Transocean Ltd. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2021 Results

• Total contract drilling revenues were $621 million, compared to $626 million in the third quarter of 2021 (total adjusted contract drilling revenues of $671 million, compared to $683 million in the third quarter of 2021);
  
• Revenue efficiency⁽¹⁾ was 94.5%, compared to 98.1% in the prior quarter;
• Operating and maintenance expense was $430 million, compared to $398 million in the prior quarter;
• Net loss attributable to controlling interest was $260 million, $0.40 per diluted share, compared to $130 million, $0.20 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2021;
• Adjusted EBITDA was $250 million, compared to $245 million in the prior quarter; and
• Contract backlog was $6.5 billion as of the February 2022 Fleet Status Report.

STEINHAUSEN, Switzerland, Feb. 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Transocean Ltd. (NYSE: RIG) today reported a net loss attributable to controlling interest of $260 million, $0.40 per diluted share, for the three months ended December 31, 2021.

Fourth quarter 2021 results included net unfavorable non-cash items of $134 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, as follows:

• $72 million, $0.11 per diluted share, related to discrete tax items;
• $37 million, $0.06 per diluted share, loss on impairment of investment in unconsolidated affiliate; and
• $28 million, $0.04 per diluted share, allowance for excess materials and supplies, certain items.
  

These unfavorable non-cash items were partially offset by:

• $3 million, gain on disposal of assets.
  

After consideration of this net unfavorable item, fourth quarter 2021 adjusted net loss was $126 million, $0.19 per diluted share, compared to $122 million, $0.19 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2021.

Contract drilling revenues for the three months ended December 31, 2021 decreased sequentially by $5 million to $621 million, primarily due to lower revenue efficiency and a rig that was idle in the fourth quarter, partially offset by one rig that returned to work following a planned shipyard stay and one rig that returned to work after being idle in the prior quarter.

A non-cash revenue reduction of $50 million was recognized in the fourth quarter as a result of contract intangible amortization associated with the Songa and Ocean Rig acquisitions in 2018. The reduction, compared to $57 million in the prior period, is the result of the completion of the contract acquired in the Ocean Rig acquisition.

Operating and maintenance expense was $430 million, compared with $398 million in the prior quarter. The sequential increase was primarily the result of a $28 million increase in our allowance for excess materials and supplies, increased personnel costs and higher in-service maintenance costs across our fleet, partially offset by a settlement with insurance carriers, reduced activity and lower shipyard costs.

General and administrative expense was $49 million, up from $40 million in the third quarter of 2021. The increase was primarily due to research and development costs incurred in the fourth quarter 2021 with no comparable activity in prior quarter and increased legal and professional fees.

Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized, was $107 million, compared with $110 million in the prior quarter. Interest income was $4 million, which is in line with the third quarter of 2021.

The Effective Tax Rate⁽²⁾ was (74.0)%, down from (26.1)% in the prior quarter. The decrease was primarily due to the discrete tax impact of the transition to ordinary taxation in Switzerland. The Effective Tax Rate excluding discrete items was (44.9)% compared to (18.1)% in previous quarter.

Cash flows provided by operating activities were $185 million, compared to $141 million in the prior quarter. The fourth quarter increase was primarily due to the timing of interest payments and decreased income tax payments, partially offset by increased payroll-related payments.

Fourth quarter 2021 capital expenditures of $71 million, compared to $37 million in the prior quarter, were primarily related to the company’s newbuild drillships under construction.

“Our steadfast focus on safety, reliability and efficiency enabled us to once again deliver strong operational results for our customers in 2021, which ultimately translated into industry leading financial results,” said Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy Thigpen. “Despite the continuing challenges that COVID-19 presented to us all, for the full year, we delivered exceptional uptime performance resulting in revenue efficiency of 97.0% and Adjusted EBITDA of $995 million. I recognize and thank the entire Transocean team for its dedication and commitment throughout 2021.”

Thigpen added: “As we move into 2022, we are more optimistic than we have been in the past seven years. Energy demand remains resilient driving oil prices to seven-year highs. As a result, we are experiencing a growing list of opportunities from customers across the globe who value our high-specification floating fleet and our strong and consistent operating performance. With customer demand growing, and utilization for active high-specification assets pushing higher, we expect the upward trend in dayrates to continue as we progress through the year.”

Full Year 2021

For the year ended December 31, 2021, net loss attributable to controlling interest totaled $592 million, or $0.93 per diluted share. Full year results included $118 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, net unfavorable non-cash items listed as follows:

• $57 million, $0.09 per diluted share, loss on disposal of assets;
• $47 million, $0.08 per diluted share, related to discrete tax items;
• $37 million, $0.06 per diluted share, loss on impairment of investments in unconsolidated affiliate; and
• $28 million, $0.04 per diluted share, allowance for excess materials and supplies, certain items.

These unfavorable non-cash items were partially offset by:

• $51 million, $0.08 per diluted share, gain on retirement of debt.
  

After consideration of these net unfavorable items, adjusted net loss for 2021 was $474 million, $0.74 per diluted share.

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.transoceandrilling.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 believes that it operates one of the most versatile offshore drilling fleets in the world.

Transocean owns or has partial ownership interests in and operates a fleet of 37 mobile offshore drilling units consisting of 27 ultra-deepwater floaters and 10 harsh environment floaters. In addition, Transocean is constructing two ultra-deepwater drillships.

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

Conference Call Information

Transocean will conduct a teleconference starting at 9 a.m. EST, 3 p.m. CET, on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, to discuss the results. To participate, dial +1 313-209-7315 and refer to conference code 7608355 approximately 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

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

A replay of the conference call will be available after 12 p.m. EST, 6 p.m. CET, on Wednesday, February 23, 2022. The replay, which will be archived for approximately 30 days, can be accessed at +1 719-457-0820, passcode 7608355, pin 7774. 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, such as COVID-19, 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, 2020, 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.transoceandrilling.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

(1) Revenue efficiency is defined as actual contract drilling revenues, excluding revenues for contract terminations and reimbursements, for the measurement period divided by the maximum revenue calculated for the measurement period, expressed as a percentage. Maximum revenue is defined as the greatest amount of contract drilling revenues the drilling unit could earn for the measurement period, excluding revenues for incentive provisions, reimbursements and contract terminations. See the accompanying schedule entitled “Revenue Efficiency.”

(2) Effective Tax Rate is defined as income tax expense divided by income before income taxes. See the accompanying schedule entitled “Supplemental Effective Tax Rate Analysis.”

Analyst Contact:
Alison Johnson
+1 713-232-7214

Media Contact:
Pam Easton
+1 713-232-7647

Transocean Ltd.