Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business
Our Company
Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, was formed on February 19, 2014. Except as otherwise specified, “FTAI”, “we”, “us”, “our”, or “the Company” refer to us and our consolidated subsidiaries, including Fortress Worldwide Transportation and Infrastructure General Partnership (“Holdco”). Our business has been, and will continue to be, conducted through Holdco for the purpose of acquiring, managing and disposing of transportation and transportation-related infrastructure and equipment assets. Fortress Worldwide Transportation and Infrastructure Master GP LLC (the “Master GP”), owns approximately 0.05% of Holdco and is the general partner of Holdco.
We are externally managed by FIG LLC (the “Manager”), an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group LLC (“Fortress”), which has a dedicated team of experienced professionals focused on the acquisition of transportation and infrastructure assets since 2002. On December 27, 2017, SoftBank Group Corp. (“SoftBank”) acquired Fortress (the “SoftBank Merger”). In connection with the SoftBank Merger, Fortress operates within SoftBank as an independent business headquartered in New York.
We own and acquire high quality infrastructure and related equipment that is essential for the transportation of goods and people globally. We target assets that, on a combined basis, generate strong cash flows with potential for earnings growth and asset appreciation. We believe that there are a large number of acquisition opportunities in our markets and that our Manager’s expertise and business and financing relationships, together with our access to capital, will allow us to take advantage of these opportunities. As of December 31, 2020, we had total consolidated assets of $3.4 billion and total equity of $1.1 billion.
Our operations consist of two primary strategic business units - Infrastructure and Equipment Leasing. Our Infrastructure Business acquires long-lived assets that provide mission-critical services or functions to transportation networks and typically have high barriers to entry. We target or develop operating businesses with strong margins, stable cash flows and upside from earnings growth and asset appreciation driven by increased use and inflation. Our Equipment Leasing Business acquires assets that are designed to carry cargo or people. Transportation equipment assets are typically long-lived, moveable and leased by us on either operating leases or finance leases to companies that provide transportation services. Our leases generally provide for long-term contractual cash flow with high cash-on-cash yields and include structural protections to mitigate credit risk.
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The charts below illustrate our existing assets, and our equity deployed in acquiring these assets separated by reporting segment as of December 31, 2020:
Note :
• Jefferson Terminal and Ports and Terminals are included in our Infrastructure Business; Aviation Leasing is included in our Equipment Leasing Business.
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Our Strategy
We invest across a number of major sectors within the transportation industry, including aviation, energy, intermodal transport and ports and terminals, and we may pursue acquisitions in other areas as and when they arise in the future. In general, we seek to own a diverse mix of high-quality infrastructure and equipment within our target sectors that generate predictable cash flows in markets that we believe provide the potential for strong long-term growth and attractive returns on deployed capital. We believe that by investing in a diverse mix of assets across sectors, we can select from among the best risk-adjusted investment opportunities, while avoiding overconcentration in any one segment, further adding to the stability of our business.
We take a proactive investment approach by identifying key secular trends as they emerge within our target sectors and then pursuing what we believe are the most compelling opportunities within those sectors. We look for unique investments, including assets that are distressed or undervalued, or where we believe that we can add value through active management. We consider investments across the size spectrum, including smaller opportunities often overlooked by other investors, particularly where we believe we may be able to grow the investment over time. We believe one of our strengths is our ability to create attractive follow-on investment opportunities and deploy incremental capital within our existing portfolio.
Within each sector, we consider investments in operating infrastructure as well as in equipment that we lease to operators. We believe that as owners of both infrastructure and equipment assets, we have access to more opportunities and can be a more attractive counterparty to the users of our assets. Our Manager has significant prior experience in all of our target sectors, as well as a network of industry relationships, that we believe positions us well to make successful acquisitions and to actively manage and improve operations and cash flow of our existing and newly-acquired assets. These relationships include senior executives at lessors and operators, end users of transportation and infrastructure assets, as well as banks, lenders and other asset owners.
Asset Acquisition Process
Our strategy is to acquire assets that are essential to the transportation of goods and people globally. We acquire assets that are used by major operators of transportation and infrastructure networks. We seek to acquire assets and businesses that we believe operate in sectors with long-term macroeconomic growth opportunities and that have significant cash flow and upside potential from earnings growth and asset appreciation.
We approach markets and opportunities by first developing an asset acquisition strategy with our Manager and then pursuing optimal opportunities within that strategy. In addition to relying on our own experience, we source new opportunities through our Manager’s network of industry relationships in order to find, structure and execute attractive acquisitions. These relationships include senior executives at industry leading operators, end users of the assets as well as banks, lenders and other asset owners. We believe that sourcing assets both globally and through multiple channels will enable us to find the most attractive opportunities. We are selective in the assets we pursue and efficient in the manner in which we pursue them.
