10-Q 1 c88697e10vq.htm FORM 10-Q Form 10-Q
Table of Contents

 
 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
     
þ   QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2009
OR
     
o   TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from                      to                     
Noble Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
(Commission File No. 000-53604)
98-0619597 (IRS Employer Identification No.)
13135 South Dairy Ashford, Suite 800, Sugar Land, Texas 77478
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
(281) 276-6100
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Switzerland
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)
Noble Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
(Commission File No. 001-31306)
98-0366361 (IRS Employer Identification No.)
13135 South Dairy Ashford, Suite 800, Sugar Land, Texas 77478
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
(281) 276-6100
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Cayman Islands
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)
Indicate by check mark whether each registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark whether each registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).
Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark whether each registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
             
Large accelerated filer þ
  Accelerated filer o   Non-accelerated filer o   Smaller reporting company o
Indicate by check mark whether each registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes o No þ
Number of shares outstanding at August 3, 2009: Noble Corporation (Switzerland) — 261,541,366; Noble Corporation (Cayman Islands) — 261,245,693
Noble Corporation, a Cayman Islands company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Noble Corporation, a Swiss corporation, meets the conditions set forth in General Instructions H(1) (a) and (b) of Form 10-Q and is therefore filing this Form 10-Q with the reduced disclosure format contemplated by paragraphs (b) and (c) of General Instruction H(2) of Form 10-Q.
 
 

 

 


 

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 Exhibit 10.1
 Exhibit 31.1
 Exhibit 31.2
 Exhibit 32.1
 Exhibit 32.2
 EX-101 INSTANCE DOCUMENT
 EX-101 SCHEMA DOCUMENT
 EX-101 CALCULATION LINKBASE DOCUMENT
 EX-101 LABELS LINKBASE DOCUMENT
 EX-101 PRESENTATION LINKBASE DOCUMENT
 EX-101 DEFINITION LINKBASE DOCUMENT
This combined Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is separately filed by Noble Corporation, a Swiss corporation (“Noble-Swiss”), and Noble Corporation, a Cayman Islands company (“Noble-Cayman”). Information in this filing relating to Noble-Cayman is filed by Noble-Swiss and separately by Noble-Cayman on its own behalf. Noble-Cayman makes no representation as to information relating to Noble-Swiss (except as it may relate to Noble-Cayman) or any other affiliate or subsidiary of Noble-Swiss. Because Noble-Cayman meets the conditions specified in General Instructions H(1)(a) and (b) to Form 10-Q, it is permitted to use the reduced disclosure format for wholly owned subsidiaries of reporting companies. Accordingly, Noble-Cayman has omitted from this report the information called for by Item 3 (Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk) of Part I of Form 10-Q and the following items of Part II of Form 10-Q: Item 2 (Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds), Item 3 (Defaults upon Senior Securities) and Item 4 (Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders).
This report should be read in its entirety as it pertains to each Registrant. Except where indicated, the Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements and the Notes to the Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements are combined. References in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to “Noble,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” and words of similar meaning refer collectively to Noble-Swiss and its consolidated subsidiaries, including Noble-Cayman, after March 26, 2009 and to Noble-Cayman and its consolidated subsidiaries for periods through March 26, 2009. Noble-Swiss became a successor registrant to Noble-Cayman under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) pursuant to Rule 12g-3 of the Exchange Act as a result of consummation of the Transaction described in Note 1 to Item 1, Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

 

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
                                 
    Noble Corporation     Noble Corporation  
    (Noble-Swiss)     (Noble-Cayman)  
    June 30,     December 31,     June 30,     December 31,  
    2009     2008     2009     2008  
ASSETS
                               
Current assets
                               
Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 671,420     $ 513,311     $ 671,401     $ 513,311  
Accounts receivable
    654,435       644,840       654,435       644,840  
Insurance receivables
    39,214       13,516       39,214       13,516  
Prepaid expenses
    43,582       21,207       43,582       21,207  
Other current assets
    45,326       47,467       45,326       47,467  
 
                       
Total current assets
    1,453,977       1,240,341       1,453,958       1,240,341  
 
                       
 
                               
Property and equipment
                               
Drilling equipment and facilities
    7,854,412       7,427,908       7,854,412       7,427,908  
Other
    113,395       105,340       113,395       105,340  
 
                       
 
    7,967,807       7,533,248       7,967,807       7,533,248  
Accumulated depreciation
    (2,015,731 )     (1,886,231 )     (2,015,731 )     (1,886,231 )
 
                       
 
    5,952,076       5,647,017       5,952,076       5,647,017  
 
                       
 
                               
Other assets
    276,069       219,441       276,069       219,441  
 
                       
Total assets
  $ 7,682,122     $ 7,106,799     $ 7,682,103     $ 7,106,799  
 
                       
 
                               
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
                               
Current liabilities
                               
Current maturities of long-term debt
  $     $ 172,698     $     $ 172,698  
Accounts payable
    204,914       259,107       204,741       259,107  
Accrued payroll and related costs
    75,270       75,449       75,270       75,449  
Taxes payable
    69,253       107,211       69,253       107,211  
Interest payable
    11,252       11,325       11,252       11,325  
Other current liabilities
    62,155       53,203       62,155       53,203  
 
                       
Total current liabilities
    422,844       678,993       422,671       678,993  
 
                       
 
                               
Long-term debt
    750,866       750,789       750,866       750,789  
Deferred income taxes
    275,396       265,018       275,396       265,018  
Other liabilities
    170,721       121,284       181,979       121,284  
 
                       
Total liabilities
    1,619,827       1,816,084       1,630,912       1,816,084  
 
                       
 
                               
Commitments and contingencies
                               
 
                               
Shareholders’ equity
                               
Shares — par value 5.00 Swiss francs per share; 414,399 shares authorized; 138,133 shares conditionally authorized, 276,266 shares issued and 261,404 shares outstanding as of June 30, 2009
    1,163,035                    
Ordinary shares — par value $.10 per share;
                               
400,000 shares authorized; 261,246 shares and 261,899 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008, respectively
          26,190       26,125       26,190  
Capital in excess of par value
          402,115       360,244       402,115  
Retained earnings
    4,950,702       4,919,667       5,716,264       4,919,667  
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
    (51,442 )     (57,257 )     (51,442 )     (57,257 )
 
                       
Total shareholders’ equity
    6,062,295       5,290,715       6,051,191       5,290,715  
 
                       
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity
  $ 7,682,122     $ 7,106,799     $ 7,682,103     $ 7,106,799  
 
                       
See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
                                 
    Three Months Ended     Six Months Ended  
    June 30,     June 30,  
    2009     2008     2009     2008  
Operating revenues
                               
Contract drilling services
  $ 868,205     $ 783,280     $ 1,740,602     $ 1,581,114  
Reimbursables
    22,834       20,964       39,512       53,422  
Labor contract drilling services
    7,419       8,218       14,353       39,149  
Other
    414       479       556       681  
 
                       
 
    898,872       812,941       1,795,023       1,674,366  
 
                       
 
                               
Operating costs and expenses
                               
Contract drilling services
    251,054       256,436       491,910       492,388  
Reimbursables
    19,281       17,831       33,364       47,292  
Labor contract drilling services
    4,881       6,547       9,257       31,884  
Depreciation and amortization
    99,417       87,836       192,401       170,735  
Selling, general and administrative
    21,484       19,667       39,201       40,940  
(Gain)/loss on asset disposal/involuntary conversion, net
    16,943       (35,521 )     28,977       (35,521 )
 
                       
 
    413,060       352,796       795,110       747,718  
 
                       
 
                               
Operating income
    485,812       460,145       999,913       926,648  
 
                               
Other income (expense)
                               
Interest expense, net of amount capitalized
    (361 )     (721 )     (882 )     (1,831 )
Interest income and other, net
    1,318       1,580       2,390       4,709  
 
                       
Income before income taxes
    486,769       461,004       1,001,421       929,526  
Income tax provision
    (94,920 )     (85,286 )     (195,277 )     (169,620 )
 
                       
Net income
  $ 391,849     $ 375,718     $ 806,144     $ 759,906  
 
                       
 
                               
Net income per share
                               
Basic
  $ 1.50     $ 1.40     $ 3.08     $ 2.83  
Diluted
  $ 1.49     $ 1.39     $ 3.08     $ 2.81  
See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
                                 
    Three Months Ended     Six Months Ended  
    June 30,     June 30,  
    2009     2008     2009     2008  
Operating revenues
                               
Contract drilling services
  $ 868,205     $ 783,280     $ 1,740,602     $ 1,581,114  
Reimbursables
    22,834       20,964       39,512       53,422  
Labor contract drilling services
    7,419       8,218       14,353       39,149  
Other
    414       479       556       681  
 
                       
 
    898,872       812,941       1,795,023       1,674,366  
 
                       
 
                               
Operating costs and expenses
                               
Contract drilling services
    251,054       256,436       491,910       492,388  
Reimbursables
    19,281       17,831       33,364       47,292  
Labor contract drilling services
    4,881       6,547       9,257       31,884  
Depreciation and amortization
    99,417       87,836       192,401       170,735  
Selling, general and administrative
    20,653       19,667       38,278       40,940  
(Gain)/loss on asset disposal/involuntary conversion, net
    16,943       (35,521 )     28,977       (35,521 )
 
                       
 
    412,229       352,796       794,187       747,718  
 
                       
 
                               
Operating income
    486,643       460,145       1,000,836       926,648  
 
                               
Other income (expense)
                               
Interest expense, net of amount capitalized
    (361 )     (721 )     (882 )     (1,831 )
Interest income and other, net
    1,318       1,580       2,390       4,709  
 
                       
Income before income taxes
    487,600       461,004       1,002,344       929,526  
Income tax provision
    (94,920 )     (85,286 )     (195,277 )     (169,620 )
 
                       
Net income
  $ 392,680     $ 375,718     $ 807,067     $ 759,906  
 
                       
See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

 

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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
                                 
    Noble Corporation     Noble Corporation  
    (Noble-Swiss)     (Noble-Cayman)  
    Six Months Ended     Six Months Ended  
    June 30,     June 30,  
    2009     2008     2009     2008  
Cash flows from operating activities
                               
Net income
  $ 806,144     $ 759,906     $ 807,067     $ 759,906  
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash from operating activities:
                               
Depreciation and amortization
    192,401       170,735       192,401       170,735  
(Gain)/loss on asset disposal/involuntary conversion, net
    28,977       (35,521 )     28,977       (35,521 )
Deferred income tax provision
    6,431       13,900       6,431       13,900  
Share-based compensation expense
    17,294       18,471       17,294       18,471  
Pension contributions
    (1,432 )     (17,445 )     (1,432 )     (17,445 )
Other changes in assets and liabilities:
                               
Accounts receivable
    (25,691 )     52,192       (25,691 )     52,192  
Other current assets
    (42,037 )     (25,313 )     (42,037 )     (25,313 )
Other assets
    (17,282 )     3,236       (17,282 )     3,236  
Accounts payable
    23,333       (7,994 )     23,160       (7,994 )
Other current liabilities
    (29,083 )     (1,179 )     (29,398 )     (1,179 )
Other liabilities
    39,384       4,525       41,747       4,525  
 
                       
Net cash from operating activities
    998,439       935,513       1,001,237       935,513  
 
                       
 
                               
Cash flows from investing activities
                               
New construction
    (275,153 )     (310,770 )     (275,153 )     (310,770 )
Other capital expenditures
    (192,657 )     (161,546 )     (192,657 )     (161,546 )
Major maintenance expenditures
    (57,750 )     (52,577 )     (57,750 )     (52,577 )
Accrued capital expenditures
    (68,134 )     (17,596 )     (68,134 )     (17,596 )
Hurricane insurance receivables
          21,747             21,747  
Proceeds from disposal of assets
          39,134             39,134  
 
                       
Net cash from investing activities
    (593,694 )     (481,608 )     (593,694 )     (481,608 )
 
                       
 
                               
Cash flows from financing activities
                               
Payments on bank credit facilities
          (50,000 )           (50,000 )
Payments of other long-term debt
    (172,700 )     (5,076 )     (172,700 )     (5,076 )
Employee stock transactions
    (2,599 )     10,558       (5,416 )     10,558  
Dividends paid
    (10,470 )     (222,910 )     (10,470 )     (222,910 )
Repurchases of ordinary shares
    (60,867 )     (26,571 )     (60,867 )     (26,571 )
 
                       
Net cash from financing activities
    (246,636 )     (293,999 )     (249,453 )     (293,999 )
 
                       
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
    158,109       159,906       158,090       159,906  
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
    513,311       161,058       513,311       161,058  
 
                       
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
  $ 671,420     $ 320,964     $ 671,401     $ 320,964  
 
                       
See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
                                                 
                                    Accumulated        
                    Capital in             Other     Total  
    Shares     Excess of     Retained     Comprehensive     Shareholders’  
    Balance     Par Value     Par Value     Earnings     Loss     Equity  
 
                                               
Balance at December 31, 2008
    261,899     $ 26,190     $ 402,115     $ 4,919,667     $ (57,257 )   $ 5,290,715  
 
                                               
Share-based compensation
                                               
Share-based compensation
    1,339       175       8,255       8,864             17,294  
Contribution to employee benefit plans
    15       40       152       276             468  
Exercise of stock options
    185       761       162       2,055             2,978  
Tax benefit of stock options exercised
                (1,597 )                 (1,597 )
Restricted shares surrendered for withholding taxes or forfeited
    (314 )     (166 )     (5,527 )     116             (5,577 )
 
                                               
Repurchases of ordinary shares
    (1,720 )     (172 )     (43,303 )                 (43,475 )
Cancellation of shares in Transaction
    (261,246 )     (26,125 )     26,125                    
Issuance of shares in Transaction
    261,246       1,162,332       (386,382 )     (775,950 )            
Net income
                      806,144             806,144  
Dividends paid ($0.04 per share)
                      (10,470 )           (10,470 )
Other comprehensive loss, net
                            5,815       5,815  
 
                                   
 
                                               
Balance at June 30, 2009
    261,404     $ 1,163,035     $     $ 4,950,702     $ (51,442 )   $ 6,062,295  
 
                                   
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
                                                 
                                    Accumulated        
                    Capital in             Other     Total  
    Shares     Excess of     Retained     Comprehensive     Shareholders’  
    Balance     Par Value     Par Value     Earnings     Loss     Equity  
 
                                               
Balance at December 31, 2008
    261,899     $ 26,190     $ 402,115     $ 4,919,667     $ (57,257 )   $ 5,290,715  
 
                                               
Share-based compensation
                                               
Share-based compensation
    1,332       133       8,266                   8,399  
Contribution to employee benefit plans
    6       1       152                   153  
Exercise of stock options
    18       2       145                   147  
Tax benefit of stock options exercised
                (1,597 )                 (1,597 )
Restricted shares surrendered for withholding taxes or forfeited
    (285 )     (29 )     (5,534 )                 (5,563 )
 
                                               
Repurchases of ordinary shares
    (1,720 )     (172 )     (43,303 )                 (43,475 )
Net income
                      807,067             807,067  
Dividends paid ($0.04 per share)
                      (10,470 )           (10,470 )
Other comprehensive loss, net
                            5,815       5,815  
 
                                   
 
                                               
Balance at June 30, 2009
    261,250     $ 26,125     $ 360,244     $ 5,716,264     $ (51,442 )   $ 6,051,191  
 
                                   
See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
                                 
    Noble Corporation     Noble Corporation  
    (Noble-Swiss)     (Noble-Swiss)  
    Three Months Ended     Six Months Ended  
    June 30,     June 30,  
    2009     2008     2009     2008  
 
                               
Net income
  $ 391,849     $ 375,718     $ 806,144     $ 759,906  
 
                               
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax
                               
Foreign currency translation adjustments
    2,349       (3,999 )     1,222       (4,064 )
Gain (loss) on forward currency forward contracts
    2,658       (1,250 )     2,852       (1,556 )
Amortization of deferred pension plan amounts
    889       190       1,741       416  
 
                       
Other comprehensive loss, net
    5,896       (5,059 )     5,815       (5,204 )
 
                       
Comprehensive income
  $ 397,745     $ 370,659     $ 811,959     $ 754,702  
 
                       
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(In thousands)
(Unaudited)
                                 
    Noble Corporation     Noble Corporation  
    (Noble-Cayman)     (Noble-Cayman)  
    Three Months Ended     Six Months Ended  
    June 30,     June 30,  
    2009     2008     2009     2008  
 
                               
Net income
  $ 392,680     $ 375,718     $ 807,067     $ 759,906  
 
                               
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax
                               
Foreign currency translation adjustments
    2,349       (3,999 )     1,222       (4,064 )
Gain (loss) on forward currency forward contracts
    2,658       (1,250 )     2,852       (1,556 )
Amortization of deferred pension plan amounts
    889       190       1,741       416  
 
                       
Other comprehensive loss, net
    5,896       (5,059 )     5,815       (5,204 )
 
                       
Comprehensive income
  $ 398,576     $ 370,659     $ 812,882     $ 754,702  
 
                       
See accompanying notes to the consolidated financial statements.

