STEINHAUSEN, Switzerland, Oct. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) today reported a net loss attributable to controlling interest of $494 million, $0.58 per diluted share, for the three months ended September 30, 2024.

Third quarter results included net unfavorable items of $558 million or $0.58 per diluted share as follows:

• $617 million, $0.64 per diluted share, loss on impairment of assets, net of tax.

• $21 million , $0.02 per diluted share, gain on retirement of debt; and
• $38 million, $0.04 per diluted share, discrete tax items, net.

Contract drilling revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2024, increased sequentially by $87 million to $948 million, primarily due to increased rig utilization, increased dayrates for two rigs, higher reimbursement revenues and a full quarter of revenues from the newbuild ultra-deepwater drillship Deepwater Aquila, partially offset by lower revenue efficiency across the fleet.

Operating and maintenance expense was $563 million, compared with $534 million in the prior quarter. The sequential increase was the result of increased fleet activity, including a full quarter of operations from Deepwater Aquila, partially offset by reduced operating costs related to Transocean Norge following the acquisition of Orion Holdings (Cayman) Limited in June 2024.

General and administrative expense was $47 million, down from $59 million in the second quarter. The decrease was primarily due to reduced costs associated with the early retirement of certain personnel and lower professional fees.

Interest expense net of capitalized amounts was $154 million, compared to $143 million in the prior quarter, excluding the favorable adjustment of $74 million and $69 million in the third and second quarter, respectively, for the fair value of the bifurcated exchange feature related to the 4.625% exchangeable bonds. Interest income was $11 million, compared to $14 million in the prior quarter.

The Effective Tax Rate⁽²⁾ was 6.0%, down from 474.5% in the prior quarter. The decrease was primarily due to rig impairments, rig sales and other ordinary movement in income before tax. The Effective Tax Rate excluding discrete items was 22.5% compared to 416.3% in the previous quarter.

Cash provided by operating activities was $194 million during the third quarter of 2024, representing an increase of $61 million compared to the prior quarter. The sequential increase was primarily due to increased operating activities, improved cash collected from customers and timing of payments to suppliers, partially offset by higher interest payments.

Third quarter 2024 capital expenditures of $58 million were primarily associated with Deepwater Aquila. This compares with $84 million in the prior quarter.

"As illustrated by the nearly $1.3 billion in backlog booked in the third quarter, including the recent award for Deepwater Conqueror, the demand for our fleet of high specification ultra-deepwater and harsh environment rigs remains strong,” said Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy Thigpen. "With these most recent awards, more than 97% of Transocean's active fleet is contracted in 2025, once again demonstrating that our customers clearly recognize Transocean's unique capabilities - our rigs, crews and superior operational performance - add value to their programs.”

Thigpen concluded, "With approximately $9.3 billion in backlog, and clear visibility to future demand, we will remain focused on delivering safe, reliable and efficient operations for our customers and continue to maximize cash generation to improve our balance sheet, as we did in the third quarter with $136 million of free cash flow.”

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We present our operating results in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. ("U.S. GAAP”). We believe certain financial measures, such as Adjusted Contract Drilling Revenues, EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Net Income, which are non-GAAP measures, provide users of our financial statements with supplemental information that may be useful in evaluating our operating performance. We believe that such non-GAAP measures, when read in conjunction with our operating results presented under U.S. GAAP, can be used to better assess our performance from period to period and relative to performance of other companies in our industry, without regard to financing methods, historical cost basis or capital structure. Such non-GAAP measures should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for, financial measures prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

All non-GAAP measure reconciliations to the most comparative U.S. GAAP measures are displayed in quantitative schedules on the company's website at: www.deepwater.com.

About Transocean

Transocean is a leading international provider of offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells. The company specializes in technically demanding sectors of the global offshore drilling business with a particular focus on ultra-deepwater and harsh environment drilling services, and operates the highest specification floating offshore drilling fleet in the world.

Transocean owns or has partial ownership interests in and operates a fleet of 34 mobile offshore drilling units, consisting of 26 ultra-deepwater floaters and eight harsh environment floaters.

For more information about Transocean, please visit: www.deepwater.com. 

Conference Call Information

Transocean will conduct a teleconference starting at 9 a.m. EDT, 2 p.m. CET, on Thursday, October 31, 2024, to discuss the results. To participate, dial +1 785-424-1226 and refer to conference code 827284 approximately 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

The teleconference will be simulcast in a listen-only mode at: www.deepwater.com, by selecting Investors, News, and Webcasts. Supplemental materials that may be referenced during the teleconference will be available at: www.deepwater.com, by selecting Investors, Financial Reports.

A replay of the conference call will be available after 12 p.m. EDT, 5 p.m. CET, on Thursday, October 31, 2024. The replay, which will be archived for approximately 30 days, can be accessed at +1 402-220-9184, passcode 827284. The replay will also be available on the company's website.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements described herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements could contain words such as "possible,” "intend,” "will,” "if,” "expect,” or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions, and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. As a result, actual results could differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, estimated duration of customer contracts, contract dayrate amounts, future contract commencement dates and locations, planned shipyard projects and other out-of-service time, sales of drilling units, timing of the company's newbuild deliveries, operating hazards and delays, risks associated with international operations, actions by customers and other third parties, the fluctuation of current and future prices of oil and gas, the global and regional supply and demand for oil and gas, the intention to scrap certain drilling rigs, the success of our business following prior acquisitions, the effects of the spread of and mitigation efforts by governments, businesses and individuals related to contagious illnesses, and other factors, including those and other risks discussed in the company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and in the company's other filings with the SEC, which are available free of charge on the SEC's website at: www.sec.gov. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize (or the other consequences of such a development worsen), or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated or expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the company or to persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by reference to these risks and uncertainties. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur, or which we become aware of, after the date hereof, except as otherwise may be required by law. All non-GAAP financial measure reconciliations to the most comparative GAAP measure are displayed in quantitative schedules on the company's website at: www.deepwater.com.

This press release, or referenced documents, do not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and do not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act ("FinSA”) or advertising within the meaning of the FinSA. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of Transocean and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is, or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of Transocean.

Notes

Analyst Contact:

Alison Johnson

+1 713-232-7214

Media Contact:

Pam Easton

+1 713-232-7647