Profile: Atwood Oceanics Inc (ATW)

Atwood Oceanics, Inc., along with its subsidiaries, is engaged in the international offshore drilling contractor engaged in the drilling and completion of exploratory and developmental oil and gas wells. As of September 30, 2011, the Company owned a fleet of 10 mobile offshore drilling units located in the United States Gulf of Mexico, South America, the Mediterranean Sea, West Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia. During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2011 (fiscal 2011), the Company had a utilization rate of 95%. Its offshore drilling equipments include semisubmersible rigs, jack-up drilling rigs, semisubmersible tender assist rigs and submersible drilling rigs. The Company obtains the contracts, under which it operates its units either through individual negotiation with the customer or by submitting proposals in competition with other contractors. In October 2010, the Company entered into turnkey construction agreements with PPL Shipyard PTE LTD to construct two Pacific Class 400 jack-up drilling units.

Each type of drilling rig is designed for different purposes and applications, for operations in different water depths, bottom conditions, environments and geographical areas, and for different drilling and operating requirements. Each semisubmersible drilling unit has two hulls, the lower of which is capable of being flooded. Drilling equipment is mounted on the main hull. After the drilling unit is towed to location, the lower hull is flooded, lowering the entire drilling unit to its operating draft, and the drilling unit is either anchored in place (conventionally moored drilling unit) or is held in place by thrusters underneath the lower hull (dynamically positioned drilling unit). On completion of operations, the lower hull is deballasted, raising the entire drilling unit to its towing draft. This type of drilling unit is designed to operate in greater water depths than a jack-up drilling rig and in more severe sea conditions.

A jack-up drilling rig contains all of the drilling equipment on a single hull designed to be towed to a well site. Once on location, legs are lowered to the sea floor and the unit is raised out of the water by jacking the hull up the legs. On completion of the well, the unit is jacked down, and towed to the next location. A jack-up drilling rig can operate in more severe sea and weather conditions than a drillship and is less expensive to operate than a semisubmersible. However, because it must rest on the sea floor, a jack-up cannot operate in water as deep as that in which a semisubmersible unit can operate. A jack-up drilling rig is a bottom supported rig.

Semisubmersible tender assist rigs operate like semisubmersible rigs except that their drilling equipment is temporarily installed on permanently constructed offshore support platforms. Semisubmersible tender assist rigs provide crew accommodations, storage facilities and other support for drilling operations.

The submersible drilling rig, the Company owns, has two hulls, the lower being a mat, which is capable of being flooded. Drilling equipment and crew accommodations are located on the main hull. After the drilling unit is towed to its location, the lower hull is flooded, lowering the entire unit to its operating draft at which it rests on the sea floor. On completion of operations, the lower hull is deballasted, raising the entire unit to its towing draft. This type of drilling unit is designed to operate in shallow water depths ranging from 9 to 70 feet and can operate in moderately severe sea conditions. A submersible drilling rig is a bottom supported rig.

The Company competes with Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc., Transocean Ltd., Rowan Companies, Inc., Ensco plc, Noble Corporation and Seadrill Limited.