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unless otherwise indicated, dollar amounts in tables are in thousands, except per share data)
Note 1 — Basis of Presentation
On March 26, 2009, pursuant to the previously announced Agreement and Plan of Merger, Reorganization and Consolidation, dated as of December 19, 2008 (as amended, the “Merger Agreement”), among Noble-Swiss, Noble-Cayman, and Noble Cayman Acquisition Ltd., a Cayman Islands company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Noble-Swiss (“Noble-Acquisition”), Noble-Cayman merged by way of schemes of arrangement under Cayman Islands law (the “Schemes of Arrangement”) with Noble-Acquisition, with Noble-Cayman as the surviving company (the “Transaction”). Under the terms of the Schemes of Arrangement, each holder of Noble-Cayman ordinary shares outstanding immediately prior to the Transaction received, through an exchange agent, one Noble-Swiss registered share in exchange for each outstanding Noble-Cayman ordinary share, and Noble-Swiss received, through an exchange agent, a number of newly issued Noble-Cayman ordinary shares equal to the number of Noble-Cayman ordinary shares outstanding immediately prior to the Transaction. Noble-Swiss also issued 15 million Noble-Swiss registered shares to Noble-Cayman in connection with the Transaction that are being held in treasury by a wholly owned subsidiary.
The Transaction effectively changed the place of incorporation of our parent holding company from the Cayman Islands to Switzerland. As a result of the Transaction, Noble-Cayman became a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Noble-Swiss. Currently, Noble-Swiss’ principal asset is 100% of the shares of Noble-Cayman. The consolidated financial statements of Noble-Swiss include the accounts of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Noble-Cayman. Noble-Swiss conducts substantially all of its business through Noble-Cayman and its subsidiaries.
The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Noble-Swiss and Noble-Cayman have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as they pertain to Form 10-Q. Accordingly, certain information and disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. The unaudited financial statements reflect all adjustments which are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position and results of operations for the interim periods, on a basis consistent with the annual audited consolidated financial statements. All such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. The Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2008 presented herein is derived from the December 31, 2008 audited consolidated financial statements. These interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 filed by Noble-Cayman. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year.
Certain amounts in prior periods have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation.

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unless otherwise indicated, dollar amounts in tables are in thousands, except per share data)
Note 2 — Net Income per Share
We calculate net income per share in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 128, Earnings Per Share. In June 2008, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued FASB Staff Position (“FSP”) EITF 03-6-1, Determining Whether Instruments Granted in Share-Based Payment Transactions Are Participating Securities (“FSP EITF 03-6-1”). FSP EITF 03-6-1 clarifies that unvested share-based payment awards that contain nonforfeitable rights to dividends are participating securities and should be included in the computation of earnings per share pursuant to the two-class method. EITF Issue No. 03-6, Participating Securities and the Two Class Method under FASB Statement No. 128 (“EITF 03-6”) clarified the use of the “two-class” method of calculating earnings per share as originally prescribed in SFAS 128. The “two-class” method allocates undistributed earnings between common shares and participating securities. We determined that our unvested restricted share awards meet the definition of a participating security as they contain nonforfeitable rights to dividends. The diluted earnings per share calculation under the “two-class” method also includes the dilutive effect of potential registered shares issued in connection with stock options. The dilutive effect of stock options is determined using the treasury stock method.
The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted net income per share for Noble-Swiss. As a result of the consummation of the Transaction, Noble-Cayman has no public equity outstanding after March 26, 2009 as all Noble-Cayman ordinary shares are held by Noble-Swiss. Therefore, no earnings per share information is presented for Noble-Cayman.
                                 
    Three months ended     Six months ended  
    June 30,     June 30,  
    2009     2008     2009     2008  
Allocation of net income
                               
Basic
                               
Net income
  $ 391,849     $ 375,718     $ 806,144     $ 759,906  
Earnings allocated to unvested share-based payment awards
    (4,174 )     (3,324 )     (7,671 )     (6,418 )
 
                       
Net income to common shareholders — basic
  $ 387,675     $ 372,394     $ 798,473     $ 753,488  
 
                       
 
                               
Diluted
                               
Net income
  $ 391,849     $ 375,718     $ 806,144     $ 759,906  
Earnings allocated to unvested share-based payment awards
    (4,161 )     (3,313 )     (7,650 )     (6,386 )
 
                       
Net income to common shareholders — diluted
  $ 387,688     $ 372,405     $ 798,494     $ 753,520  
 
                       
 
                               
Weighted average shares outstanding — basic
    258,487       266,464       258,874       266,458  
Incremental shares issuable from assumed exercise of stock options
    839       2,049       702       1,967  
 
                       
Weighted average shares outstanding — diluted
    259,326       268,513       259,576       268,425  
 
                       
 
                               
Weighted average unvested share-based payment awards
    2,783       2,286       2,487       2,160  
 
                       
 
                               
Earnings per share
                               
Basic
  $ 1.50     $ 1.40     $ 3.08     $ 2.83  
Diluted
  $ 1.49     $ 1.39     $ 3.08     $ 2.81  

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unless otherwise indicated, dollar amounts in tables are in thousands, except per share data)
Note 3 — Property and Equipment
Interest is capitalized on construction-in-progress at the weighted average cost of debt outstanding during the period of construction. Capitalized interest was $13 million and $29 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, and $12 million and $24 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2008, respectively.
In May 2009, our jackup, the Noble David Tinsley, experienced a “punch-through” while the rig was being positioned on location offshore Qatar. The incident involved the sudden penetration of all three legs through the sea bottom, which resulted in severe damage to the legs and the rig. The rig is currently in the shipyard to replace the legs and repair the damage to the rig. We recorded a charge of $17 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2009, related to this involuntary conversion, which includes approximately $9 million for the write-off of the damaged legs.
During the first quarter of 2009, we recognized a charge of $12 million related to the Noble Fri Rodli, a submersible that has been cold stacked since October 2007. We recorded the charge as a result of a decision to evaluate disposition alternatives for this rig.
During the second quarter of 2008, we sold our North Sea labor contract drilling services business to Seawell Holding UK Limited for $35 million plus working capital. This sale included labor contracts covering 11 platform operations in the United Kingdom sector of the North Sea. In connection with this transaction, we recognized a gain of $35 million, net of closing costs, which includes approximately $5 million in cumulative currency translation adjustments.
Note 4 — Accounts Receivable
During the second quarter of 2009, we reached an agreement with one of our customers in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico regarding outstanding receivables owed to us, which totaled approximately $52 million at June 30, 2009. The customer has conveyed to us an overriding royalty interest (“ORRI”) as security for the outstanding receivables and has agreed to a payment plan to repay all past due amounts. Amounts received by us pursuant to the ORRI will be applied to the customer’s payment obligations under the payment plan. We have agreed that we will not sell, assign or otherwise dispose of the ORRI as long as the customer meets its payment obligations and complies with the terms of the agreement, which runs through June 2011. The customer is currently meeting its payment obligations under the agreement. The customer has a right to reacquire the ORRI at the end of the term of the agreement, or earlier, subject to certain conditions, which include the customer being current on all payment obligations. In connection with this agreement, we have reclassified the December 31, 2008 receivable balance owed to us from the customer to “Other Assets.”
Note 5 — Debt
Long-term debt consisted of the following at June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008:
                 
    June 30,     December 31,  
    2009     2008  
Credit Facility
  $     $  
6.95% Senior Notes due 2009
          149,998  
5.875% Senior Notes due 2013
    299,855       299,837  
7.375% Senior Notes due 2014
    249,316       249,257  
7.50% Senior Notes due 2019
    201,695       201,695  
Project Financing — Thompson Notes
          22,700  
 
           
Total Debt
    750,866       923,487  
Current Maturities
          (172,698 )
 
           
Long-term Debt
  $ 750,866     $ 750,789  
 
           

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unless otherwise indicated, dollar amounts in tables are in thousands, except per share data)
We have a $600 million unsecured bank credit facility (the “Credit Facility”), which was originally scheduled to mature on March 15, 2012. During the first quarter of 2008, the term of the Credit Facility was extended for an additional one-year period to March 15, 2013. During this one-year extension period, the total amount available under the Credit Facility will be $575 million, but we have the right to seek an increase of the total amount available during that period to $600 million. We may, subject to certain conditions, request that the term of the Credit Facility be further extended for an additional one-year period. Our subsidiary, Noble Drilling Corporation (“Noble Drilling”), has guaranteed the obligations under the Credit Facility. Pursuant to the terms of the Credit Facility, we may, subject to certain conditions, elect to increase the amount available up to $800 million. Borrowings under the Credit Facility will bear interest (i) at the sum of Adjusted LIBOR (as defined in the Credit Facility) plus the Applicable Margin (as defined in the Credit Facility; 0.235 percent based on our current credit ratings), or (ii) at the base rate, determined as the greater of the prime rate for U.S. Dollar loans announced by Citibank, N.A. in New York or the sum of the weighted average overnight federal funds rate published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York plus 0.50 percent. The Credit Facility contains various covenants, including a debt to total tangible capitalization covenant that limits this ratio to 0.60. As of June 30, 2009, our ratio of debt to total tangible capitalization was 0.11. In addition, the Credit Facility includes restrictions on certain fundamental changes such as mergers, unless we are the surviving entity or the other party assumes the obligations under the Credit Facility, and the ability to sell or transfer all or substantially all of our assets unless to a subsidiary. The Credit Facility also limits our subsidiaries’ additional indebtedness, excluding intercompany advances and loans, to 10 percent of our consolidated net assets, as defined in the Credit Facility, unless a subsidiary guarantee is issued to the parent company borrower. There are also restrictions on our incurring or assuming additional liens in certain circumstances. We were in compliance with all covenants under the Credit Facility at June 30, 2009.
During the first quarter of 2009, we repaid $150 million principal amount of 6.95% Senior Notes due 2009 and $23 million principal amount of project financing Thompson Notes using cash on hand at maturity.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Fair value as used in SFAS No. 107, Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments, represents the amount at which an instrument could be exchanged in a current transaction between willing parties. The fair value of our senior notes was based on the quoted market prices for similar issues or on the current rates offered to us for debt of similar remaining maturities. The following table presents the estimated fair value of our long-term debt as of June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008.
                                 
    June 30, 2009     December 31, 2008  
    Carrying     Estimated     Carrying     Estimated  
    Value     Fair Value     Value     Fair Value  
Long-term debt
                               
Credit Facility
  $     $     $     $  
6.95% Senior Notes due 2009
                149,998       149,185  
5.875% Senior Notes due 2013
    299,855       299,440       299,837       294,495  
7.375% Senior Notes due 2014
    249,316       259,817       249,257       249,838  
7.50% Senior Notes due 2019
    201,695       198,320       201,695       196,991  
Project Financing — Thompson Notes
                22,700       22,700  
Note 6 — Income Taxes
At December 31, 2008, the reserves for uncertain tax positions totaled $93 million (net of related tax benefits of $5 million). At June 30, 2009, the reserves for uncertain tax positions totaled $126 million (net of related tax benefits of $5 million). If the reserves of $126 million are not realized, the provision for income taxes would be reduced by $99 million and equity would be directly increased by $27 million.
We do not anticipate that any tax contingencies resolved in the next 12 months will have a material impact on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unless otherwise indicated, dollar amounts in tables are in thousands, except per share data)
Note 7 — Employee Benefit Plans
Pension costs include the following components:
                                 
    Three Months Ended June 30,  
    2009     2008  
    Non-U.S.     U.S.     Non-U.S.     U.S.  
Service cost
  $ 757     $ 1,803     $ 1,421     $ 1,573  
Interest cost
    1,063       1,713       1,249       1,614  
Return on plan assets
    (1,322 )     (1,786 )     (1,686 )     (2,227 )
Amortization of prior service cost
          73             98  
Amortization of transition obligation
    18             43        
Recognized net actuarial loss
    61       1,031       40       87  
 
                       
Net pension expense
  $ 577     $ 2,834     $ 1,067     $ 1,145  
 
                       
                                 
    Six Months Ended June 30,  
    2009     2008  
    Non-U.S.     U.S.     Non-U.S.     U.S.  
 
                               
Service cost
  $ 1,505     $ 3,606     $ 2,841     $ 3,147  
Interest cost
    2,085       3,426       2,500       3,229  
Return on plan assets
    (2,593 )     (3,572 )     (3,378 )     (4,454 )
Amortization of prior service cost
          146             196  
Amortization of transition obligation
    35             86        
Recognized net actuarial loss
    118       2,062       80       174  
 
                       
Net pension expense
  $ 1,150     $ 5,668     $ 2,129     $ 2,292  
 
                       
In August 2006, U.S. President Bush signed into law the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (“PPA”). The PPA requires that pension plans fund towards a target of at least 100 percent with a transition through 2011 and increases the amount we are allowed to contribute to our U.S. pension plans in the near term.
During the six months ended June 30, 2009, we made contributions to our pension plans totaling $1 million. We expect to contribute, subject to applicable law, an aggregate of $6 million to our pension plans in 2009, including the $1 million in contributions made during the six months ended June 30, 2009.
We sponsor the Noble Drilling Corporation 401(k) Savings Restoration Plan (“Restoration Plan”). The Restoration Plan is a nonqualified, unfunded employee benefit plan under which certain highly compensated employees may elect to defer compensation in excess of amounts deferrable under our 401(k) savings plan. The Restoration Plan has no assets, and amounts withheld for the Restoration Plan are kept by us for general corporate purposes. The investments selected by employees and the associated returns are tracked on a phantom basis. Accordingly, we have a liability to employees for amounts originally withheld plus phantom investment income or less phantom investment losses. We are at risk for phantom investment income and, conversely, we benefit should phantom investment losses occur. At June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008, our liability under the Restoration Plan totaled $7 million and $8 million, respectively. We have purchased investments that closely correlate to the investment elections made by participants in the Restoration Plan in order to mitigate the impact of the phantom investment income and losses on our financial statements. The value of these investments held for our benefit totaled $7 million at both June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008.

