Transocean owns or has partial ownership interests in and operates a fleet of 34 mobile offshore drilling units, consisting of 26 ultra-deepwater floaters and eight harsh environment floaters.
Third quarter results included net unfavorable items of $558 million or $0.58 per diluted share as follows:
- $617 million, $0.64 per diluted share, loss on impairment of assets, net of tax.
- $21 million , $0.02 per diluted share, gain on retirement of debt; and
- $38 million, $0.04 per diluted share, discrete tax items, net.
Contract drilling revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2024, increased sequentially by $87 million to $948 million, primarily due to increased rig utilization, increased dayrates for two rigs, higher reimbursement revenues and a full quarter of revenues from the newbuild ultra-deepwater drillship Deepwater Aquila, partially offset by lower revenue efficiency across the fleet.
Operating and maintenance expense was $563 million, compared with $534 million in the prior quarter. The sequential increase was the result of increased fleet activity, including a full quarter of operations from Deepwater Aquila, partially offset by reduced operating costs related to Transocean Norge following the acquisition of Orion Holdings (Cayman) Limited in June 2024.
General and administrative expense was $47 million, down from $59 million in the second quarter. The decrease was primarily due to reduced costs associated with the early retirement of certain personnel and lower professional fees.
Interest expense net of capitalized amounts was $154 million, compared to $143 million in the prior quarter, excluding the favorable adjustment of $74 million and $69 million in the third and second quarter, respectively, for the fair value of the bifurcated exchange feature related to the 4.625% exchangeable bonds. Interest income was $11 million, compared to $14 million in the prior quarter.
The Effective Tax Rate(2) was 6.0%, down from 474.5% in the prior quarter. The decrease was primarily due to rig impairments, rig sales and other ordinary movement in income before tax. The Effective Tax Rate excluding discrete items was 22.5% compared to 416.3% in the previous quarter.
Cash provided by operating activities was $194 million during the third quarter of 2024, representing an increase of $61 million compared to the prior quarter. The sequential increase was primarily due to increased operating activities, improved cash collected from customers and timing of payments to suppliers, partially offset by higher interest payments.
Third quarter 2024 capital expenditures of $58 million were primarily associated with Deepwater Aquila. This compares with $84 million in the prior quarter.
“As illustrated by the nearly $1.3 billion in backlog booked in the third quarter, including the recent award for Deepwater Conqueror, the demand for our fleet of high specification ultra-deepwater and harsh environment rigs remains strong,” said Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy Thigpen. “With these most recent awards, more than 97% of Transocean’s active fleet is contracted in 2025, once again demonstrating that our customers clearly recognize Transocean’s unique capabilities – our rigs, crews and superior operational performance – add value to their programs.”
Thigpen concluded, “With approximately $9.3 billion in backlog, and clear visibility to future demand, we will remain focused on delivering safe, reliable and efficient operations for our customers and continue to maximize cash generation to improve our balance sheet, as we did in the third quarter with $136 million of free cash flow.”