Seismic players — the "canaries in the coal mine" for the offshore sector — have been whistling ever-stronger tunes about oil companies’ spending, with Oslo-listed TGS chiming in as the latest one this week.

Erik Tonne, managing director of market analysis at shipbroker Clarksons Platou in Oslo, said the announcement of an expected 47% rise in net revenue for TGS is another good sign of an “offshore recovery in progress” after three years of the harsh downturn.