Once attractive opportunities are identified, our Manager performs detailed due diligence on each of our potential acquisitions. Due diligence on each of our assets always includes a comprehensive review of the asset itself as well as the industry and market dynamics, competitive positioning, and financial and operational performance. Where appropriate, our Manager conducts physical inspections, a review of the credit quality of each of our counterparties, the regulatory environment, and a review of all material documentation. In some cases, third-party specialists are hired to physically inspect and/or value the target assets.
We and our Manager also spend a significant amount of time on structuring our acquisitions to minimize risks while also optimizing expected returns. We employ what we believe to be reasonable amounts of leverage in connection with our acquisitions. In determining the amount of leverage for each acquisition, we consider a number of characteristics, including, but not limited to, the existing cash flow, the length of the lease or contract term, and the specific counterparty.
Management Agreement
In May 2015, in connection with our initial public offering (“IPO”), we entered into a new management agreement with the Manager (the “Management Agreement”), an affiliate of Fortress, pursuant to which the Manager is paid annual fees in exchange for advising us on various aspects of our business, formulating our investment strategies, arranging for the acquisition and disposition of assets, arranging for financing, monitoring performance, and managing our day-to-day operations, inclusive of all costs incidental thereto.
Please refer to Note 16 of our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further details regarding our Management Agreement.
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Our Portfolio
We own and acquire high quality infrastructure and equipment that is essential for the transportation of goods and people globally. We currently invest across four market sectors: aviation, energy, intermodal transport and ports and terminals. We target assets that, on a combined basis, generate strong and stable cash flows with the potential for earnings growth and asset appreciation.
Leasing Equipment
Aviation
As of December 31, 2020, in our Aviation Leasing segment, we own and manage 264 aviation assets, consisting of 78 commercial aircraft and 186 engines.
As of December 31, 2020, 70 of our commercial aircraft and 111 of our engines were leased to operators or other third parties. Aviation assets currently off lease are either undergoing repair and/or maintenance, being prepared to go on lease or held in short term storage awaiting a future lease. Our aviation equipment was approximately 73% utilized during the three months ended December 31, 2020, based on the percent of days on-lease in the quarter weighted by the monthly average equity value of our aviation leasing equipment, excluding airframes. Our aircraft currently have a weighted average remaining lease term of 39 months, and our engines currently on-lease have an average remaining lease term of 22 months. The table below provides additional information on the assets in our Aviation Leasing segment:
Aviation Assets Widebody Narrowbody Total
Aircraft
Assets at January 1, 2020 15 59 74
Purchases 1 19 20
Sales — — —
Transfers (1) (15) (16)
Assets at December 31, 2020 15 63 78
Engines
Assets at January 1, 2020 84 80 164
Purchases 23 14 37
Sales (20) (5) (25)
Transfers 1 9 10
Assets at December 31, 2020 88 98 186
Infrastructure
Jefferson Terminal
In August 2014, we and certain other Fortress affiliates purchased substantially all of the assets and assumed certain liabilities of Jefferson Terminal (“Jefferson”), a Texas-based group of companies developing crude oil and refined products logistics assets. As of December 31, 2020, Jefferson is wholly owned by us and certain Fortress affiliates.
Jefferson Terminal is located on approximately 250 acres of land at the Port of Beaumont, Texas (the “Port”). Today, Jefferson leases 185 acres from the Port. As part of the lease, Jefferson was granted the concession to operate as the sole handler of liquid hydrocarbons at the Port. Jefferson does not own any land at Jefferson Terminal but does own certain equipment and leasehold improvements carried out as part of the Jefferson Terminal build-out.
Jefferson Terminal is developing a large multi-modal crude oil and refined products handling terminal at the Port, and also owns several other assets for the transportation and processing of crude oil and related products. Jefferson Terminal has a unique combination of direct rail service from three Class I railroads, multiple direct pipeline connections to a large local refinery, barge docks and deep water ship loading capacity, capabilities to handle multiple types of products including refined products and both free-flowing crude oil and bitumen, and a prime location close to Port Arthur and Lake Charles, which are home to refineries with over 2.3 million barrels per day of capacity. Jefferson Terminal currently has approximately 4.4 (1) million barrels of storage tanks in operation. As we secure new storage/handling contracts, we expect to expand storage capacity and/or develop new assets. The timing of the ultimate development of Jefferson Terminal will be dependent, in part, on the pace at which contracts are executed as well as the amount of volume subject to such contracts.
