

ATP executed an asset sale agreement in October 2009 for net proceeds of $15.0 million for a dollar-denominated limited-term override in the Gomez Hub. ATP used $10.9 million of net proceeds from this asset sale to reduce indebtedness.

On September 29, 2009, ATP closed a public offering of 5.3 million shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $18.50 per share and a private placement of a new series of 8.0% convertible perpetual preferred stock. Net proceeds from the offerings were approximately $228.9 million. In the fourth quarter, ATP sold an additional 515,000 shares at $18.50 per share for $9.1 million in net proceeds pursuant to the underwriters’ overallotment option. ATP used $59.5 million of net proceeds from these equity offerings to reduce indebtedness.

On November 2, 2009, ATP added flexibility to its Senior Secured Credit Facility by widening its covenants for the reporting periods from December 31, 2009 through December 31, 2010. General terms of the amendment expand the Net Debt to EBITDAX ratio from 3.0x to 4.0x, the EBITDAX to Interest ratio from 2.5x to 2.0x and the current ratio from 1.0x to 0.8x. During this period, the spread on the rate for ATP’s Term Loans will increase by 2.75% through December 31, 2010. Beginning January 1, 2011, the spread on the rate for ATP’s Term Loans will decrease by 1.75% through final maturity in July 2014. ATP paid an initial fee to the lenders of a half percent at closing.