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unless otherwise indicated, dollar amounts in tables are in thousands, except per share data)
Note 8 — Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities
We periodically enter into derivative instruments to manage our exposure to fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, and we may conduct hedging activities in future periods to mitigate such exposure. We have documented policies and procedures to monitor and control the use of derivative instruments. We do not engage in derivative transactions for speculative or trading purposes, nor are we a party to leveraged derivatives.
Hedge effectiveness is evaluated based on the matching of critical terms between derivative contracts and the hedged item. Any change in fair value resulting from ineffectiveness is recognized immediately in earnings. We did not recognize a gain or loss due to hedge ineffectiveness in our Consolidated Statements of Income during the three or six months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008 related to these derivative instruments.
Effective January 1, 2009, we adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 161, Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (“SFAS No. 161”). SFAS No. 161 requires entities with derivative instruments to disclose information to enable financial statement users to understand how and why the entity uses derivative instruments, how derivative instruments and related hedged items are accounted for and how derivative instruments and related hedged items affect the entity’s financial position, financial performance and cash flows. Our adoption of SFAS No. 161 did not have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.
Cash Flow Hedges
Our North Sea operations have a significant amount of their cash operating expenses payable in either the Euro or British Pound, and we typically maintain forward contracts settling monthly in Euros and British Pounds. The Euro-denominated forward contracts settling in the remainder of 2009 represent approximately 61 percent of our forecasted Euro requirements. The British Pound-denominated forward contracts settling in the remainder of 2009 represent approximately 61 percent of our forecasted British Pound requirements. The notional amount of forward contracts outstanding at June 30, 2009 was approximately 11 million Euros and 20 million British Pounds. The aggregate notional amount of these forward contracts, expressed in U.S. Dollars, was $45 million at June 30, 2009. We had no Euro-denominated or British Pound-denominated forward contracts outstanding at December 31, 2008.
The balance of the net unrealized gain related to our forward contracts included in “Accumulated other comprehensive loss” and related activity is as follows:
                                 
    Three Months Ended     Six Months Ended  
    June 30,     June 30,  
    2009     2008     2009     2008  
 
                               
Net unrealized gain at beginning of period
  $ 194     $ 1,913     $     $ 2,219  
Activity during period:
                               
Settlement of forward contracts during period
    (60 )     (1,295 )           (1,850 )
Net unrealized gain on outstanding forward contracts
    2,718       45       2,852       294  
 
                       
Net unrealized gain at end of period
  $ 2,852     $ 663     $ 2,852     $ 663  
 
                       

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unless otherwise indicated, dollar amounts in tables are in thousands, except per share data)
Fair Value Hedges
We have entered into a firm commitment for the construction of a newbuild drillship. The drillship will be constructed in two phases, with the second phase being installation and commissioning of the topside equipment. Our payment obligation for this second phase of construction is denominated in Euros, and in order to mitigate the risk of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, we entered into forward contracts to purchase Euros. As of June 30, 2009, the aggregate notional amount of the remaining forward contracts was 70 million Euros. Each forward contract settles in connection with required payments under the contract. We are accounting for these forward contracts as fair value hedges under SFAS No. 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, as amended (“SFAS No. 133”). The fair market value of those derivative instruments is included in “Other current assets/liabilities” or “Other assets/liabilities,” depending on when the forward contract is expected to be settled. Gains and losses from these fair value hedges are recognized in earnings currently along with the change in fair value of the hedged item attributable to the risk being hedged. The fair market value of these outstanding forward contracts, which are included in “Other current liabilities” and “Other liabilities,” totaled approximately $3 million at June 30, 2009.
Note 9 — Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The following table presents the carrying amount and estimated fair value of our financial instruments recognized at fair value on a recurring basis:
                                                 
            June 30, 2009     December 31, 2008  
            Estimated Fair Value              
            Measurements              
            Quoted     Significant                    
            Prices in     Other     Significant              
            Active     Observable     Unobservable              
    Carrying     Markets     Inputs     Inputs     Carrying     Estimated  
    Amount     (Level 1)     (Level 2)     (Level 3)     Amount     Fair Value  
Assets -
                                               
Marketable securities
  $ 7,262     $ 7,262     $     $     $ 7,104     $ 7,104  
Forward contracts
  $ 2,852     $     $ 2,852     $     $     $  
 
                                               
Liabilities -
                                               
Forward contracts
  $ 2,996     $     $ 2,996     $     $ 5,418     $ 5,418  
The derivative instruments have been valued using actively quoted prices and quotes obtained from the counterparties to the derivative instruments. Our cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable and accounts payable are by their nature short-term. As a result, the carrying values included in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets approximate fair value.
Note 10 — Commitments and Contingencies
Noble Asset Company Limited (“NACL”), our wholly-owned, indirect subsidiary, was named one of 21 parties served a Show Cause Notice (“SCN”) issued by the Commissioner of Customs (Prev.), Mumbai, India (the “Commissioner”) in August 2003. The SCN concerned alleged violations of Indian customs laws and regulations regarding one of our jackups. The Commissioner alleged certain violations to have occurred before, at the time of, and after NACL acquired the rig from the rig’s previous owner. In the purchase agreement for the rig, NACL received contractual indemnification against liability for Indian customs duty from the rig’s previous owner. In connection with the export of the rig from India in 2001, NACL posted a bank guarantee in the amount of 150 million Indian Rupees (or $3 million at June 30, 2009) and a customs bond in the amount of 970 million Indian Rupees (or $20 million at June 30, 2009), both of which remain in place. In March 2005, the Commissioner passed an order against NACL and the other parties cited in the SCN seeking (i) to invoke the bank guarantee posted on behalf of NACL as a fine, (ii) to demand duty of (a) $19 million plus interest related to a 1997 alleged import and (b) $22 million plus interest related to a 1999 alleged import, provided that the duty and interest demanded in (b) would not be payable if the duty and interest demanded in (a) were paid by NACL, and (iii) to assess a penalty of $500,000 against NACL. NACL appealed the order of the Commissioner to the Customs, Excise & Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (“CESTAT”). At a hearing on April 5, 2006, CESTAT upheld NACL’s appeal and overturned the Commissioner’s March 2005 order against NACL in its entirety. CESTAT thereafter issued its written judgment dated August 8, 2006 upholding NACL’s appeal on all grounds and setting aside the duty demand, interest, fine and penalty. The Commissioner filed an appeal in the Bombay High Court challenging the order passed by CESTAT. In August 2008, the Division Bench of the Bombay High Court dismissed the Commissioner’s appeal of CESTAT’s order. In November 2008, the Commissioner filed a Special Leave Petition, an Appeal in the Supreme Court of India, appealing the order of the Bombay High Court. NACL has filed an Affidavit-in-reply opposing admission of the Appeal in the Supreme Court of India, and is seeking the return or cancellation of its previously posted custom bond and bank guarantee. NACL continues to pursue contractual indemnification against liability for Indian customs duty and related costs and expenses against the rig’s previous owner in arbitration proceedings in London, which proceedings the parties have temporarily stayed pending further developments in the Indian proceeding. We do not believe the ultimate resolution of this matter will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unless otherwise indicated, dollar amounts in tables are in thousands, except per share data)
We operate in a number of countries throughout the world and our income tax returns filed in those jurisdictions are subject to review and examination by tax authorities within those jurisdictions. We are currently contesting several tax assessments and may contest future assessments when we believe the assessments are in error. We cannot predict or provide assurance as to the ultimate outcome of the existing or future assessments. We believe the ultimate resolution of the outstanding assessments, for which we have not made any accrual, will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements. We recognize uncertain tax positions that we believe have a greater than 50 percent likelihood of being sustained. See Note 6 for additional information.
Certain of our non-U.S. income tax returns have been examined for the 2002 through 2004 periods and audit claims have been assessed for approximately $129 million (including interest and penalties), primarily in Mexico. We do not believe we owe these amounts and are defending our position. However, we expect increased audit activity in Mexico and anticipate the tax authorities will issue additional assessments and continue to pursue legal actions for all audit claims. We believe audit claims of an additional $18 million to $20 million attributable to other business tax returns may be assessed against us. We have contested, or intend to contest, most of the audit findings, including through litigation if necessary, and we do not believe that there is greater than 50 percent likelihood that additional taxes will be incurred. Accordingly, no accrual has been made for such amounts.
We are from time to time a party to various lawsuits that are incidental to our operations in which the claimants seek an unspecified amount of monetary damages for personal injury, including injuries purportedly resulting from exposure to asbestos on drilling rigs and associated facilities. At June 30, 2009, there were approximately 39 of these lawsuits in which we are one of many defendants. These lawsuits have been filed in the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Exposure related to these lawsuits is not currently determinable. We intend to defend vigorously against the litigation.
We are a defendant in certain claims and litigation arising out of operations in the ordinary course of business, the resolution of which, in the opinion of management, will not be material to our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
During the fourth quarter of 2007, our Nigerian subsidiary received letters from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (“NIMASA”) seeking to collect a two percent surcharge on contract amounts under contracts performed by “vessels,” within the meaning of Nigeria’s cabotage laws, engaged in the Nigerian coastal shipping trade. Although we do not believe that these laws apply to our ownership of drilling units, NIMASA is seeking to apply a provision of the Nigerian cabotage laws (which became effective on May 1, 2004) to our offshore drilling units by considering these units to be “vessels” within the meaning of those laws and therefore subject to the surcharge, which is imposed only upon “vessels.” Our offshore drilling units are not engaged in the Nigerian coastal shipping trade and are not in our view “vessels” within the meaning of Nigeria’s cabotage laws. In January 2008, we filed an originating summons against NIMASA and the Minister of Transportation in the Federal High Court of Lagos, Nigeria seeking, among other things, a declaration that our drilling operations do not constitute “coastal trade” or “cabotage” within the meaning of Nigeria’s cabotage laws and that our offshore drilling units are not “vessels” within the meaning of those laws. In February 2009, NIMASA filed suit against us in the Federal High Court of Nigeria seeking collection of the cabotage surcharge. We intend to take all further appropriate legal action to resist the application of Nigeria’s cabotage laws to our drilling units. The outcome of any such legal action and the extent to which we may ultimately be responsible for the surcharge is uncertain. If it is ultimately determined that offshore drilling units constitute vessels within the meaning of the Nigerian cabotage laws, we may be required to pay the surcharge and comply with other aspects of the Nigerian cabotage laws, which could adversely affect our operations in Nigerian waters and require us to incur additional costs of compliance.

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unless otherwise indicated, dollar amounts in tables are in thousands, except per share data)
NIMASA has also informed the Nigerian Content Division of its position that we are not in compliance with the cabotage laws. The Nigerian Content Division makes determinations of companies’ compliance with applicable local content regulations for purposes of government contracting, including contracting for services in connection with oil and gas concessions where the Nigerian national oil company is a partner. The Nigerian Content Division has barred us from participating in new tenders as a result of NIMASA’a allegations. We continue to discuss this matter with the Nigerian Content Division. However, no assurance can be given with respect to our ability to bid for future work in Nigeria until our dispute with NIMASA is resolved.
We maintain certain insurance coverage against specified marine liabilities, including liability for physical damage to our drilling rigs, and loss of hire on certain of our rigs. The damage caused in 2005 and 2008 by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike to oil and gas assets situated in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico has negatively impacted the energy insurance market, resulting in more restricted and more expensive coverage. Beginning March 1, 2009, we elected to self insure U.S. named windstorm physical damage and loss of hire exposures due to the high cost of coverage for these perils. This self insurance applies only to our units in the U.S. portion of the Gulf of Mexico. We presently have five semisubmersibles and two submersibles in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Our rigs located in the Mexican portion of the Gulf of Mexico remain covered by commercial insurance for windstorm damage up to the declared value of each unit. We maintain physical damage deductibles of $25 million per occurrence for jack-ups and submersibles and $50 million per occurrence for semi-submersibles and drillships. The loss of hire coverage applies only to our rigs operating under contract with a dayrate equal to or greater than $200,000 a day and is subject to a 45-day waiting period for each unit and each occurrence.
Although we maintain insurance in the geographic areas in which we operate, pollution, reservoir damage and environmental risks generally are not fully insurable. Our insurance policies and contractual rights to indemnity may not adequately cover our losses or may have exclusions of coverage for some losses. We do not have insurance coverage or rights to indemnity for all risks, including loss of hire insurance on most of the rigs in our fleet. Uninsured exposures may include war risk, activities prohibited by U.S. laws and regulations, radiation hazards, certain loss or damage to property on board our rigs and losses relating to terrorist acts or strikes. If a significant accident or other event occurs and is not fully covered by insurance or contractual indemnity, it could adversely affect our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. There can be no assurance that those parties with contractual obligations to indemnify us will necessarily be financially able to indemnify us against all these risks.
We carry protection and indemnity insurance covering marine third party liability exposures, which also includes coverage for employer’s liability resulting from personal injury to our offshore drilling crews. Our protection and indemnity policy currently has a standard deductible of $10 million per occurrence.
In connection with our capital expenditure program, we had outstanding commitments, including shipyard and purchase commitments of approximately $1.1 billion at June 30, 2009.
We have entered into employment agreements with certain of our executive officers, as well as certain other employees. These agreements become effective upon a change of control of Noble-Swiss (within the meaning set forth in the agreements) or a termination of employment in connection with or in anticipation of a change of control, and remain effective for three years thereafter. These agreements provide for compensation and certain other benefits under such circumstances.
Internal Investigation
In June 2007, we announced that we were conducting an internal investigation of our Nigerian operations, focusing on the legality under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended (the “FCPA”), and local laws of our Nigerian affiliate’s reimbursement of certain expenses incurred by our customs agents in connection with obtaining and renewing permits for the temporary importation of drilling units and related equipment into Nigerian waters, including permits that are necessary for our drilling units to operate in Nigerian waters. We also announced that the audit committee of our Board of Directors had engaged a leading law firm with significant experience in investigating and advising on FCPA matters to lead the investigation as independent outside counsel. The scope of the investigation also includes our dealings with customs agents and customs authorities in certain parts of the world other than Nigeria in which we conduct our operations, as well as dealings with other types of local agents in Nigeria and such other parts of the world. There can be no assurance that evidence of additional potential FCPA violations may not be uncovered through the investigation.

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unless otherwise indicated, dollar amounts in tables are in thousands, except per share data)
The audit committee commissioned the internal investigation after our management brought to the attention of the audit committee a news release issued by another company. The news release disclosed that the other company was conducting an internal investigation into the FCPA implications of certain actions by a customs agent in Nigeria in connection with the temporary importation of that company’s vessels into Nigeria. Our drilling units that conduct operations in Nigeria do so under temporary import permits, and management considered it prudent to review our own practices in this regard.
We voluntarily contacted the SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) to advise them that an independent investigation was underway. We have been cooperating, and intend to continue to cooperate fully with both agencies. If the SEC or the DOJ determines that violations of the FCPA have occurred, they could seek civil and criminal sanctions, including monetary penalties, against us and/or certain of our employees, as well as additional changes to our business practices and compliance programs, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition. In addition, such actions, whether actual or alleged, could damage our reputation and ability to do business, to attract and retain employees, and to access capital markets. Further, detecting, investigating, and resolving such actions is expensive and consumes significant time and attention of our senior management.
The independent outside counsel appointed by the audit committee to perform the internal investigation made a presentation of the results of its investigation to the DOJ and the SEC in June 2008. The SEC and the DOJ have been reviewing these results and information gathered by the independent outside counsel in the course of the investigation. Neither the SEC nor the DOJ has indicated what action it may take, if any, against us or any individual, or whether it may request that the audit committee’s independent outside counsel conduct further investigation. Therefore, we consider the internal investigation to be ongoing and cannot predict when it will conclude. Furthermore, we cannot predict whether either the SEC or the DOJ will open its own proceeding to investigate this matter, or if a proceeding is opened, what potential remedies these agencies may seek. We could also face fines or sanctions in relevant foreign jurisdictions. Based on information obtained to date in our internal investigation, we have not determined that any potential liability that may result is probable or remote or can be reasonably estimated. As a result, we have not made any accrual in our consolidated financial statements at June 30, 2009.
We are currently operating two jackup rigs offshore Nigeria. The temporary import permits covering the rigs expired in November 2008 and we have pending applications to renew these permits. However, as of July 31, 2009, the Nigerian customs office had not acted on our applications. We continue to seek to avoid material disruption to our Nigerian operations; however, there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain new permits or further extensions of permits necessary to continue the operation of our rigs in Nigeria. If we cannot obtain a new permit or an extension necessary to continue operations of any rig, we may need to cease operations under the drilling contract for such rig and relocate such rig from Nigerian waters. In any case, we also could be subject to actions by Nigerian customs for import duties and fines for these two rigs, as well as other drilling rigs that operated in Nigeria in the past. We cannot predict what impact these events may have on any such contract or our business in Nigeria. Furthermore, we cannot predict what changes, if any, relating to temporary import permit policies and procedures may be established or implemented in Nigeria in the future, or how any such changes may impact our business there.
Notwithstanding that the internal investigation is ongoing, we concluded that certain changes to our FCPA compliance program would provide us greater assurance that our assets are not used, directly or indirectly, to make improper payments, including customs payments, and that we are in compliance with the FCPA’s record-keeping requirements. Although we have had a long-standing published policy requiring compliance with the FCPA and broadly prohibiting any improper payments by us to foreign or U.S. officials, we adopted additional measures intended to enhance FCPA compliance procedures. Further measures may be required once the investigation concludes.
We incurred legal fees and related costs of $0.3 million and $0.6 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009, respectively, and $4 million and $11 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2008, respectively, related to the internal investigation. It is anticipated that additional costs will be incurred in future periods, but the amount of these costs cannot be presently determined.