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Jefferson Terminal’s prime location and excellent optionality make it well suited to provide logistics solutions to regional and global refineries, including blending, storage and delivery of crude oil and refined products. Heavy crude oil from Western Canada is in high demand on the Gulf Coast because most refineries in the area are configured to handle heavier crudes (previously sourced predominately from Mexico and Venezuela) than those in other parts of the United States. Canadian conventionally produced heavy crude is well suited for transport by rail rather than pipeline because of its high viscosity. Jefferson Terminal is one of only a few terminals on the Gulf Coast that has heated unloading system capabilities to handle this type of heavy crude. As the production of Western Canadian crude oil grows in excess of existing pipeline capacity, demand for crude-by-rail to the Gulf Coast is expected to increase. Refined products opportunities for storage and logistics are expected to continue to be positively impacted by Mexico deregulating its imports of both gasoline and diesel.
Jefferson Terminal operates an unheated crude oil unloading system, which has the capacity to discharge a unit train of up to 114 cars, and a heated crude oil unloading system which has the capacity to unload a unit train of up to 128 cars of high viscosity crude oil. Jefferson Terminal has storage tanks with capacity to hold approximately 3.7 (1) million barrels configured for crude oil in service.
Mexican demand for U.S.-sourced refined products continues to increase; however, Mexico lacks the infrastructure required to efficiently import, store and distribute large volumes of gasoline and diesel. This has spurred the rapid build-out of new Mexican transloading rail terminals, as well as storage capacity on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. To meet such increased demand, Jefferson operates a refined products system which receives three grades of products by direct pipeline connection from a large area refiner, as well as inland tank barge via the barge dock, stores the cargo in six tanks with a combined capacity of approximately 0.7 (1) million barrels, and operates a 20 spot rail car loading system with the capacity to load approximately 70,000 barrels per day. This system may be further expanded to meet additional market demand.
Recent expansion projects completed include the construction of a 25 MW substation to support the new pipeline construction, six 12” to 20” pipelines to a large area refinery for refined and crude product movements, and a rail expansion of approximately 19,570 feet of track. Two additional pipelines, one incoming from Cushing, Oklahoma, and one outgoing to a refinery in the Port Arthur area, are nearing completion and expected to be in service by the end of Q1 2021.
In addition to the Jefferson Terminal, Jefferson owns several other energy and transportation-related assets, including 299 tank railcars which are leased to third parties; a gas processing and condensate stabilization plant; pipeline rights-of-way; and a private inland marine terminal property all of which can be developed. These assets can be deployed or developed in the future to meet market demands for transportation and hydrocarbon processing, and if successfully deployed or developed, may represent additional opportunities to generate stable, recurring cash flow. As we secure customer contracts, we expect to invest equity capital to fund working capital needs and future construction, which may be required.
(1) All storage tank capacities refer to shell-tank capacity.
Long Ridge Energy Terminal
During 2017, through Ohio River Partners Shareholder LLC (“ORP”), a consolidated subsidiary, we purchased 100% of the interests in the assets of Long Ridge which consisted primarily of land, buildings, railroad track, docks, water rights, site improvements and other rights. In December 2019, ORP contributed its equity interests in Long Ridge into Long Ridge Terminal LLC and sold a 49.9% interest for $150 million in cash, plus an earn out. We no longer have a controlling interest in Long Ridge but still maintain significant influence through our retained interest and, therefore, now account for this investment in accordance with the equity method.
At December 31, 2020, Long Ridge continues its construction of a 485 MW combined-cycle power plant at the site, along with its associated plans to self-supply the natural gas fuel requirements for the plant. The construction project remains on-time and on-budget and is tracking ahead of its guaranteed completion date of November 2021. Long Ridge’s natural gas self-supply projects also remain on-time and on-budget.
Repauno
During 2016, through Delaware River Partners LLC (“DRP”), a consolidated subsidiary, we purchased the assets of Repauno, which consisted primarily of land, a storage cavern, and riparian rights for the acquired land, site improvements and rights. We currently hold an approximately 98% economic interest, and a 100% voting interest in DRP. DRP is solely reliant on us to finance its activities and therefore is a variable interest entity (“VIE”). We concluded that we are the primary beneficiary and, accordingly, DRP has been presented on a consolidated basis in the accompanying financial statements.
Shortly after the end of 2020, DRP completed its new state of the art rail-to-ship transloading system. This will allow DRP to load Liquified Petroleum Gas marine vessels from its new wharf beginning in 2021. As the newest marine terminal on the Delaware River, Repauno is designed to safely and efficiently handle a wide variety of freight, providing critical logistics services to a multitude of industrial segments.
