ZUG, Switzerland, July 20, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Transocean Ltd. (NYSE:RIG) today announced that the Board of Directors of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) has approved the award of a three-year contract for the ultra-deepwater semisubmersible rig Cajun Express for operations in Brazil. Petrobras has the right within one year of contract execution to convert the three-year contract to a five-year contract. Estimated contracted revenues related to the three-year contract term and five-year contract term, if elected, are approximately $558.5 million and $894.3 million, respectively, depending on the date of execution of conversion. Estimated contract revenues represent the maximum amount of revenues that may be earned in the firm contract period, excluding revenues for mobilization, cost escalations, customer reimbursed equipment and miscellaneous adjustments. The contract term is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2010 following the completion of the rig's current contract. The approved contract is expected to be executed by subsidiaries of Petrobras and Transocean at least 90 days prior to the rig's arrival in Brazil.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements regarding contract terms, contract execution, commencement dates and estimated revenues, as well as any other statements that are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These include but are not limited to operating hazards and delays, actions by customers and other third parties, the future price of oil and gas, the actual revenues earned and other factors detailed in the company's most recent Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (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 should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated.
Transocean Ltd. is the world's largest offshore drilling contractor and the leading provider of drilling management services worldwide. With a fleet of 135 mobile offshore drilling units plus 10 announced ultra-deepwater newbuild units, the company's fleet is considered one of the most modern and versatile in the world due to its emphasis on technically demanding segments of the offshore drilling business. The company owns or operates a contract drilling fleet of 39 High-Specification Floaters (Ultra-Deepwater, Deepwater and Harsh-Environment semisubmersibles and drillships), 28 Midwater Floaters, 10 High-Specification Jackups, 55 Standard Jackups and other assets utilized in the support of offshore drilling activities worldwide.
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