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unless otherwise indicated, dollar amounts in tables are in thousands, except per share data)
Note 11 — Segment and Related Information
We report our contract drilling operations as a single reportable segment: Contract Drilling Services. The consolidation of our contract drilling operations into one reportable segment is attributable to how we manage our business, and the fact that all of our drilling fleet is dependent upon the worldwide oil and gas industry. The mobile offshore drilling units comprising our offshore rig fleet operate in a single, global market for contract drilling services and are often redeployed globally due to changing demands of our customers, which consist largely of major non-U.S. and government owned/controlled oil and gas companies throughout the world. Our contract drilling services segment conducts contract drilling operations in the Middle East, India, the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, the North Sea, Brazil and West Africa.
We evaluate the performance of our operating segment primarily based on operating revenues and net income. Summarized financial information of our reportable segment for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008 is shown in the following table. The “Other” column includes results of labor contract drilling services, engineering and consulting services, other insignificant operations and corporate related items.
                                                 
    Three Months Ended June 30,  
    2009     2008  
    Contract                     Contract              
    Drilling                     Drilling              
    Services     Other     Total     Services     Other     Total  
 
                                               
Revenues from external customers
  $ 890,914     $ 7,958     $ 898,872     $ 803,390     $ 9,551     $ 812,941  
Depreciation and amortization
    96,952       2,465       99,417       86,636       1,200       87,836  
Segment operating income
    485,800       12       485,812       424,227       35,918       460,145  
Interest expense, net of amount capitalized
    160       201       361       610       111       721  
Income tax provision
    94,899       21       94,920       83,641       1,645       85,286  
Segment profit
    391,763       86       391,849       340,731       34,987       375,718  
Total assets (at end of period)
    7,001,497       680,625       7,682,122       5,774,924       577,396       6,352,320  
Capital expenditures
    254,393       20,447       274,840       274,252       16,653       290,905  
                                                 
    Six Months Ended June 30,  
    2009     2008  
    Contract                     Contract              
    Drilling                     Drilling              
    Services     Other     Total     Services     Other     Total  
 
                                               
Revenues from external customers
  $ 1,779,594     $ 15,429     $ 1,795,023     $ 1,622,577     $ 51,789     $ 1,674,366  
Depreciation and amortization
    187,850       4,551       192,401       167,421       3,314       170,735  
Segment operating income
    999,436       477       999,913       888,028       38,620       926,648  
Interest expense, net of amount capitalized
    350       532       882       1,603       228       1,831  
Income tax provision
    195,044       233       195,277       172,440       (2,820 )     169,620  
Segment profit
    805,183       961       806,144       717,603       42,303       759,906  
Total assets (at end of period)
    7,001,497       680,625       7,682,122       5,774,924       577,396       6,352,320  
Capital expenditures
    494,128       31,432       525,560       502,019       22,874       524,893  

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unless otherwise indicated, dollar amounts in tables are in thousands, except per share data)
Note 12 — Accounting Pronouncements
In April 2009, the FASB issued FSP No. FAS 107-1 and APB 28-1, “Interim Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments,” which requires disclosures about fair value of financial instruments for interim reporting periods. This guidance is effective for interim reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009 and applies to our disclosures beginning with our second fiscal quarter of 2009. The adoption of this FSP did not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
In April 2009, the FASB also issued FSP No. FAS 157-4, “Determining Fair Value When the Volume and Level of Activity for the Asset or Liability Have Significantly Decreased and Identifying Transactions That Are Not Orderly,” which provides additional guidance for estimating fair value when the volume and level of activity for the asset or liability have significantly decreased. This guidance is effective for interim reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009 and applies to our disclosures beginning with our second fiscal quarter of 2009. Our adoption of this FSP did not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
Also in April 2009, the FASB issued FSP No. FAS 115-2 and FAS 124-2, “Recognition and Presentation of Other-Than-Temporary Impairments,” which amends the other-than-temporary impairment guidance for debt securities to make the guidance more operational and to improve the presentation and disclosure of other-than-temporary impairments on debt and equity securities in the financial statements. This guidance is effective for interim reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009 and applies to our disclosures beginning with our second fiscal quarter of 2009. Our adoption of this FSP did not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
In May 2009, the FASB issued SFAS No. 165, “Subsequent Events,” which expands disclosures of subsequent events and requires management to disclose the date through which subsequent events have been evaluated. This guidance is effective for interim reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009 and applies to our disclosures beginning with our second fiscal quarter of 2009. Our adoption of SFAS No. 165 did not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
In June 2009, the FASB issued the following:
   
SFAS No. 166, “Accounting for Transfers of Financial Assets — an Amendment to FASB Statement No. 140,” which expands disclosures that a reporting entity provides about transfers of financial assets and its effect on the financial statements. This guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after November 15, 2009.
   
SFAS No. 167, “Amendments to FASB Interpretation No. 46(R),” which revises how an entity evaluates variable interest entities. This guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after November 15, 2009.
   
SFAS No. 168, “The FASB Accounting Standards Codification and the Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles—a replacement of FASB Statement No. 162,” which modifies the GAAP hierarchy and how authoritative guidance is referenced in financial statements. This guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods ending after September 15, 2009.
We do not expect our adoption of these new accounting pronouncements will have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
Note 13 — Subsequent Events
Management has evaluated subsequent events through August 7, 2009, which is the date the consolidated financial statements were filed with the SEC, and has determined that no material reportable events have occurred between July 1, 2009 and August 7, 2009.

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-SWISS) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unless otherwise indicated, dollar amounts in tables are in thousands, except per share data)
Note 14 — Guarantees of Registered Securities
Noble-Cayman and Noble Holding (U.S.) Corporation (“NHC”), each a wholly-owned subsidiary of Noble-Swiss, are guarantors of Noble Drilling Corporation’s (“NDC”) 7.50% Senior Notes due 2019. The outstanding principal balance of the 7.50% Senior Notes at June 30, 2009 was $202 million. NDC is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Noble-Swiss and a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of NHC. Noble-Cayman’s and NHC’s guarantees of the 7.50% Senior Notes are full and unconditional. In December 2005, Noble Drilling Holding LLC (“NDH”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Noble-Swiss, became a co-obligor on (and effectively a guarantor of) the 7.50% Senior Notes.
In connection with the issuance of Noble-Cayman’s 5.875% Senior Notes due 2013, NDC guaranteed the payment of the 5.875% Senior Notes. NDC’s guarantee of the 5.875% Senior Notes is full and unconditional. The outstanding principal balance of the 5.875% Senior Notes at June 30, 2009 was $300 million.
In November 2008, Noble Holding International Limited (“NHIL”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Noble-Swiss, issued $250 million principal amount of 7.375% Senior Notes due 2014, which are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Noble-Cayman. The outstanding principal balance of the 7.375% Senior Notes at June 30, 2009 was $249 million.
The following consolidating financial statements of Noble-Cayman, NHC and NDH combined, NDC, NHIL and all other subsidiaries present investments in both consolidated and unconsolidated affiliates using the equity method of accounting.

 

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Subsidiary Balance Sheet
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
June 30, 2009

(in thousands)
                                                         
                                    Other              
    Noble-     NHC and NDC     Noble             Subsidiaries     Consolidating        
    Cayman     Combined     Drilling     NHIL     of Noble     Adjustments     Total  
ASSETS
                                                       
Current assets
                                                       
Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 4,072     $ 258     $ 4,210     $     $ 662,861     $     $ 671,401  
Accounts receivable
          13,502       7,856       9       633,068             654,435  
Prepaid expenses
          703       1             42,878             43,582  
Accounts receivable from affiliates
                457,374       241,082       981,934       (1,680,390 )      
Other current assets
          941       831             148,516       (65,748 )     84,540  
 
                                         
Total current assets
    4,072       15,404       470,272       241,091       2,469,257       (1,746,138 )     1,453,958  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Property and equipment
                                                       
Drilling equipment, facilities and other
          1,905,459       129,381             5,932,967             7,967,807  
Accumulated depreciation
          (84,952 )     (74,018 )           (1,856,761 )           (2,015,731 )
 
                                         
Total property and equipment, net
          1,820,507       55,363             4,076,206             5,952,076  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Notes receivable from affiliates
    511,835       10,363       1,384             1,414,821       (1,938,403 )      
Investments in affiliates
    6,335,343       7,204,587       3,732,485       3,232,160             (20,504,575 )      
Other assets
    3,164       5,798       4,390       1,954       260,763             276,069  
 
                                         
Total assets
  $ 6,854,414     $ 9,056,659     $ 4,263,894     $ 3,475,205     $ 8,221,047     $ (24,189,116 )   $ 7,682,103  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’
EQUITY
                                                       
Current liabilities
                                                       
Current maturities of long-term debt
  $     $ 7,201     $     $     $     $ (7,201 )   $  
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
    6,391       45,718       40,564       10,834       377,711       (58,547 )     422,671  
Accounts payable to affiliates
    353,444       1,326,946                         (1,680,390 )      
 
                                         
Total current liabilities
    359,835       1,379,865       40,564       10,834       377,711       (1,746,138 )     422,671  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Long-term debt
    299,855             201,695       249,316                   750,866  
Notes payable to affiliates
    129,900       1,164,921       120,000             523,582       (1,938,403 )      
Other liabilities
    13,633       29,866       29,556             384,320             457,375  
 
                                         
Total liabilities
    803,223       2,574,652       391,815       260,150       1,285,613       (3,684,541 )     1,630,912  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Commitments and contingencies
                                                       
 
                                                       
Shareholders’ Equity
                                                       
Ordinary shares
    26,125                                     26,125  
Capital in excess of par value
    360,244       1,279,983       870,744       406,998       838,639       (3,396,364 )     360,244  
Retained earnings
    5,716,264       5,202,024       3,001,162       2,808,057       6,148,237       (17,159,480 )     5,716,264  
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)
    (51,442 )           173             (51,442 )     51,269       (51,442 )
 
                                         
Total shareholders’ equity
    6,051,191       6,482,007       3,872,079       3,215,055       6,935,434       (20,504,575 )     6,051,191  
 
                                         
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity
  $ 6,854,414     $ 9,056,659     $ 4,263,894     $ 3,475,205     $ 8,221,047     $ (24,189,116 )   $ 7,682,103  
 
                                         

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEET
December 31, 2008

(in thousands)
                                                         
                                    Other              
    Noble-     NHC and NDC     Noble             Subsidiaries     Consolidating        
    Cayman     Combined     Drilling     NHIL     of Noble     Adjustments     Total  
ASSETS
                                                       
Current assets
                                                       
Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 661     $ 445     $ 26     $     $ 512,179     $     $ 513,311  
Accounts receivable
          26,604       13,099             605,137             644,840  
Prepaid expenses
          725       1             20,481             21,207  
Accounts receivable from affiliates
    32,807             562,679       247,174       961,230       (1,803,890 )      
Other current assets
    7,395       2,768       8             134,524       (83,712 )     60,983  
 
                                         
Total current assets
    40,863       30,542       575,813       247,174       2,233,551       (1,887,602 )     1,240,341  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Property and equipment
                                                       
Drilling equipment, facilities and other
          2,296,241       116,995             5,120,012             7,533,248  
Accumulated depreciation
          (113,481 )     (70,326 )           (1,702,424 )           (1,886,231 )
 
                                         
Total property and equipment, net
          2,182,760       46,669             3,417,588             5,647,017  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Notes receivable from affiliates
    511,835       20,963       44,159             1,757,321       (2,334,278 )      
Investments in affiliates
    5,498,928       6,374,623       3,460,873       2,727,556             (18,061,980 )      
Other assets
    2,957       10,117       6,418       2,017       197,932             219,441  
 
                                         
Total assets
  $ 6,054,583     $ 8,619,005     $ 4,133,932     $ 2,976,747     $ 7,606,392     $ (22,283,860 )   $ 7,106,799  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
                                                       
Current liabilities
                                                       
Current maturities of long-term debt
  $     $ 21,066     $ 149,998     $     $ 22,700     $ (21,066 )   $ 172,698  
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities
    27,452       57,797       40,968       2,075       440,649       (62,646 )     506,295  
Accounts payable to affiliates
          1,642,231                   161,659       (1,803,890 )      
 
                                         
Total current liabilities
    27,452       1,721,094       190,966       2,075       625,008       (1,887,602 )     678,993  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Long-term debt
    299,837             201,695       249,257                   750,789  
Notes payable to affiliates
    429,900       1,207,421       120,000             576,957       (2,334,278 )      
Other liabilities
    6,679       42,520       21,394             315,709             386,302  
 
                                         
Total liabilities
    763,868       2,971,035       534,055       251,332       1,517,674       (4,221,880 )     1,816,084  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Commitments and contingencies
                                                       
 
                                                       
Shareholders’ Equity
                                                       
Ordinary shares
    26,190                                     26,190  
Capital in excess of par value
    402,115       1,279,983       870,744       406,998       844,032       (3,401,757 )     402,115  
Retained earnings
    4,919,667       4,367,987       2,728,073       2,318,417       5,301,943       (14,716,420 )     4,919,667  
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)
    (57,257 )           1,060             (57,257 )     56,197       (57,257 )
 
                                         
Total shareholders’ equity
    5,290,715       5,647,970       3,599,877       2,725,415       6,088,718       (18,061,980 )     5,290,715  
 
                                         
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity
  $ 6,054,583     $ 8,619,005     $ 4,133,932     $ 2,976,747     $ 7,606,392     $ (22,283,860 )   $ 7,106,799  
 
                                         

 

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Subsidiary Income Statement
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF INCOME
Three Months Ended June 30, 2009

(in thousands)
                                                         
                                    Other              
    Noble-     NHC and NDC     Noble             Subsidiaries     Consolidating        
    Cayman     Combined     Drilling     NHIL     of Noble     Adjustments     Total  
Operating revenues
                                                       
Contract drilling services
  $     $ 34,947     $ 16,305     $     $ 835,052     $ (18,099 )   $ 868,205  
Reimbursables
          583                   22,251             22,834  
Labor contract drilling services
                            7,419             7,419  
Other
                            414             414  
 
                                         
Total operating revenues
          35,530       16,305             865,136       (18,099 )     898,872  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Operating costs and expenses
                                                       
Contract drilling services
    5,517       17,336       1,860       17       244,423       (18,099 )     251,054  
Reimbursables
          352                   18,929             19,281  
Labor contract drilling services
                            4,881             4,881  
Depreciation and amortization
          7,868       2,664             88,885             99,417  
Selling, general and administrative
    3,095       1,689       506             15,363             20,653  
Loss on involuntary conversion
                            16,943             16,943  
 
                                         
Total operating costs and expenses
    8,612       27,245       5,030       17       389,424       (18,099 )     412,229  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Operating income (loss)
    (8,612 )     8,285       11,275       (17 )     475,712             486,643  
 
                                                       
Other income (expense)
                                                       
Equity earnings in affiliates (net of tax)
    406,573       416,166       173,994       232,545             (1,229,278 )      
Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized
    (5,281 )     (16,175 )     (3,781 )     (10,196 )     11,051       24,021       (361 )
Interest income and other, net
                            25,339       (24,021 )     1,318  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Income before income taxes
    392,680       408,276       181,488       222,332       512,102       (1,229,278 )     487,600  
Income tax (provision) benefit
          (289 )     (4,150 )           (90,481 )           (94,920 )
 
                                         
Net income
  $ 392,680     $ 407,987     $ 177,338     $ 222,332     $ 421,621     $ (1,229,278 )   $ 392,680  
 
                                         

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF INCOME
Six Months Ended June 30, 2009

(in thousands)
                                                         
                                    Other              
    Noble-     NHC and NDC     Noble             Subsidiaries     Consolidating        
    Cayman     Combined     Drilling     NHIL     of Noble     Adjustments     Total  
Operating revenues
                                                       
Contract drilling services
  $     $ 84,222     $ 25,867     $     $ 1,666,474     $ (35,961 )   $ 1,740,602  
Reimbursables
          1,050                   38,462             39,512  
Labor contract drilling services
                            14,353             14,353  
Other
                            556             556  
 
                                         
Total operating revenues
          85,272       25,867             1,719,845       (35,961 )     1,795,023  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Operating costs and expenses
                                                       
Contract drilling services
    10,518       27,597       3,648       26       486,082       (35,961 )     491,910  
Reimbursables
          731                   32,633             33,364  
Labor contract drilling services
                            9,257             9,257  
Depreciation and amortization
          16,488       4,712             171,201             192,401  
Selling, general and administrative
    6,229       3,021       861             28,167             38,278  
Loss on asset disposal/involuntary conversion
                            28,977             28,977  
 
                                         
Total operating costs and expenses
    16,747       47,837       9,221       26       756,317       (35,961 )     794,187  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Operating income (loss)
    (16,747 )     37,435       16,646       (26 )     963,528             1,000,836  
 
                                                       
Other income (expense)
                                                       
Equity earnings in affiliates (net of tax)
    836,134       829,964       271,612       504,604             (2,442,314 )      
Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized
    (13,904 )     (32,301 )     (9,735 )     (14,938 )     24,268       45,728       (882 )
Interest income and other, net
    1,201                         46,917       (45,728 )     2,390  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Income before income taxes
    806,684       835,098       278,523       489,640       1,034,713       (2,442,314 )     1,002,344  
Income tax (provision) benefit
    383       (1,807 )     (5,434 )           (188,419 )           (195,277 )
 
                                         
Net income
  $ 807,067     $ 833,291     $ 273,089     $ 489,640     $ 846,294     $ (2,442,314 )   $ 807,067  
 