Corporate and Other
In addition to the above investments, our Corporate and Other segment includes (i) offshore energy related assets which consist of vessels and equipment that support offshore oil and gas activities and are typically subject to long-term operating leases, (ii) an investment in an unconsolidated entity engaged in the leasing of shipping containers and (iii) railroad assets retained after the December 2019 sale of our railroad business, which consist of equipment that support a railcar cleaning business.
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Asset Management
Our Manager actively manages and monitors our portfolios of assets on an ongoing basis, and in some cases engages third parties to assist with the management of those assets. Our Manager frequently reviews the status of all of our assets, and in the case that any are returning from lease or undergoing repair, outlines our options, which may include the re-lease or sale of that asset. In the case of operating infrastructure, our Manager plays a central role in developing and executing operational, finance and business development strategies. On a periodic basis, our Manager discusses the status of our acquired assets with our board of directors.
In some situations, we may acquire assets through a joint venture entity or own a minority position in an investment entity. In such circumstances, we will seek to protect our interests through appropriate levels of board representation, minority protections and other structural enhancements.
We and our Manager maintain relationships with operators worldwide and, through these relationships, hold direct conversations as to leasing needs and opportunities. Where helpful, we reach out to third parties who assist in leasing our assets. As an example, we often partner with MRO facilities in the aviation sector to lease engines and support airlines’ fleet management needs.
While we expect to hold our assets for extended periods of time, we and our Manager continually review our assets to assess whether we should sell or otherwise monetize them. Aspects that will factor into this process include relevant market conditions, the asset’s age, lease profile, relative concentration or remaining expected useful life.
Credit Process
We and our Manager monitor the credit quality of our various lessees on an ongoing basis. This monitoring includes interacting with our customers regularly to monitor collections, review periodic financial statements and discuss their operating performance. Most of our lease agreements are written with conditions that require reporting on the part of our lessees, and we actively reach out to our lessees to maintain contact and monitor their liquidity positions. Furthermore, many of our leases and contractual arrangements include credit enhancement elements that provide us with additional collateral or credit support to strengthen our credit position.
We are subject to concentrations of credit risk with respect to amounts due from customers on our direct finance leases and operating leases. We attempt to limit credit risk by performing ongoing credit evaluations. See “Customers.”
Customers
Our customers consist of global operators of transportation and infrastructure networks, including airlines, offshore energy service providers, global energy providers and major shipping lines. We maintain ongoing relationships and discussions with our customers and seek to have consistent dialogue. In addition to helping us monitor the needs and quality of our customers, we believe these relationships help source additional opportunities and gain insight into attractive opportunities in the transportation and infrastructure sectors. A substantial portion of our revenue has historically been derived from a small number of customers. As of and for the year ended December 31, 2020, our largest customer accounted for 11% of our revenue and 40% of total accounts receivable, net. We derive a significant percentage of our revenue within specific sectors from a limited number of customers. However, we do not think that we are dependent upon any particular customer, or that the loss of one or more of them would have a material adverse effect on our business or the relevant segment, because of our ability to re-lease assets at similar terms following the loss of any such customer. See “Risk Factors-Contractual defaults may adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows by decreasing revenues and increasing storage, positioning, collection, recovery and lost equipment expenses.”
Competition
The business of acquiring, managing and marketing transportation and transportation-related infrastructure assets is highly competitive. Market competition for acquisition opportunities includes traditional transportation and infrastructure companies, commercial and investment banks, as well as a growing number of non-traditional participants, such as hedge funds, private equity funds, and other private investors.
Additionally, the markets for our products and services are competitive, and we face competition from a number of sources. These competitors include engine and aircraft parts manufacturers, aircraft and aircraft engine lessors, airline and aircraft services and repair companies, aircraft spare parts distributors, offshore services providers, maritime equipment lessors, shipping container lessors, container shipping lines, and other transportation and infrastructure equipment lessors and operators.
We compete with other market participants on the basis of industry knowledge, availability of capital, and deal structuring experience and flexibility, among other things. We believe our Manager’s experience in the transportation and the transportation-related infrastructure industry and our access to capital, in addition to our focus on diverse asset classes and customers, provides a competitive advantage versus competitors that maintain a single sector focus.
