Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Derivatives and Fair Value

v3.20.1
Derivatives and Fair Value
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
Derivatives and Fair Value [Abstract]  
Derivatives and Fair Value 8. DERIVATIVES AND FAIR VALUE

The Company uses derivative financial instruments to achieve a more predictable cash flow from crude oil production by reducing the Company’s exposure to price fluctuations.

Commodity swaps - In June 2018, the Company entered into commodity swaps at a Dated Brent weighted average of $74.00 per barrel for the period from and including June 2018 through June 2019 for a quantity of approximately 400,000 barrels. On May 6, 2019, the Company entered into commodity swaps at a Dated Brent weighted average of $66.70 per barrel for the period from and including July 2019 through June 2020 for an approximate quantity of 500,000 barrels. If the liability position for these swaps exceeds $10.0 million, the Company would be required to provide a bank letter of credit or deposit cash into an escrow account for the amount by which the liability exceeds $10.0 million. At March 31, 2020, the Company’s unexpired commodity swaps as shown in the table below had a fair value asset position of $7.3 million reflected in “Prepayments and other” line of the Company’s condensed consolidated balance sheet. These swaps settle on a monthly basis.

Swaps

Settlement Period

Type of Contract

Index

Barrels

Weighted Average Fixed Price

April 2020 to June 2020

Swaps

Dated Brent

172,160

$

66.70

172,160

While these commodity swaps are intended to be an economic hedge to mitigate the impact of a decline in crude oil prices, the Company has not elected hedge accounting. The contracts are being measured at fair value each period, with changes in fair value recognized in net income. The Company does not enter into derivative instruments for speculative or trading proposes.

The crude oil swap contracts are measured at fair value using the Income Method. Level 2 observable inputs used in the valuation model include market information as of the reporting date, such as prevailing Brent crude futures prices, Brent crude futures commodity price volatility and interest rates. The determination of the swap contracts fair value includes the impact of the counterparty’s non-performance risk.

To mitigate counterparty risk, the Company enters into such derivative contracts with creditworthy financial institutions deemed by management as competent and competitive market makers.

The following table sets forth the gain (loss) on derivative instruments on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations:

Three Months Ended March 31,

Derivative Item

Statement of Operations Line

2020

2019

(in thousands)

Crude oil swaps

Realized gain - contract settlements

$

718

$

1,131

Unrealized gain (loss)

6,621

(3,043)

Derivative instruments gain (loss), net

$

7,339

$

(1,912)