                                         

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF INCOME
Three Months Ended June 30, 2008

(in thousands)
                                                         
                                    Other              
    Noble-     NHC and NDC     Noble             Subsidiaries     Consolidating        
    Cayman     Combined     Drilling     NHIL     of Noble     Adjustments     Total  
Operating revenues
                                                       
Contract drilling services
  $     $ 75,805     $ 10,702     $     $ 734,773     $ (38,000 )   $ 783,280  
Reimbursables
          406       39             20,519             20,964  
Labor contract drilling services
                            8,218             8,218  
Other
          2       1             476             479  
 
                                         
Total operating revenues
          76,213       10,742             763,986       (38,000 )     812,941  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Operating costs and expenses
                                                       
Contract drilling services
    6,413       9,427       6,294       5       272,297       (38,000 )     256,436  
Reimbursables
          312       38             17,481             17,831  
Labor contract drilling services
                            6,547             6,547  
Depreciation and amortization
          8,521       1,773             77,542             87,836  
Selling, general and administrative
    2,496       1,502       461             15,208             19,667  
Gain on asset disposal, net
                            (35,521 )           (35,521 )
 
                                         
Total operating costs and expenses
    8,909       19,762       8,566       5       353,554       (38,000 )     352,796  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Operating income (loss)
    (8,909 )     56,451       2,176       (5 )     410,432             460,145  
 
                                                       
Other income (expense)
                                                       
Equity earnings in affiliates (net of tax)
    388,556       331,407       126,112       249,857             (1,095,932 )      
Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized
    (6,043 )     (10,209 )     (6,388 )           8,950       12,969       (721 )
Interest income and other, net
    2,415                         12,134       (12,969 )     1,580  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Income before income taxes
    376,019       377,649       121,900       249,852       431,516       (1,095,932 )     461,004  
Income tax (provision) benefit
    (301 )     531       (251 )           (85,265 )           (85,286 )
 
                                         
Net income
  $ 375,718     $ 378,180     $ 121,649     $ 249,852     $ 346,251     $ (1,095,932 )   $ 375,718  
 
                                         

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF INCOME
Six Months Ended June 30, 2008

(in thousands)
                                                         
                                    Other              
    Noble-     NHC and NDC     Noble             Subsidiaries     Consolidating        
    Cayman     Combined     Drilling     NHIL     of Noble     Adjustments     Total  
Operating revenues
                                                       
Contract drilling services
  $     $ 116,074     $ 24,292     $     $ 1,488,048     $ (47,300 )   $ 1,581,114  
Reimbursables
          900       159             52,363             53,422  
Labor contract drilling services
                            39,149             39,149  
Other
          2       1             678             681  
 
                                         
Total operating revenues
          116,976       24,452             1,580,238       (47,300 )     1,674,366  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Operating costs and expenses
                                                       
Contract drilling services
    12,345       18,481       12,851       14       495,997       (47,300 )     492,388  
Reimbursables
          757       154             46,381             47,292  
Labor contract drilling services
                            31,884             31,884  
Depreciation and amortization
          16,129       3,412             151,194             170,735  
Selling, general and administrative
    5,204       2,987       921             31,828             40,940  
Gain on asset disposal, net
                            (35,521 )           (35,521 )
 
                                         
Total operating costs and expenses
    17,549       38,354       17,338       14       721,763       (47,300 )     747,718  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Operating income (loss)
    (17,549 )     78,622       7,114       (14 )     858,475             926,648  
 
                                                       
Other income (expense)
                                                       
Equity earnings in affiliates (net of tax)
    786,883       703,145       289,652       474,873             (2,254,553 )      
Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized
    (13,383 )     (20,546 )     (12,776 )           18,142       26,732       (1,831 )
Interest income and other, net
    4,351                         27,090       (26,732 )     4,709  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Income before income taxes
    760,302       761,221       283,990       474,859       903,707       (2,254,553 )     929,526  
Income tax (provision) benefit
    (396 )     4,029       (1,260 )           (171,993 )           (169,620 )
 
                                         
Net income
  $ 759,906     $ 765,250     $ 282,730     $ 474,859     $ 731,714     $ (2,254,553 )   $ 759,906  
 
                                         

 

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Subsidiary Cash Flow
NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
Six Months Ended June 30, 2009

(in thousands)
                                                         
                                    Other              
    Noble-     NHC and NDC     Noble             Subsidiaries     Consolidating        
    Cayman     Combined     Drilling     NHIL     of Noble     Adjustments     Total  
Cash flows from operating activities
                                                       
Net cash from operating activities
    (18,692 )     26,291       21,470       (6,151 )     978,319             1,001,237  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Cash flows from investing activities
                                                       
New construction and capital expenditures
          (275,153 )     (12,412 )           (306,129 )           (593,694 )
Repayments of notes from affiliates
                42,775             331,900       (374,675 )      
Other
                                         
 
                                         
Net cash from investing activities
          (275,153 )     30,363             25,771       (374,675 )     (593,694 )
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Cash flows from financing activities
                                                       
Payments of other long-term debt
                (150,000 )           (22,700 )           (172,700 )
Advances (to) from affiliates
    398,856       280,575       102,351       6,151       (787,933 )            
Repayments of notes to affiliates
    (300,000 )     (31,900 )                 (42,775 )     374,675        
Repurchases of ordinary shares
    (60,867 )                                   (60,867 )
Other
    (15,886 )                                   (15,886 )
 
                                         
Net cash from financing activities
    22,103       248,675       (47,649 )     6,151       (853,408 )     374,675       (249,453 )
 
                                         
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
    3,411       (187 )     4,184             150,682             158,090  
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
    661       445       26             512,179             513,311  
 
                                         
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
  $ 4,072     $ 258     $ 4,210     $     $ 662,861     $     $ 671,401  
 
                                         

 

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NOBLE CORPORATION (NOBLE-CAYMAN) AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
Six Months Ended June 30, 2008

(in thousands)
                                                         
                                    Other              
    Noble-     NHC and NDC     Noble             Subsidiaries     Consolidating        
    Cayman     Combined     Drilling     NHIL     of Noble     Adjustments     Total  
Cash flows from operating activities
                                                       
Net cash from operating activities
    (3,871 )     99,760       5,488       (14 )     834,150             935,513  
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Cash flows from investing activities
                                                       
New construction and capital expenditures
          (310,770 )     (3,963 )           (227,756 )           (542,489 )
Repayments of notes from affiliates
                            (136,740 )     136,740        
Other
                            60,881             60,881  
 
                                         
Net cash from investing activities
          (310,770 )     (3,963 )           (303,615 )     136,740       (481,608 )
 
                                         
 
                                                       
Cash flows from financing activities
                                                       
Payments on bank credit facilities
    (50,000 )                                   (50,000 )
Payments of other long-term debt
                            (5,076 )           (5,076 )
Advances (to) from affiliates
    258,334       224,480       (1,569 )     9       (481,254 )            
Repayments of notes to affiliates
    150,000       (13,260 )                       (136,740 )      
Repurchases of ordinary shares
    (26,571 )                                   (26,571 )
Other
    (212,352 )                                   (212,352 )
 
                                         
Net cash from financing activities
    119,411       211,220       (1,569 )     9       (486,330 )     (136,740 )     (293,999 )
 
                                         
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
    115,540       210       (44 )     (5 )     44,205             159,906  
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
    12,544             73             148,441             161,058  
 
                                         
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
  $ 128,084     $ 210     $ 29     $ (5 )   $ 192,646     $     $ 320,964  
 
                                         

 

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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion is intended to assist you in understanding our financial position at June 30, 2009, and our results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 filed by Noble-Cayman.
Forward-Looking Statements
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this report regarding our financial position, business strategy, backlog, plans and objectives of management for future operations, foreign currency requirements, industry conditions, and indebtedness covenant compliance are forward-looking statements. When used in this report, the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “should” and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that such expectations will prove to be correct. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report on Form 10-Q and we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement for any reason, except as required by law. We have identified factors that could cause actual plans or results to differ materially from those included in any forward-looking statements. These factors include those referenced or described in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of Part II included herein, and in our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). We cannot control such risk factors and other uncertainties, and in many cases, we cannot predict the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements. You should consider these risks and uncertainties when you are evaluating us.
Consummation of Migration
On March 26, 2009, pursuant to the previously announced Agreement and Plan of Merger, Reorganization and Consolidation, dated as of December 19, 2008 (as amended, the “Merger Agreement”), among Noble-Swiss, Noble-Cayman, and Noble Cayman Acquisition Ltd., a Cayman Islands company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Noble-Swiss (“Noble-Acquisition”), Noble-Cayman merged by way of schemes of arrangement under Cayman Islands law (the “Schemes of Arrangement”) with Noble-Acquisition, with Noble-Cayman as the surviving company (the “Transaction”). Under the terms of the Schemes of Arrangement, each holder of Noble-Cayman ordinary shares outstanding immediately prior to the Transaction received, through an exchange agent, one Noble registered share in exchange for each outstanding Noble-Cayman ordinary share, and Noble-Cayman received, through an exchange agent, a number of newly issued Noble-Cayman ordinary shares equal to the number of Noble-Cayman ordinary shares outstanding immediately prior to the Transaction. Noble-Swiss also issued 15 million Noble-Swiss registered shares to Noble-Cayman in connection with the Transaction that are being held in treasury by a wholly owned subsidiary.
The Transaction effectively changed the place of incorporation of our parent holding company from the Cayman Islands to Switzerland. As a result of the Transaction, Noble-Cayman became a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Noble-Swiss. Currently, Noble-Swiss’ principal asset is 100% of the shares of common stock of Noble-Cayman. The consolidated financial statements of Noble-Swiss include the accounts of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Noble-Cayman. Noble-Swiss conducts substantially all of its business through Noble-Cayman and its subsidiaries.
In connection with the Transaction, we have also decided to relocate our principal executive offices, including selected officers and their personnel, to Geneva, Switzerland. We currently expect the first phase of this process to be complete during the third quarter of 2009. Our current office in Sugar Land, Texas will continue to be our largest office and the center for much of our primary worldwide operations support functions providing the resources that are needed to run our day-to-day business around the world.

 

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Executive Overview
We are a leading offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry. We perform contract drilling services with our fleet of 62 offshore drilling units located worldwide, including the Middle East, India, the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, the North Sea, Brazil, and West Africa. Our fleet count includes four rigs currently under construction.
Economic Outlook
While the global macro environment improved during the second quarter 2009 compared to the previous two quarters, the worldwide economy remains uncertain. Oil prices strengthened during the quarter to reach the $60 to $70 per barrel range; however, prices continue to be volatile. Various economic indicators also continue to be mixed, leading to broad concern about length of the economic recovery. In spite of higher oil prices, we have not seen a substantial increase in demand for offshore drilling services. Demand remains high in the deepwater market segment, but there is little contract activity across the midwater or shallow water segments. In particular, dayrates for jackup units have decreased up to fifty percent in most regions and utilization has dropped significantly. While we believe that the risk for early contract terminations of, or defaults under, existing contracts has decreased, that risk has not been eliminated. We believe the contracting environment will continue to be challenging throughout the remainder of 2009. If the global economy continues to improve and oil prices stabilize, we hope to see increased demand for contract drilling services in 2010. However, due to the introduction of newbuild jackup units into the market, it is possible that dayrates for jackup units may not improve from current levels and could decline further as more units compete for available jobs.
We cannot be certain of the future price of oil or when the global economy will recover. However, we believe that the current reduced demand for hydrocarbons is largely a result of the global financial crisis and that an economic recovery combined with the continued natural decline of worldwide hydrocarbon basins will be positive factors for the demand for future contract drilling services. We continue to believe we are well positioned within the industry. Furthermore, our liquidity and financial strength may create potential rig acquisition opportunities for us.
Demand for our drilling services generally depends on a variety of economic and political factors, including worldwide demand for oil and gas, the ability of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) to set and maintain production levels and pricing, the level of production of non-OPEC countries and the policies of various governments regarding exploration and development of their oil and gas reserves. Our results of operations depend on activity in the oil and gas production and development markets worldwide. Historically, oil and gas prices and market expectations of potential changes in these prices have significantly affected that level of activity. Generally, higher oil and natural gas prices or our customers’ expectations of higher prices result in greater demand for our services and lower oil and gas prices result in reduced demand for our services.
Demand for our services is also a function of the worldwide supply of mobile offshore drilling units. Industry sources report that a total of 69 newbuild jackups and 96 deepwater newbuilds are scheduled to enter service worldwide between 2009 and 2012. A significant number of these units, particularly among the jackup units, reportedly do not have a contractual commitment from a customer and are referred to in the offshore drilling industry as “being built on speculation.” The introduction of non-contracted rigs into the marketplace could have an adverse affect on the level of demand for our services or the dayrates we are able to achieve.
We cannot predict the future level of demand for our drilling services or future conditions in the offshore contract drilling industry. Decreases in commodity prices or the level of demand for our drilling services or increases in the supply of drilling rigs in the market could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
Results and Strategy
In the second quarter of 2009, we recognized net income of $392 million, or $1.49 per diluted share, on total revenues of $899 million. The average dayrate across our worldwide fleet increased to $198,270 for the second quarter of 2009 from $194,308 in the first quarter of 2009. Fleetwide average utilization was 84 percent in the second quarter of 2009, as compared to 86 percent in the first quarter of 2009. Daily contract drilling services costs increased to $57,332 for the second quarter of 2009 from $53,646 for the first quarter of 2009. As a result, our contract drilling services margin decreased slightly to 71 percent in the second quarter of 2009 from 72 percent in the first quarter of 2009.

 

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Our long-standing business strategy continues to be the active expansion of our worldwide offshore drilling and deepwater capabilities through upgrades and modifications, acquisitions, and the deployment of our drilling assets in important geological areas. We have also actively expanded our offshore drilling and deepwater capabilities in recent years through the construction of new rigs. During the second quarter of 2009, we continued our expansion strategy as indicated by the following activities:
   
we completed construction on the Noble Scott Marks, an F&G JU-2000E enhanced premium independent leg cantilevered jackup, which left the shipyard in the second quarter of 2009 and is expected to begin operations in the third quarter of 2009;
   
construction continued on three newbuild ultra-deepwater semisubmersibles, the Noble Danny Adkins and the Noble Dave Beard, which are scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2009, and the Noble Jim Day, which is scheduled for delivery in the second quarter of 2010; and
   
construction continued on one dynamically positioned, ultra-deepwater, harsh environment Globetrotter-class drillship, which is scheduled to be delivered in the second half of 2011.

 

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Contract Drilling Services Backlog
We maintain a backlog (as defined below) of commitments for contract drilling services. The following table sets forth as of June 30, 2009 the amount of our contract drilling services backlog and the percent of available operating days committed for the periods indicated:
                                                 
            Year Ending December 31,  
    Total     2009 (1)     2010     2011     2012     2013-2017  
    (In millions)  
Contract Drilling Services
                                               
Semisubmersibles/Drillships (2)
  $ 8,084     $ 910     $ 1,963     $ 1,627     $ 1,158     $ 2,426  
Jackups/Submersibles (3)
    1,553       832       551       169       1        
 
                                   
Total (4) (5)
  $ 9,637     $ 1,742     $ 2,514     $ 1,796     $ 1,159     $ 2,426  
 
                                   
 
                                               
Percent of Available Operating Days Committed (6)
            75 %     42 %     24 %     13 %     7 %
 
                                     
 
     
(1)  
Represents a six-month period beginning July 1, 2009.
 
(2)  
Our drilling contracts with Petrobras provide an opportunity for us to earn performance bonuses based on downtime experienced for our rigs operating offshore Brazil. With respect to our semisubmersibles operating offshore Brazil, we have included in our backlog an amount equal to 75 percent of potential performance bonuses for such semisubmersibles, which amount is based on and generally consistent with our historical earnings of performance bonuses for these rigs. With respect to our drillships operating offshore Brazil, we (a) have not included in our backlog any performance bonuses for periods prior to the commencement of certain upgrade projects planned for 2010 and 2011, which projects are designed to enhance the reliability and operational performance of our drillships, and (b) have included in our backlog an amount equal to 75 percent of potential performance bonuses for periods after the estimated completion of such upgrade projects. Our backlog for semisubmersibles/drillships includes approximately $367 million attributable to these performance bonuses.
 
