Transocean Ltd. (RIG)

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Transocean Ltd. Reports Third Quarter 2023 Results
October 30, 2023 17:38 ET
Source: Transocean Ltd.

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/10/30/2769753/0/en/Transocean-Ltd-Reports-Third-Quarter-2023-Results.html


Total contract drilling revenues were $713 million, compared to $729 million in the second quarter of 2023 (total adjusted contract drilling revenues of $721 million, compared to $748 million in the second quarter of 2023);

Revenue efficiency(1) was 95.4%, compared to 97.2% in the prior quarter;
Operating and maintenance expense was $524 million, compared to $484 million in the prior quarter;

Net loss attributable to controlling interest was $220 million, $0.28 per diluted share, compared to $165 million, $0.22 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2023;

Adjusted EBITDA was $162 million, compared to $237 million in the prior quarter; and
Contract backlog was $9.4 billion as of the October 2023 Fleet Status Report.

STEINHAUSEN, Switzerland, Oct. 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) today reported a net loss attributable to controlling interest of $220 million, $0.28 per diluted share, for the three months ended September 30, 2023.

Third quarter results included net favorable items of $60 million, or $0.08 per diluted share as follows:

$65 million, $0.09 per diluted share, discrete tax items, net; and
$5 million, $0.01 per diluted share, loss on impairment of assets.
After consideration of these net favorable items, third quarter 2023 adjusted net loss was $280 million, or $0.36 per diluted share.

Contract drilling revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2023 decreased sequentially by $16 million to $713 million, primarily due to idle time on three ultra-deepwater floaters and lower revenue generated by four rigs that were undergoing contract preparation and mobilization activities during the quarter. Lower fleet revenue efficiency in the third quarter also contributed to the decrease. This was partially offset by increased average daily revenues for three rigs and a full quarter of revenues from the newbuild ultra-deepwater drillship Deepwater Titan and the harsh environment semisubmersible floater Transocean Norge.

Contract intangible amortization represented a non-cash revenue reduction of $8 million, compared to $19 million in the prior quarter.

Operating and maintenance expense was $524 million, compared with $484 million in the prior quarter. The sequential increase was primarily due to higher shipyard costs and contract preparation for seven rigs and a full quarter of operations from Deepwater Titan and Transocean Norge.

Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized, was $232 million, compared with $168 million in the prior quarter. Interest expense included a non-cash loss of $93 million, compared with $46 million in the prior quarter, associated with the fair value adjustment of the bifurcated exchange feature embedded in our exchangeable bonds issued in September of 2022. Interest income was $12 million, compared with $11 million in the previous quarter.

The Effective Tax Rate(2) was 16.3%, up from 8.8% in the prior quarter. The increase was primarily due to settlements and expirations of uncertain tax positions and releases of valuation allowances. The Effective Tax Rate excluding discrete items was (8.7)% compared to 11.7% in the previous quarter.

Cash used in operating activities was $44 million during the third quarter of 2023, representing a decrease of $201 million compared to the prior quarter. The sequential decrease is primarily due to increased cash disbursements for preparing and mobilizing seven rigs for contracts and timing of interest payments.

Third quarter 2023 capital expenditures of $50 million decreased primarily due to reduced spending for our newbuild rigs under construction. This compares with $76 million in the prior quarter.

“For the sixth consecutive quarter Transocean increased its backlog, ending the third quarter at $9.4 billion dollars. Not only is the size of our backlog industry-leading, but it also contains many of the industry’s highest dayrate fixtures,” said Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy Thigpen. “In particular, we are pleased to have secured a three-year contract for Deepwater Aquila in Brazil, as it facilitated the acquisition of the outstanding interest in Liquila Ventures Ltd. The addition of the Aquila further reinforces Transocean’s leadership position in the high-specification, ultra-deepwater drilling market, as she is our eighth 1400 short ton, dual activity, seventh generation drillship, of which, there are only 12 in the global competitive fleet.”

Thigpen continued “Based on our ongoing conversations with customers, we firmly believe that we remain in the early stages of a multi-year upcycle. With our fleet of the most capable high-specification ultra-deepwater drillships and harsh environment semisubmersibles, Transocean is uniquely positioned to capitalize on current and future opportunities.”

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 37 mobile offshore drilling units, consisting of 28 ultra-deepwater floaters and nine harsh environment floaters. In addition, Transocean is constructing one ultra-deepwater drillship.

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. CEST, on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, to discuss the results. To participate, dial [phone] and refer to conference code 403372 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. CEST, on Tuesday, October 31, 2023. The replay, which will be archived for approximately 30 days, can be accessed at [phone], passcode 403372. The replay will also be available on the company’s website.