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Environmental Regulations
We are subject to federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment, including those governing the discharge of pollutants to air and water, the management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, the cleanup of contaminated sites and noise and emission levels. Under some environmental laws in the United States and certain other countries, strict liability may be imposed on the owners or operators of assets, which could render us liable for environmental and natural resource damages without regard to negligence or fault on our part. We could incur substantial costs, including cleanup costs, fines and third-party claims for property or natural resource damage and personal injury, as a result of violations of or liabilities under environmental laws and regulations in connection with our or our lessee’s or charterer’s current or historical operations. While we typically maintain liability insurance coverage and typically require our lessees to provide us with indemnity against certain losses, the insurance coverage is subject to large deductibles, limits on maximum coverage and significant exclusions and may not be sufficient or available to protect against any or all liabilities and such indemnities may not cover or be sufficient to protect us against losses arising from environmental damage. In addition, changes to environmental standards or regulations in the industries in which we operate could limit the economic life of the assets we acquire or reduce their value, and also require us to make significant additional investments in order to maintain compliance.
Human Capital Management
Our Manager provides a management team and other professionals who are responsible for implementing our business strategy and performing certain services for us, subject to oversight by our board of directors. As a result, as of December 31, 2020, we have no employees other than 101 employees at certain subsidiaries across our business segments, none of whom are party to a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good and we focus heavily on employee engagement. We have invested substantial time and resources in building our team, and our human capital management objectives include, as applicable, identifying, recruiting, retaining, incentivizing and integrating our existing and new employees. To facilitate attraction and retention, we strive to create a diverse, inclusive, and safe workplace, with opportunities for our employees to grow and develop in their careers, supported by strong compensation and benefits programs.
Insurance
Our leases generally require that our customers carry physical damage and liability insurance providing primary insurance coverage for loss and damage to our assets as well as for related cargo and third parties while the assets are on lease. In addition, in certain cases, we maintain contingent liability coverage for any claims or losses on our assets while they are on hire or otherwise in the possession of a third-party. Finally, we procure insurance for our assets when they are not on hire or are otherwise under our control.
Conflicts of Interest
Although we have established certain policies and procedures designed to mitigate conflicts of interest, there can be no assurance that these policies and procedures will be effective in doing so. It is possible that actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest could give rise to investor dissatisfaction, litigation or regulatory enforcement actions.
One or more of our officers and directors have responsibilities and commitments to entities other than us. In addition, we do not have a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from engaging in business activities of the types conducted by us for their own account. See “Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Manager-There are conflicts of interest in our relationship with our Manager.”
Our key agreements, including our Management Agreement, the Partnership Agreement, and our operating agreement were negotiated among related parties, and their respective terms, including fees and other amounts payable, may not be as favorable to us as terms negotiated on an arm’s-length basis with unaffiliated parties. Our independent directors may not vigorously enforce the provisions of our Management Agreement against our Manager. For example, our independent directors may refrain from terminating our Manager because doing so could result in the loss of key personnel.
We may compete with entities affiliated with our Manager or Fortress for certain target assets. From time to time, affiliates of Fortress may focus on investments in assets with a similar profile as our target assets that we may seek to acquire. These affiliates may have meaningful purchasing capacity, which may change over time depending upon a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, available equity capital and debt financing, market conditions and cash on hand. Fortress has multiple existing and planned funds focused on investing in one or more of the sectors in which we acquire assets, each with significant current or expected capital commitments. We may co-invest with these funds in certain target assets. Fortress funds generally have a fee structure similar to ours, but the fees actually paid will vary depending on the size, terms and performance of each fund.
Our Manager may determine, in its discretion, to make a particular acquisition through an investment vehicle other than us. Investment allocation decisions will reflect a variety of factors, such as a particular vehicle’s availability of capital (including financing), investment objectives and concentration limits, legal, regulatory, tax and other similar considerations, the source of the opportunity and other factors that the Manager, in its discretion, deems appropriate. Our Manager does not have an obligation to offer us the opportunity to participate in any particular investment, even if it meets our asset acquisition objectives. In addition, employees of Fortress or certain of its affiliates—including personnel providing services to or on behalf of our Manager—may perform services for Fortress affiliates that may acquire or seek to acquire transportation and infrastructure-related assets.
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Where Readers Can Find Additional Information
Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC is a Delaware limited liability company. Our principal executive offices are located at 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10105. Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information required by the Exchange Act, with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public from the SEC’s internet site at http://www.sec.gov.
Our Internet site is http://www.ftandi.com. We will make available free of charge through our internet site our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and Forms 3, 4 and 5 filed on behalf of directors and executive officers and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Also posted on our website in the ‘‘Investor Center - Corporate Governance’’ section are charters for our Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Nominating Committee, as well as our Corporate Governance Guidelines, Code of Ethics for our officers, and our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics governing our directors, officers and employees. Information on, or accessible through, our website is not a part of, and is not incorporated into, this report.