Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Nordic American Tanker Ltd's (NAT 0.48%) shares jumped 11% today after taking shipment of new vessels.
So what: Nordic American Offshore, a company that Nordic American Tanker sponsored and owns 26% of, has taken shipment of six platform supply vessels, or PSVs. These ships supply services to offshore oil and gas rigs, particularly in the North Sea market, which is currently in high demand.
Now what: The tanker market has been a disaster recently, so getting some exposure to offshore drilling in any capacity is good for investors. Five of the six vessels are already under contract for between $25,000 and $29,000 per day, well above the $12,000 breakeven rate. With weakness in the tanker business, I don't think this makes Nordic American Tanker a buy, but it's an incremental positive that could give it time to see market conditions improve, if they ever do.
