Comments from Hornbeck Offshore Earnings Call Q4 2012

From the transcript,

"We’ve resisted natural temptation to overly subscribed long-term charters in a low-rate environment and elected to keep a number of our vessels available in the spot market. This was based on our positive view of the Gulf of Mexico’s resiliency as a core region and its expected turnaround. The same view that propelled the November 2011 launch of our most recent newbuild program.[...]

In the Post-Macondo Gulf of Mexico we see this Jones Act preference as a long term trend not only for construction vessels but for vessels of all types working offshore. Part of this preference may stem from the comfort that our customers in the Gulf of Mexico drive from the high operating standards of the US vessel owners and crews who are regulated by the US Coastguard one of the most exacting marine regulators in the world. [...]

The month of December was a month most active, we can remember in terms of customers’ enquiries and tender activity for upcoming drilling programs in and outside of the US Gulf of Mexico."