(3)  
Our drilling contracts with Pemex Exploracion y Produccion (“Pemex”) for certain jackups operating offshore in Mexico are subject to price review and adjustment of the rig dayrate. Presently, contracts for five jackups have dayrates indexed to the world average of the highest dayrates published by ODS-Petrodata. After an initial firm dayrate period, the dayrates are generally adjusted quarterly based on formulas calculated from the index. Our contract drilling services backlog has been calculated using the June 30, 2009 index-based dayrates for periods subsequent to the initial firm dayrate period.
 
(4)  
Pemex has the ability to cancel its drilling contracts on 30 days or less notice without Pemex’s making an early termination payment. We currently have 13 rigs contracted to Pemex in Mexico, and our backlog includes approximately $1.0 billion related to such contracts at June 30, 2009. Also, our drilling contracts generally give the customer an early termination right in the event we fail to meet certain performance standards, including downtime thresholds. While we do not currently anticipate any cancellations as a result of events that have occurred to date, clients may from time to time have the contractual right to do so, which is the case with the drilling contract for the Noble Roger Eason. However, we do not believe that the customer will terminate this contract.
 
(5)  
The Noble Scott Marks must be provided by September 30, 2009 or our customer has the right to terminate the contract. The Noble Danny Adkins must be delivered from the shipyard by January 1, 2010 or the customer has the right to terminate the contract. The drilling contract for the Noble Jim Day contains a termination right in the event the rig is not ready to commence operations by December 31, 2010. The drilling contract for the Noble Dave Beard gives the customer the right to terminate the contract if the rig did not commence operations by December 2008 and also gives the customer the right to apply a penalty for delay in delivery beyond October 24, 2009. The customer has not cancelled the contract.
 
(6)  
Percentages take into account additional capacity from the estimated dates of deployment of our newbuild rigs that are scheduled to commence operations during the remainder of 2009 through 2011.
Our contract drilling services backlog consists of commitments we believe to be firm. Our contract drilling services backlog reported above reflects estimated future revenues attributable to both signed drilling contracts and letters of intent. A letter of intent is generally subject to customary conditions, including the execution of a definitive drilling contract. If worldwide economic conditions continue to deteriorate, it is possible that some customers that have entered into letters of intent will not enter into signed drilling contracts. We calculate backlog for any given unit and period by multiplying the full contractual operating dayrate for such unit by the number of days remaining in the period. The reported contract drilling services backlog does not include amounts representing revenues for mobilization, demobilization and contract preparation, which are not expected to be significant to our contract drilling services revenues, reimbursable amounts from customers or amounts attributable to uncommitted option periods under drilling contracts or letters of intent.

 

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The amount of actual revenues earned and the actual periods during which revenues are earned may differ from the backlog amounts and backlog periods set forth in the table above due to various factors, including, but not limited to, shipyard and maintenance projects, unplanned downtime, weather conditions and other factors that result in applicable dayrates lower than the full contractual operating dayrate. In addition, amounts included in the backlog may change because drilling contracts may be varied or modified by mutual consent or customers may exercise early termination rights or decline to enter into a drilling contract after executing a letter of intent. As a result, our backlog as of any particular date may not be indicative of our actual operating results for the subsequent periods for which the backlog is calculated.
Internal Investigation
In June 2007, we announced that we were conducting an internal investigation of our Nigerian operations, focusing on the legality under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended (the “FCPA”), and local laws of our Nigerian affiliate’s reimbursement of certain expenses incurred by our customs agents in connection with obtaining and renewing permits for the temporary importation of drilling units and related equipment into Nigerian waters, including permits that are necessary for our drilling units to operate in Nigerian waters. We also announced that the audit committee of our Board of Directors had engaged a leading law firm with significant experience in investigating and advising on FCPA matters to lead the investigation as independent outside counsel. The scope of the investigation also includes our dealings with customs agents and customs authorities in certain parts of the world other than Nigeria in which we conduct our operations, as well as dealings with other types of local agents in Nigeria and such other parts of the world. There can be no assurance that evidence of additional potential FCPA violations may not be uncovered through the investigation.
The audit committee commissioned the internal investigation after our management brought to the attention of the audit committee a news release issued by another company. The news release disclosed that the other company was conducting an internal investigation into the FCPA implications of certain actions by a customs agent in Nigeria in connection with the temporary importation of that company’s vessels into Nigeria. Our drilling units that conduct operations in Nigeria do so under temporary import permits, and management considered it prudent to review our own practices in this regard.
We voluntarily contacted the SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) to advise them that an independent investigation was underway. We have been cooperating, and intend to continue to cooperate fully with both agencies. If the SEC or the DOJ determines that violations of the FCPA have occurred, they could seek civil and criminal sanctions, including monetary penalties, against us and/or certain of our employees, as well as additional changes to our business practices and compliance programs, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition. In addition, such actions, whether actual or alleged, could damage our reputation and ability to do business, to attract and retain employees, and to access capital markets. Further, detecting, investigating, and resolving such actions is expensive and consumes significant time and attention of our senior management.
The independent outside counsel appointed by the audit committee to perform the internal investigation made a presentation of the results of its investigation to the DOJ and the SEC in June 2008. The SEC and the DOJ have begun to review these results and information gathered by the independent outside counsel in the course of the investigation. Neither the SEC nor the DOJ has indicated what action it may take, if any, against us or any individual, or whether it may request that the audit committee’s independent outside counsel conduct further investigation. Therefore, we consider the internal investigation to be ongoing and cannot predict when it will conclude. Furthermore, we cannot predict whether either the SEC or the DOJ will open its own proceeding to investigate this matter, or if a proceeding is opened, what potential remedies these agencies may seek. We could also face fines or sanctions in relevant foreign jurisdictions. Based on information obtained to date in our internal investigation, we have not determined that any potential liability that may result is probable or remote or can be reasonably estimated. As a result, we have not made any accrual in our consolidated financial statements at June 30, 2009.

 

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We are currently operating two jackup rigs offshore Nigeria. The temporary import permits covering the rigs expired in November 2008 and we have pending applications to renew these permits. However, as of July 31, 2009, the Nigerian customs office had not acted on our applications. We continue to seek to avoid material disruption to our Nigerian operations; however, there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain new permits or further extensions of permits necessary to continue the operation of our rigs in Nigeria. If we cannot obtain a new permit or an extension necessary to continue operations of any rig, we may need to cease operations under the drilling contract for such rig and relocate such rig from Nigerian waters. In any case, we also could be subject to actions by Nigerian customs for import duties and fines for these two rigs, as well as other drilling rigs that operated in Nigeria in the past. We cannot predict what impact these events may have on any such contract or our business in Nigeria. Furthermore, we cannot predict what changes, if any, relating to temporary import permit policies and procedures may be established or implemented in Nigeria in the future, or how any such changes may impact our business there.
Notwithstanding that the internal investigation is ongoing, we concluded that certain changes to our FCPA compliance program would provide us greater assurance that our assets are not used, directly or indirectly, to make improper payments, including customs payments, and that we are in compliance with the FCPA’s record-keeping requirements. Although we have had a long-standing published policy requiring compliance with the FCPA and broadly prohibiting any improper payments by us to foreign or U.S. officials, we adopted additional measures intended to enhance FCPA compliance procedures. Further measures may be required once the investigation concludes.

 

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Results of Operations
In the following discussion, we address the consolidated results of operations of Noble-Swiss. With the exception of nominal administrative expenses, the results of operations of Noble-Swiss are substantially identical to those of Noble-Cayman. The discussion related to operating revenues and costs and expenses is identical for, and applies to, both companies. Per share information relates only to Noble-Swiss.
For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2009 and 2008
General
Net income for the three months ended June 30, 2009 (the “Current Quarter”) was $392 million, or $1.49 per diluted share, on operating revenues of $899 million, compared to net income for the three months ended June 30, 2008 (the “Comparable Quarter”) of $376 million, or $1.39 per diluted share, on operating revenues of $813 million.
Rig Utilization, Operating Days and Average Dayrates
Operating revenues and operating costs and expenses for our contract drilling services segment are dependent on three primary metrics — rig utilization, operating days and dayrates. The following table sets forth the average rig utilization, operating days and average dayrates for our rig fleet for the three months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008:
                                                                 
    Average Rig     Operating     Average  
    Utilization (1)     Days (2)     Dayrates  
    Three Months Ended     Three Months Ended             Three Months Ended        
    June 30,     June 30,             June 30,        
    2009     2008     2009     2008     % Change     2009     2008     % Change  
 
                                                               
Jackups
    80 %     93 %     3,076       3,481       -12 %   $ 157,381     $ 147,081       7 %
Semisubmersibles > 6000’ (3)
    94 %     90 %     596       572       4 %     408,510       323,830       26 %
Semisubmersibles < 6000’ (4)
    100 %     100 %     273       273       0 %     251,945       192,416       31 %
Drillships
    100 %     67 %     273       182       50 %     226,187       131,174       72 %
Submersibles (5)
    88 %     67 %     161       182       -12 %     63,324       53,039       19 %
 
                                                           
 
                                                               
Total
    84 %     90 %     4,379       4,690       -7 %   $ 198,270     $ 167,002       19 %
 
                                                           
 
     
(1)  
Information reflects our policy of reporting on the basis of the number of actively marketed rigs in our fleet excluding newbuild rigs under construction.
 
(2)  
Information reflects the number of days that our rigs were operating under contract.
 
(3)  
These units have water depth ratings of 6,000 feet or greater.
 
(4)  
These units have water depth ratings of less than 6,000 feet.
 
(5)  
Effective March 31, 2009, the Noble Fri Rodli, which had been cold stacked since October 2007, was removed from our rig fleet.

 

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Contract Drilling Services
The following table sets forth the operating revenues and the operating costs and expenses for our contract drilling services segment for the three months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008:
                                 
    Three Months Ended        
    June 30,     Change  
    2009     2008     $     %  
Operating revenues:
                               
Contract drilling services
  $ 868,205     $ 783,280     $ 84,925       11 %
Reimbursables (1)
    22,295       19,646       2,649       13 %
Other
    414       464       (50 )     -11 %
 
                       
 
  $ 890,914     $ 803,390     $ 87,524       11 %
 
                       
 
                               
Operating costs and expenses:
                               
Contract drilling services
  $ 251,054     $ 256,436       (5,382 )     -2 %
Reimbursables (1)
    18,754       16,565       2,189       13 %
Depreciation and amortization
    96,952       86,636       10,316       12 %
Selling, general and administrative
    21,411       19,526       1,885       10 %
Loss on involuntary conversion
    16,943             16,943       n/a  
 
                       
 
    405,114       379,163       25,951       7 %
 
                       
Operating income
  $ 485,800     $ 424,227     $ 61,573       15 %
 
                       
 
     
(1)  
We record reimbursements from customers for out-of-pocket expenses as revenues and the related direct costs as operating expenses. Changes in the amount of these reimbursables generally do not have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Operating Revenues. Contract drilling services revenue increases for the Current Quarter as compared to the Comparable Quarter were primarily driven by increases in average dayrates. Higher average dayrates increased revenues approximately $147 million, while fewer operating days reduced revenues approximately $62 million.
Average dayrates increased 19 percent in the Current Quarter as compared to the Comparable Quarter as we received higher average dayrates across all rig categories.
The decrease in operating days in the Current Quarter as compared to the Comparable Quarter was primarily due to downtime of certain rigs in the Current Quarter. Unpaid shipyard days increased 168 days in the Current Quarter as compared to the Comparable Quarter, as we had 10 rigs spend time in the shipyard during the Current Quarter. We had only six rigs with unpaid shipyard days in the Comparable Quarter. Additionally, stacked days increased 149 days as the Noble Dick Favor, Noble Don Walker, Noble Lloyd Noble and Noble Tommy Craighead each were stacked for certain periods during the Current Quarter. In the Comparable Quarter, three rigs, the Noble Fri Rodli, Noble Carl Norberg and the Noble Don Walker, spent a significant number of days stacked. The decrease in operating days in the Current Quarter was partially offset by an increase in available days of 97 days for the enhanced premium jackups the Noble Scott Marks and the Noble Hans Deul, which were added to the fleet in November 2008 and June 2009, respectively. Additionally, the Current Quarter had 91 less available operating days than the Comparable Quarter due to the Noble Fri Rodli being removed from our rig fleet effective March 31, 2009.

 

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Operating Costs and Expenses. Contract drilling services operating costs and expenses decreased $5 million for the Current Quarter over the Comparable Quarter. Our newbuild rigs, the Noble Hans Deul and the Noble Scott Marks, which were added to the fleet in November 2008 and June 2009, respectively, added approximately $4 million of operating costs in the Current Quarter. Excluding the additional expenses related to our newbuild rigs, our contract drilling costs decreased $9 million in the Current Quarter from the Comparable Quarter. This change was primarily driven by a $13 million decrease in local labor costs due to the increased number of rigs stacked during the Current Quarter and a $5 million decrease in insurance costs from our new insurance program under which we are predominately self-insured. These decreases were partially offset by a $5 million increase in miscellaneous transportation and fuel costs and a $3 million increase in maintenance expenses.
The increase in depreciation and amortization in the Current Quarter over the Comparable Quarter was primarily due to depreciation on newbuilds added to the fleet and additional depreciation related to other capital expenditures on our fleet since the Comparable Quarter.
Loss on involuntary conversion during the Current Quarter relates to a charge of $17 million for our jackup, the Noble David Tinsley, which experienced a “punch-through” while being positioned on location offshore Qatar. The $17 million charge includes approximately $9 million for the write-off of the damaged legs and $8 million for non-reimbursable expenses.
Other
The following table sets forth the operating revenues and the operating costs and expenses for our other services for the three months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008:
                                 
    Three Months Ended        
    June 30,     Change  
    2009     2008     $     %  
Operating revenues:
                               
Labor contract drilling services
  $ 7,419     $ 8,218     $ (799 )     -10 %
Reimbursables (1)
    539       1,318       (779 )     -59 %
Other
          15       (15 )     -100 %
 
                       
 
  $ 7,958     $ 9,551     $ (1,593 )     -17 %
 
                       
 
                               
Operating costs and expenses:
                               
Labor contract drilling services
  $ 4,881     $ 6,547       (1,666 )     -25 %
Reimbursables (1)
    527       1,266       (739 )     -58 %
Depreciation and amortization
    2,465       1,200       1,265       105 %
Selling, general and administrative
    73       141       (68 )     -48 %
Gain on asset disposal, net
          (35,521 )     35,521       -100 %
 
                       
 
    7,946       (26,367 )     34,313       -130 %
 
                       
Operating income
  $ 12     $ 35,918     $ (35,906 )     -100 %
 
                       
 
     
(1)  
We record reimbursements from customers for out-of-pocket expenses as revenues and the related direct costs as operating expenses. Changes in the amount of these reimbursables generally do not have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Operating Revenues and Costs and Expenses. Revenues and expenses associated with our Canadian labor contract drilling services decreased in the Current Quarter primarily due to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates. Additionally, expenses during the Comparable Quarter included approximately $1 million in costs associated with our return of the jackup Noble Kolskaya, which was operated under a bareboat charter, to its owner.

 

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Other Income and Expenses
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. Consolidated selling, general and administrative expenses increased $2 million in the Current Quarter as compared to the Comparable Quarter. The increase between periods resulted primarily from $2 million in costs related to our recent re-domestication from the Cayman Islands to Switzerland, a $2 million increase in employee-related costs and a $2 million increase in other general and administrative costs. These increases were partially offset by a $4 million reduction in costs incurred in the internal investigation of our Nigerian operations.
Gain on Asset Disposal, net. Gain on asset disposal, net, for the Comparable Quarter relates to the sale of our North Sea labor contract drilling services business in April 2008. In connection with this transaction, we recognized a gain of $35 million, net of closing costs, which included approximately $5 million in cumulative currency translation adjustments.
Income Tax Provision. The income tax provision increased $10 million in the Current Quarter primarily due to higher pre-tax earnings in the Current Quarter over the Comparable Quarter. The higher pre-tax earnings increased income tax expense by $5 million, in addition to a higher effective tax rate, 19.5 percent in the Current Quarter compared to 18.5 percent in the Comparable Quarter, which increased income tax expense by $5 million. The higher effective tax rate in the Current Quarter resulted from higher pre-tax earnings of U.S. owned assets, which generally have a higher statutory tax rate and lower pre-tax earnings of non-U.S. owned assets, which generally have a lower statutory tax rate.

