Transocean announces agreement to acquire Ocean Rig
Transocean Ltd. and Ocean Rig UDW Inc. have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Transocean will acquire Ocean Rig in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $2.7 billion, inclusive of Ocean Rig ’s net debt, the company said in its press release.
The transaction consideration is comprised of 1.6128 newly issued shares of Transocean plus $12.75 in cash for each share of Ocean Rig’s common stock, for a total implied value of $32.28 per Ocean Rig share, based on the closing price on August 31, 2018. This represents a 20.4% premium to Ocean Rig’s ten-day volume weighted average share price.
The transaction has been unanimously approved by the board of directors of each company. Transocean intends to fund the cash portion of the transaction consideration through a combination of cash on hand and fully committed financing provided by Citi. The merger is not subject to any financing condition.
Upon completion of the merger, Transocean’s and Ocean Rig’s shareholders will own approximately 79% and approximately 21%, respectively, of the combined company.
Ocean Rig’s fleet is comprised of nine high-specification ultra-deepwater drillships and two harsh environment semisubmersibles. Additionally, its fleet includes two high-specification ultra-deepwater drillships currently under construction at Samsung Heavy Industries with favor able shipyard financing terms. These two newbuilds are expected to be delivered in the third quarter of 2019 and the third quarter of 2020, respectively.
The transaction, which is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2019, is subject to the approval of both Transocean and Ocean Rig shareholders and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals. The merger is not subject to any financing condition.
Also, consistent with the Company’s strategy of recycling less competitive rigs, Transocean will retire two of its floaters, the ultra-deepwater drillship C.R. Luigs and the midwater floater Songa Delta. The rigs will be classified as held for sale and will be recycled in an environmen tally responsible manner. Both floaters are currently stacked. Transocean anticipates re-ranking the combined fleet , which may result in additional rigs being recycled.
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 believes that it operates one of the m ost versatile offshore drilling fleets in the world. Transocean owns or has partial ownership interests in, and operates a fleet of 41 mobile offshore drill ing units consisting of 23 ultra-deepwater floaters, 12 harsh environment floaters, two deepwater floaters and four midwater floaters. In addition, Transocean is constructing two ultra-deepwater drillships; and one harsh environment semisubmersible in which the company has a 33 percent interest. The company also operates one high- specification jackup that was under a drilling contract when the rig was sold, and the company will continue to operate the jackup until completion or novation of the drilling contract.
About Ocean Rig
Ocean Rig is an international offshore drilling contractor providing oilfield services for offshore oil and gas exploration, development and production drilling, and specializing in the ultra-deepwater and harsh environment segment of the offshore drilling industry. Ocean Rig’s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market where it trades under the symbol “ORIG.”