Hamilton, Bermuda, April 11, 2017 - North Atlantic Drilling Ltd ("North Atlantic" or "the Company") a majority owned subsidiary of Seadrill Limited, has secured 10-year contract awards for the jack-ups West Elara and West Linus with ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS ("ConocoPhillips") for work in the Greater Ekofisk Area. The total additional backlog for the new contract awards is estimated at $1.4 billion excluding performance bonuses.
As part of the agreement, the Company has agreed to a dayrate adjustment on the existing West Linus contract effective from April 2017, resulting in a $58 million reduction in current backlog.
The new West Elara contract which is expected to commence in October 2017 includes a period of fixed dayrates until March 2020 and contributes approximately $160 million of contract backlog. A market indexed rate is applicable thereafter until October 2027 which the Company believes will contribute an estimated $530 million of contract backlog.
The contract on West Linus has been extended from May 2019 until the end of 2028 at a market indexed dayrate, which the Company believes will contribute an estimated $706 million of contract backlog.
The backlog estimate indicated for the market indexed rate period for each rig is based on the third party dayrate assumptions presented in the Seadrill Limited release dated January 31, 2017 and includes an agreed percentage discount. The estimates are subject to changes based on market conditions.
The awards are subject to ConocoPhillips receiving partner approvals for the contracts.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release includes forward-looking statements. Such statements are generally not historical in nature, and specifically include statements about the Company's plans, strategies, business prospects, changes and trends in its business and the markets in which it operates. These statements are made based upon management's current plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and therefore involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, which speak only as at the date of this news release. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to offshore drilling market conditions including supply and demand, day rates, customer drilling programs and effects of new rigs on the market, contract awards and rig mobilizations, contract backlog, dry-docking and other costs of maintenance of the drilling rigs in the Company's fleet, the cost and timing of shipyard and other capital projects, the performance of the drilling rigs in the Company's fleet, delay in payment or disputes with customers, our ability to successfully employ our drilling units, procure or have access to financing, ability to comply with loan covenants, liquidity and adequacy of cash flow from operations, fluctuations in the international price of oil, international financial market conditions changes in governmental regulations that affect the Company or the operations of the Company's fleet, increased competition in the offshore drilling industry, and general economic, political and business conditions globally and our ability to negotiate and complete a comprehensive restructuring, either on a consensual basis or otherwise. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind the risks described from time to time in the Company's filings with the SEC, including its Annual Report on Form 20-F. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of these factors. Further, the Company cannot assess the impact of each such factors on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to be materially different from those contained in any forward-looking statement.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