 

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For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2009 and 2008
General
Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2009 (the “Current Period”) was $806 million, or $3.08 per diluted share, on operating revenues of $1.8 billion, compared to net income for the six months ended June 30, 2008 (the “Comparable Period”) of $760 million, or $2.81 per diluted share, on operating revenues of $1.7 billion.
Rig Utilization, Operating Days and Average Dayrates
Operating revenues and operating costs and expenses for our contract drilling services segment are dependent on three primary metrics — rig utilization, operating days and dayrates. The following table sets forth the average rig utilization, operating days and average dayrates for our rig fleet for the six months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008:
                                                                 
    Average Rig     Operating     Average  
    Utilization (1)     Days (2)     Dayrates  
    Six Months Ended     Six Months Ended             Six Months Ended        
    June 30,     June 30,             June 30,        
    2009     2008     2009     2008     % Change     2009     2008     % Change  
 
                                                               
Jackups
    83 %     95 %     6,319       7,082       -11 %   $ 157,882     $ 146,195       8 %
Semisubmersibles > 6000’ (3)
    97 %     95 %     1,226       1,209       1 %     388,709       307,019       27 %
Semisubmersibles < 6000’ (4)
    100 %     100 %     543       546       -1 %     249,048       197,057       26 %
Drillships
    81 %     67 %     440       364       21 %     251,182       132,420       90 %
Submersibles (5)
    75 %     66 %     341       361       -6 %     60,749       52,164       16 %
 
                                                           
 
                                                               
Total
    85 %     92 %     8,869       9,562       -7 %   $ 196,263     $ 165,356       19 %
 
                                                           
 
     
(1)  
Information reflects our policy of reporting on the basis of the number of actively marketed rigs in our fleet excluding newbuild rigs under construction.
 
(2)  
Information reflects the number of days that our rigs were operating under contract.
 
(3)  
These units have water depth ratings of 6,000 feet or greater.
 
(4)  
These units have water depth ratings of less than 6,000 feet.
 
(5)  
Effective March 31, 2009, the Noble Fri Rodli, which had been cold stacked since October 2007, was removed from our rig fleet.

 

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Contract Drilling Services
The following table sets forth the operating revenues and the operating costs and expenses for our contract drilling services segment for the six months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008:
                                 
    Six Months Ended        
    June 30,     Change  
    2009     2008     $     %  
Operating revenues:
                               
Contract drilling services
  $ 1,740,602     $ 1,581,114     $ 159,488       10 %
Reimbursables (1)
    38,451       40,812       (2,361 )     -6 %
Other
    541       651       (110 )     -17 %
 
                       
 
  $ 1,779,594     $ 1,622,577     $ 157,017       10 %
 
                       
 
                               
Operating costs and expenses:
                               
Contract drilling services
  $ 491,910     $ 492,388       (478 )     0 %
Reimbursables (1)
    32,343       35,318       (2,975 )     -8 %
Depreciation and amortization
    187,850       167,421       20,429       12 %
Selling, general and administrative
    39,078       39,422       (344 )     -1 %
Loss on asset disposal/involuntary conversion
    28,977             28,977       n/a  
 
                       
 
    780,158       734,549       45,609       6 %
 
                       
Operating income
  $ 999,436     $ 888,028     $ 111,408       13 %
 
                       
 
(1)  
We record reimbursements from customers for out-of-pocket expenses as revenues and the related direct costs as operating expenses. Changes in the amount of these reimbursables generally do not have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Operating Revenues. Contract drilling services revenue increases for the Current Period as compared to the Comparable Period were primarily driven by increases in average dayrates. Higher average dayrates increased revenues approximately $295 million, while fewer operating days reduced revenues approximately $136 million.
Average dayrates increased 19 percent in the Current Period as compared to the Comparable Period as we received higher average dayrates across all rig categories.
The decrease in operating days in the Current Period as compared to the Comparable Period was primarily due to downtime of certain rigs in the Current Period. Unpaid shipyard days increased 393 days in the Current Period as compared to the Comparable Period, as we had 16 rigs spend time in the shipyard during the Current Period. We had only seven rigs with unpaid shipyard days in the Comparable Period. Additionally, stacked days increased 342 days as the Noble Fri Rodli, Noble Dick Favor, Noble Don Walker, Noble Lloyd Noble and Noble Tommy Craighead each were stacked for certain periods during the Current Period. In the Comparable Period, three rigs, the Noble Fri Rodli, Noble Carl Norberg and the Noble Don Walker spent a significant number of days stacked. The decrease in operating days in the Current Period was partially offset by an increase in available days of 187 days for the enhanced premium jackups the Noble Scott Marks and the Noble Hans Deul, which were added to the fleet in November 2008 and June 2009, respectively. The Current Period also had 91 less available days than the Comparable Period due to the Noble Fri Rodli being removed from our rig fleet effective March 31, 2009. Additionally, the Current Period had one less available operating day than the Comparable Period due to the leap year in 2008, which reduced available days in the Current Period by 54 days.
Operating Costs and Expenses. Contract drilling services operating costs and expenses decreased slightly in the Current Period as compared to the Comparable Period. Our newbuild rigs, the Noble Hans Deul and the Noble Scott Marks, which were added to the fleet in November 2008 and June 2009, respectively, added approximately $8 million of operating costs in the Current Period. Excluding the additional expenses related to our newbuild rigs, our contract drilling costs decreased $8 million in the Current Period from the Comparable Period. This change was primarily driven by a $22 million decrease in local labor costs due to the increased number of rigs stacked during the Current Period and an $8 million decrease in insurance costs from our new insurance program under which we are predominately self-insured. These decreases were partially offset by a $10 million increase in maintenance expenses, a $6 million increase in miscellaneous transportation and fuel costs and a $6 million increase in mobilization costs.

 

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The increase in depreciation and amortization in the Current Period over the Comparable Period was primarily due to depreciation on newbuilds added to the fleet and additional depreciation related to other capital expenditures on our fleet since the Comparable Period.
Loss on asset disposal/involuntary conversion during the Current Period includes a charge of $17 million for our jackup, the Noble David Tinsley, which experienced a “punch-through” while being positioned on location offshore Qatar. The $17 million charge includes approximately $9 million for the write-off of the damaged legs and $8 million for non-reimbursable expenses. Also, during the Current Period, we recorded a charge of $12 million for the Noble Fri Rodli, as a result of a decision to evaluate disposition alternatives for this submersible drilling unit.
Other
The following table sets forth the operating revenues and the operating costs and expenses for our other services for the six months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008:
                                 
    Six Months Ended        
    June 30,     Change  
    2009     2008     $     %  
Operating revenues:
                               
Labor contract drilling services
  $ 14,353     $ 39,149     $ (24,796 )     -63 %
Reimbursables (1)
    1,061       12,610       (11,549 )     -92 %
Other
    15       30       (15 )     -50 %
 
                       
 
  $ 15,429     $ 51,789     $ (36,360 )     -70 %
 
                       
 
                               
Operating costs and expenses:
                               
Labor contract drilling services
  $ 9,257     $ 31,884       (22,627 )     -71 %
Reimbursables (1)
    1,021       11,974       (10,953 )     -91 %
Depreciation and amortization
    4,551       3,314       1,237       37 %
Selling, general and administrative
    123       1,518       (1,395 )     -92 %
Gain on asset disposal, net
          (35,521 )     35,521       -100 %
 
                       
 
    14,952       13,169       1,783       14 %
 
                       
Operating income
  $ 477     $ 38,620     $ (38,143 )     -99 %
 
                       
 
     
(1)  
We record reimbursements from customers for out-of-pocket expenses as revenues and the related direct costs as operating expenses. Changes in the amount of these reimbursables generally do not have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Operating Revenues. Our labor contract drilling services revenues decreased in the Current Period primarily due to the sale of our North Sea labor contract drilling services business in April 2008. Additionally, during the Comparable Period, we returned the jackup Noble Kolskaya, which was operated under a bareboat charter, to its owner. The drilling contract for the Noble Kolskaya had been terminated and the jackup had been warm stacked since February 2008. Revenues during the Comparable Period related to our North Sea labor contract drilling services business and Noble Kolskaya were $22 million. Revenues associated with our Canadian labor contracts decreased $3 million from the Comparable Period due to a reduction in the number of rigs we operated under labor contracts and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.
Operating Costs and Expenses. Labor contract drilling services costs and expenses decreased due to the sale of our North Sea labor contract drilling services business and the return of the Noble Kolskaya to its owner in 2008. Expenses during the Comparable Period related to our North Sea labor contract drilling services business and Noble Kolskaya were $19 million. Operating costs associated with our Canadian labor contracts decreased $3 million from the Comparable Period due to a reduction in the number of rigs we are operating under labor contracts and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.

 

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Other Income and Expenses
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. Consolidated selling, general and administrative expenses decreased $2 million in the Current Period as compared to the Comparable Period. The decrease between periods resulted primarily from an $11 million reduction in costs incurred in the internal investigation of our Nigerian operations. This decrease was partially offset by $5 million in costs related to our recent re-domestication from the Cayman Islands to Switzerland and increases in employee-related costs totaling $4 million.
Gain on Asset Disposal, net. Gain on asset disposal, net, for the Comparable Period relates to the sale of our North Sea labor contract drilling services business in April 2008. In connection with this transaction, we recognized a gain of $35 million, net of closing costs, which included approximately $5 million in cumulative currency translation adjustments.
Interest Expense. Interest expense, net of amount capitalized decreased $1 million primarily due to lower debt levels in the Current Period than in the Comparable Period. Capitalized interest was $29 million for the Current Period as compared to $24 million for the Comparable Period.
Interest Income and Other, net. Interest income and other, net decreased $2 million in the Current Period from the Comparable Period primarily due to foreign currency exchange rate adjustments and lower yields on cash investments during the Current Period partially offset by higher average cash balances.
Income Tax Provision. The income tax provision increased $26 million primarily due to higher pre-tax earnings in the Current Period over the Comparable Period. The higher pre-tax earnings increased income tax expense by $13 million, in addition to a higher effective tax rate, 19.5 percent in the Current Period compared to 18.2 percent in the Comparable Period, which increased income tax expense by $13 million. The higher effective tax rate in the Current Period resulted from higher pre-tax earnings of U.S. owned assets, which generally have a higher statutory tax rate and lower pre-tax earnings of non-U.S. owned assets, which generally have a lower statutory tax rate.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview
Our principal capital resource in the Current Period was net cash from operating activities of $998 million, which compared to $936 million in the Comparable Period. The increase in net cash from operating activities in the Current Period was primarily attributable to higher net income. At June 30, 2009, we had cash and cash equivalents of $671 million and $600 million available under our bank credit facility described under “Credit Facility and Long-Term Debt” below. We had working capital of $1.0 billion and $561 million at June 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008, respectively. Total debt as a percentage of total debt plus shareholders’ equity was 11.0 percent at June 30, 2009 and 14.9 percent at December 31, 2008. Additionally, at June 30, 2009, we had a total contract drilling services backlog of approximately $9.6 billion. Our backlog reflects a commitment of 74 percent of operating days for the remainder of 2009 and 41 percent for 2010. See additional information regarding our backlog at “Contract Drilling Services Backlog.”
As a result of the cash generated by our operations, our cash on hand and the availability under our bank credit facility, we believe our liquidity and financial condition are sufficient to meet all of our reasonably anticipated cash flow needs for the remainder of 2009 including:
   
normal recurring operating expenses;
   
capital expenditures, including new construction and other expenditures;
   
repurchase of, and distributions on, our shares; and
   
contributions to our pension plans.
The recent worldwide financial and credit crisis has reduced the availability of capital and credit to fund the continuation and expansion of industrial business operations worldwide and could impact our liquidity and financial condition in the future. It may be difficult or more expensive for us to access the capital markets or borrow money at a time when we would like, or need, to access capital, which could have an adverse impact on our ability to react to changing economic and business conditions, and to fund our operations and capital expenditures and to make acquisitions.

 

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During the second quarter of 2009, we reached an agreement with one of our customers in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico regarding outstanding receivables owed to us, which totaled approximately $52 million at June 30, 2009. The customer has conveyed to us an overriding royalty interest (“ORRI”) as security for the outstanding receivables and has agreed to a payment plan to repay all past due amounts. Amounts received by us pursuant to the ORRI will be applied to the customer’s payment obligations under the payment plan. We have agreed that we will not sell, assign or otherwise dispose of the ORRI as long as the customer meets its payment obligations and complies with the terms of the agreement, which runs through June 2011. The customer is currently meeting its payment obligations under the agreement. The customer has a right to reacquire the ORRI at the end of the term of the agreement, or earlier, subject to certain conditions, which include the customer being current on all payment obligations. In connection with this agreement, we have reclassified the December 31, 2008 receivable balance owed to us from the customer to “Other Assets.”
Capital Expenditures
Our primary capital requirement in 2009 will be for capital expenditures. Capital expenditures totaled $526 million and $525 million for the six months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
At June 30, 2009, we had four rigs under construction, and capital expenditures for new construction in the Current Period totaled $275 million. Capital expenditures for newbuild rigs in the Current Period included $75 million for the Noble Danny Adkins, $81 million for the Noble Jim Day, $48 million for the Noble Dave Beard and $29 million for our Globetrotter-class drillship. Additionally, new construction capital expenditures for the Current Period included $42 million for our remaining newbuilds, which includes the recently completed Noble Scott Marks and Noble Hans Deul. Other capital expenditures totaled $193 million in the Current Period, which included approximately $40 million for major upgrade projects. Capitalized major maintenance expenditures, which typically occur every 3 to 5 years, totaled $58 million in the Current Period.
Our total capital expenditure budget for 2009 is approximately $1.3 billion. In connection with our 2009 and future capital expenditure programs, as of June 30, 2009, we had outstanding commitments, including shipyard and purchase commitments, for approximately $1.1 billion. Our remaining 2009 capital expenditure budget will generally be spent at our discretion. We may accelerate or delay capital projects as needed.
From time to time we consider possible projects that would require capital expenditures or other cash expenditures that are not included in our capital budget, and such unbudgeted capital or cash expenditures could be significant. In addition, we will continue to evaluate acquisitions of drilling units from time to time. Other factors that could cause actual capital expenditures to materially exceed planned capital expenditures include delays and cost overruns in shipyards (including costs attributable to labor shortages), shortages of equipment, latent damage or deterioration to hull, equipment and machinery in excess of engineering estimates and assumptions, and changes in design criteria or specifications during repair or construction.
Ordinary Share Repurchases and Dividends
Prior to the Transaction, the Board of Directors of Noble-Cayman authorized and adopted a share repurchase program, and Noble-Swiss has adopted this program. At June 30, 2009, 16.6 million registered shares remained available under this authorization. Share repurchases for the six months ended June 30, 2009 totaled 1.7 million shares and were repurchased in open market transactions for approximately $43 million. Future repurchases by Noble-Swiss will be subject to the requirements of Swiss law, including the requirement that Noble-Swiss and its subsidiaries may only repurchase shares if and to the extent that sufficient freely distributable reserves are available. Also, the aggregate par value of all Noble-Swiss registered shares held by Noble-Swiss and its subsidiaries, including treasury shares, may not exceed 10 percent of Noble-Swiss’ registered share capital without shareholder approval.
The declaration and payment of dividends in the future will depend on our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, future business prospects, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors, and must be approved in advance by our shareholders. We have proposed, and our shareholders have approved, to effect distributions on Noble-Swiss shares through a reduction in par value, which could affect the timing of the distribution payments. We may propose additional distributions in the future.

 

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Contributions to Pension Plans
In August 2006, U.S. President Bush signed into law the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (“PPA”). The PPA requires that pension plans fund towards a target of at least 100 percent with a transition through 2011 and increases the amount we are allowed to contribute to our U.S. pension plans in the near term. During the six months ended June 30, 2009 and 2008, we made contributions to our pension plans totaling $1 million and $17 million, respectively. We expect the minimum aggregate contributions to our non-U.S. and U.S. plans in 2009, subject to applicable law, to be $6 million. We continue to monitor and evaluate funding options based upon market conditions and may increase contributions at our discretion.
Credit Facility and Long-Term Debt
We have a $600 million unsecured bank credit facility (the “Credit Facility”), which was originally scheduled to mature on March 15, 2012. During the first quarter of 2008, the term of the Credit Facility was extended for an additional one-year period to March 15, 2013. During this one-year extension period, the total amount available under the Credit Facility will be $575 million, but we have the right to seek an increase of the total amount available during that period to $600 million. We may, subject to certain conditions, request that the term of the Credit Facility be further extended for an additional one-year period. Our subsidiary, Noble Drilling Corporation (“Noble Drilling”), has guaranteed the obligations under the Credit Facility. Pursuant to the terms of the Credit Facility, we may, subject to certain conditions, elect to increase the amount available up to $800 million. Borrowings under the Credit Facility will bear interest (i) at the sum of Adjusted LIBOR (as defined in the Credit Facility) plus the Applicable Margin (as defined in the Credit Facility; 0.235 percent based on our current credit ratings), or (ii) at the base rate, determined as the greater of the prime rate for U.S. Dollar loans announced by Citibank, N.A. in New York or the sum of the weighted average overnight federal funds rate published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York plus 0.50 percent. The Credit Facility contains various covenants, including a debt to total tangible capitalization covenant that limits this ratio to 0.60. As of June 30, 2009, our ratio of debt to total tangible capitalization was 0.11. In addition, the Credit Facility includes restrictions on certain fundamental changes such as mergers, unless we are the surviving entity or the other party assumes the obligations under the Credit Facility, and the ability to sell or transfer all or substantially all of our assets unless to a subsidiary. The Credit Facility also limits our subsidiaries’ additional indebtedness, excluding intercompany advances and loans, to 10 percent of our consolidated net assets, as defined in the Credit Facility, unless a subsidiary guarantee is issued to the parent company borrower. There are also restrictions on our incurring or assuming additional liens in certain circumstances. We were in compliance with all covenants under the Credit Facility at June 30, 2009. As of June 30, 2009, we had no amounts outstanding under the Credit Facility. We continually monitor compliance under our Credit Facility covenants and, based on our expectations for 2009, expect to remain in compliance.
The Credit Facility provides us with the ability to issue up to $150 million in letters of credit. While the issuance of letters of credit does not increase our borrowings outstanding, it does reduce the amount available. At June 30, 2009, we had no borrowing or letters of credit outstanding under the Credit Facility. We believe that we maintain good relationships with our lenders under the Credit Facility, and we believe that our lenders have the liquidity and capability to perform should the need arise for us to draw on the Credit Facility.
The indentures governing our outstanding senior unsecured notes contain covenants that place restrictions on certain merger and consolidation transactions, unless we are the surviving entity or the other party assumes the obligations under the indenture, and on the ability to sell or transfer all or substantially all of our assets. In addition, there are restrictions on incurring or assuming certain liens and sale and lease-back transactions. At June 30, 2009, we were in compliance with all our debt covenants. We continually monitor compliance with the covenants under our notes and, based on our expectations for the remainder of 2009, expect to remain in compliance during the year.
At June 30, 2009, we had letters of credit of $89 million and performance and tax assessment bonds totaling $301 million supported by surety bonds outstanding. Of the letters of credit outstanding, $47 million were issued to support bank bonds in connection with our drilling units in Nigeria. Additionally, certain of our subsidiaries issue, from time to time, guarantees of the temporary import status of rigs or equipment imported into certain countries in which we operate. These guarantees are issued in lieu of payment of custom, value added or similar taxes in those countries.

 

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Our debt decreased to $751 million at June 30, 2009 from $923 million (including current maturities of $173 million) at December 31, 2008, primarily due to the repayment of $173 million principal amount of maturing notes during the first quarter of 2009. Repayments of maturing notes were made with cash on hand at maturity. Other than our outstanding letters of credit and surety bonds discussed above, at June 30, 2009, we had no other off-balance sheet debt or other off-balance sheet arrangements. For additional information on our long-term debt, see Note 5 to our accompanying consolidated financial statements.
New Accounting Pronouncements
In April 2009, the FASB issued FSP No. FAS 107-1 and APB 28-1, “Interim Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments,” which requires disclosures about fair value of financial instruments for interim reporting periods. This guidance is effective for interim reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009 and applies to our disclosures beginning with our second fiscal quarter of 2009. Our adoption of this FSP did not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
In April 2009, the FASB also issued FSP No. FAS 157-4, “Determining Fair Value When the Volume and Level of Activity for the Asset or Liability Have Significantly Decreased and Identifying Transactions That Are Not Orderly,” which provides additional guidance for estimating fair value when the volume and level of activity for the asset or liability have significantly decreased. This guidance is effective for interim reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009 and applies to our disclosures beginning with our second fiscal quarter of 2009. Our adoption of this FSP did not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
Also in April 2009, the FASB issued FSP No. FAS 115-2 and FAS 124-2, “Recognition and Presentation of Other-Than-Temporary Impairments,” which amends the other-than-temporary impairment guidance for debt securities to make the guidance more operational and to improve the presentation and disclosure of other-than-temporary impairments on debt and equity securities in the financial statements. This guidance is effective for interim reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009 and applies to our disclosures beginning with our second fiscal quarter of 2009. Our adoption of this FSP did not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
In May 2009, the FASB issued SFAS No. 165, “Subsequent Events,” which expands disclosures of subsequent events and requires management to disclose the date through which subsequent events have been evaluated. This guidance is effective for interim reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009 and applies to our disclosures beginning with our second fiscal quarter of 2009. Our adoption of SFAS No. 165 did not have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
In June 2009, the FASB issued the following:
   
SFAS No. 166, “Accounting for Transfers of Financial Assets — an Amendment to FASB Statement No. 140,” which expands disclosures that a reporting entity provides about transfers of financial assets and its effect on the financial statements. This guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after November 15, 2009.
   
SFAS No. 167, “Amendments to FASB Interpretation No. 46(R),” which revises how an entity evaluates variable interest entities. This guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods beginning after November 15, 2009.
   
SFAS No. 168, “The FASB Accounting Standards Codification and the Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles—a replacement of FASB Statement No. 162,” which modifies the GAAP hierarchy and how authoritative guidance is referenced in financial statements. This guidance is effective for annual and interim reporting periods ending after September 15, 2009.
We do not expect our adoption of these new accounting pronouncements will have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

 

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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Market risk is the potential for loss due to a change in the value of a financial instrument as a result of fluctuations in interest rates, currency exchange rates or equity prices, as further described below.
Interest Rate Risk
We are subject to market risk exposure related to changes in interest rates on borrowings under the Credit Facility. Interest on borrowings under the Credit Facility is at an agreed upon percentage point spread over LIBOR, or a base rate stated in the agreement. At June 30, 2009, we had no amounts outstanding under the Credit Facility.
Foreign Currency Risk
Although we conduct business globally, a substantial majority of the value of our foreign transactions are denominated in U.S. Dollars. With certain exceptions, typically involving national oil companies, we structure our drilling contracts entirely in U.S. Dollars to mitigate our exposure to fluctuations in foreign currencies. Other than trade accounts receivable and trade accounts payable, which mostly offset one another, we do not currently have material amounts of assets, liabilities, or financial instruments that are sensitive to foreign currency exchange rates.
We periodically enter into derivative instruments to manage our exposure to fluctuations in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, and we may conduct hedging activities in future periods to mitigate such exposure. We have documented policies and procedures to monitor and control the use of derivative instruments. We do not engage in derivative transactions for speculative or trading purposes, nor are we a party to leveraged derivatives.
Our North Sea operations have a significant amount of their cash operating expenses payable in either the Euro or British Pound, and we typically maintain forward contracts settling monthly in Euro and British Pounds. The Euro-denominated forward currency contracts settling in the remainder of 2009 represent approximately 61 percent of our forecasted Euro requirements. The British Pound-denominated forward contracts settling in the remainder of 2009 represent approximately 61 percent of our forecasted British Pound requirements. The notional amount of forward contracts outstanding at June 30, 2009 was approximately 11 million Euros and 20 million British Pounds. The aggregate notional amount of these forward contracts, expressed in U.S. Dollars, was $45 million at June 30, 2009. The fair market value of these outstanding forward contracts was $3 million at June 30, 2009. A ten percent change in exchange rates for the Euro and British Pound would change the fair value of these forward contracts by approximately $5 million.
We have entered into a firm commitment for the construction of a newbuild drillship. The drillship will be constructed in two phases, with the second phase being installation and commissioning of the topside equipment. Our payment obligation for this second phase of construction is denominated in Euros, and in order to mitigate the risk of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, we entered into forward contracts to purchase Euros. As of June 30, 2009, the aggregate notional amount of the remaining forward contracts was 70 million Euros. Each forward contract settles in connection with required payments under the contract. We are accounting for these forward contracts as fair value hedges under Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, as amended (“SFAS No. 133”). The fair market value of those derivative instruments is included in “Other current assets/liabilities” or “Other assets/liabilities,” depending on when the forward contract is expected to be settled. Gains and losses from these fair value hedges are recognized in earnings currently along with the change in fair value of the hedged item attributable to the risk being hedged. The fair market value of these outstanding forward contracts, which are included in “Other current liabilities” and “Other liabilities,” totaled approximately $3 million at June 30, 2009. A ten percent change in exchange rates for the Euro would change the fair value of these forward contracts by approximately $10 million.

 

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Market Risk
We sponsor the Noble Drilling Corporation 401(k) Savings Restoration Plan (“Restoration Plan”). The Restoration Plan is a nonqualified, unfunded employee benefit plan under which certain highly compensated employees may elect to defer compensation in excess of amounts deferrable under our 401(k) savings plan. The Restoration Plan has no assets, and amounts withheld for the Restoration Plan are kept by us for general corporate purposes. The investments selected by employees and the associated returns are tracked on a phantom basis. Accordingly, we have a liability to employees for amounts originally withheld plus phantom investment income or less phantom investment losses. We are at risk for phantom investment income and, conversely, benefit should phantom investment losses occur. At June 30, 2009, our liability under the Restoration Plan totaled $7 million. During 2008, we purchased investments that closely correlate to the investment elections made by participants in the Restoration Plan in order to mitigate the impact of the phantom investment income and losses on our financial statements. The value of these investments held for our benefit totaled $7 million at June 30, 2009. A ten percent change in the fair value of the phantom investments would change our liability by approximately $1 million. Any change in the fair value of the phantom investments would be mitigated by a change in the investments held for our benefit.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, David W. Williams, and Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Controller, Thomas L. Mitchell, have evaluated the disclosure controls and procedures for each of Noble-Swiss and Noble-Cayman as of the end of the period covered by this report. On the basis of this evaluation, Mr. Williams and Mr. Mitchell have concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures for each of Noble-Swiss and Noble-Cayman were effective as of June 30, 2009. These disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by each of Noble-Swiss and Noble-Cayman in the reports that they file with or submit to the SEC is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and is accumulated and communicated to management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
There was no change in either Noble-Swiss’ or Noble-Cayman’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended June 30, 2009 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the internal control over financial reporting of each of Noble-Swiss or Noble-Cayman.

 

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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
Information regarding legal proceedings is set forth in Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 1 of Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
There have been no material changes from the risk factors as previously disclosed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 filed by Noble-Cayman in response to Item 1A of Part I of Form 10-K and in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2009 filed by Noble-Swiss and Noble-Cayman in response to Item 1A of Part II of Form 10-Q.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
The following table sets forth for the periods indicated certain information with respect to purchases by Noble-Swiss of shares:
                                 
                    Total Number of     Maximum Number  
                    Shares Purchased     of Shares that May  
    Total Number     Average     as Part of Publicly     Yet Be Purchased  
    of Shares     Price Paid     Announced Plans     Under the Plans  
Period   Purchased     per Share     or Programs     or Programs (1)  
 
                               
April 2009
          n/a             16,619,891  
May 2009
    483 (2)   $ 27.89 (2)           16,619,891  
June 2009
          n/a             16,619,891  
     
(1)  
All share purchases have been made in the open market and were pursuant to the share repurchase program which our Board of Directors authorized and adopted and that we announced on January 31, 2002. Our repurchase program has no date of expiration.
 
(2)  
Includes 483 registered shares at an average price of $27.89 per share acquired by surrender to us by employees for withholding taxes payable upon the vesting of restricted stock.

 

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ITEM 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
  (a)  
The general meeting of shareholders of Noble-Swiss was held on May 28, 2009.
 
  (b)  
Proxies were solicited by the board of directors of Noble-Swiss pursuant to Regulation 14A under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
 
     
There was no solicitation in opposition to the board of directors’ nominees for election as directors, Julie H. Edwards, Marc E. Leland and David W. Williams, each an incumbent director, and they were duly re-elected. The terms of Michael A. Cawley, Jack E. Little, Lawrence J. Chazen and Mary P. Ricciardello, each an incumbent director, continued following the annual general meeting.
 
  (c)  
Out of a total of 261,249,501 registered shares of Noble-Swiss outstanding and entitled to vote at the meeting, 188,426,950 shares were present in person or by proxy, representing a majority of the outstanding shares. Four matters, as fully described in the proxy statement for the general meeting, were voted on by shareholders.
 
     
The first matter voted on was the approval for the payment of a dividend through a reduction of the par value of the shares in an aggregate amount of Swiss francs 0.25 per share. The results of the voting on this proposal were as follows:
                     
For:
  187,564,441   Against:   608,735   Abstain:   253,774
The second matter voted on was the election of three directors to serve three-year terms on the board of directors of Noble-Swiss. The results of voting were as follows:
                 
            Number of Shares  
            WITHHOLDING  
    Number of Shares     AUTHORITY  
    Voting FOR     to Vote for  
Nominee for Re-election   Re-election as     Re-election as  
as Director   Director     Director  
Julie H. Edwards
    186,580,424       1,846,526  
Marc E. Leland
    185,719,142       2,707,808  
David W. Williams
    185,861,632       2,565,318  
The third matter voted on was the approval of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as independent registered public accounting firm for 2009. The results of the voting on this proposal were as follows:
                     
For:
  165,164,737   Against:   23,051,503   Abstain:   210,710
The fourth matter voted on was the approval to amend Article 21 paragraph 1(d) of the Articles of Association in order to limit the changes to authorized and conditional capital that require approval of at least two-thirds of the shares represented at a general meeting to an increase in the amount of the authorized or conditional share capital. The results of the voting on this proposal were as follows:
                     
For:   150,444,874   Against:   863,849   Abstain:   190,878
(d) Inapplicable.
Item 6. Exhibits
The information required by this Item 6 is set forth in the Index to Exhibits accompanying this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
         
Noble Corporation, a Swiss corporation
       
 
       
/s/ David W. Williams
 
David W. Williams
  August 7, 2009
 
Date
   
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
       
 
       
/s/ Thomas L. Mitchell
 
Thomas L. Mitchell
       
Senior Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Controller
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
       
 
       
Noble Corporation, a Cayman Islands company
       
 
       
/s/ David W. Williams
  August 7, 2009    
 
       
David W. Williams
President and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
  Date    
 
       
/s/ Thomas L. Mitchell
 
Thomas L. Mitchell
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer,
Treasurer and Controller
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
       

 

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Index to Exhibits
         
Exhibit    
Number   Exhibit
       
 
  2.1    
Agreement and Plan of Merger, Reorganization and Consolidation, dated as of December 19, 2008, among Noble Corporation, a Swiss corporation (“Noble-Swiss”), Noble Corporation, a Cayman Islands company (“Noble-Cayman”), and Noble Cayman Acquisition Ltd. (filed as Exhibit 1.1 to Noble-Cayman’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 22, 2008 and incorporated herein by reference).
       
 
  2.2    
Amendment No. 1 to Agreement and Plan of Merger, Reorganization and Consolidation, dated as of February 4, 2009, among Noble-Swiss, Noble-Cayman and Noble Cayman Acquisition Ltd. (filed as Exhibit 2.2 to Noble-Cayman’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 4, 2009 and incorporated herein by reference).
       
 
  3.1    
Articles of Association of Noble-Swiss (filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Noble-Swiss’ Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 27, 2009 and incorporated herein by reference).
       
 
  3.2    
By-laws of Noble-Swiss (filed as Exhibit 3.2 to Noble-Swiss’ Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 27, 2009 and incorporated herein by reference).
       
 
  3.3    
Memorandum and Articles of Association of Noble-Cayman (filed as Exhibit 3.1 to Noble-Cayman’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 30, 2009 and incorporated herein by reference).
       
 
  4.1    
Form of Limited Consent of Noble-Cayman (filed as Exhibit 1.1 to Noble-Cayman’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 21, 2009 and incorporated herein by reference).
       
 
  10.1*    
Noble Corporation 2009 Short Term Incentive Plan
       
 
  31.1    
Certification of David W. Williams Pursuant to the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a), for Noble-Swiss and for Noble-Cayman.
       
 
  31.2    
Certification of Thomas L. Mitchell Pursuant to the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a), for Noble-Swiss and for Noble-Cayman.
       
 
  32.1+    
Certification of David W. Williams Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, for Noble-Swiss and for Noble-Cayman.
       
 
  32.2+    
Certification of Thomas L. Mitchell Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, for Noble-Swiss and for Noble-Cayman.
       
 
  101+    
Interactive Data File
 
     
*  
Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement required to be filed as an exhibit hereto.
 
+  
Furnished in accordance with Item 601(b)(32)(ii) of Regulation S-K.

 

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