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Nature of Business
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2013
Nature of Business  
Nature of Business
Note 1—Nature of Business
 
Transocean Ltd. (together with its subsidiaries and predecessors, unless the context requires otherwise, “Transocean,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”) is a leading international provider of offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells.  We specialize in technically demanding sectors of the offshore drilling business with a particular focus on deepwater and harsh environment drilling services.  Our mobile offshore drilling fleet is considered one of the most versatile fleets in the world.  We contract our drilling rigs, related equipment and work crews predominantly on a dayrate basis to drill oil and gas wells.  At September 30, 2013, we owned or had partial ownership interests in and operated 80 mobile offshore drilling units associated with our continuing operations.  At September 30, 2013, our fleet consisted of 46 High-Specification Floaters (Ultra-Deepwater, Deepwater and Harsh Environment semisubmersibles and drillships), 23 Midwater Floaters, and 11 High-Specification Jackups.  At September 30, 2013, we also had six Ultra-Deepwater drillships and one High-Specification Jackup under construction or under contract to be constructed.  See Note 9—Drilling Fleet.
 
We also provide oil and gas drilling management services, drilling engineering and drilling project management services outside the United States (“U.S.”) through Applied Drilling Technology Inc., our wholly owned subsidiary, and through ADT International, a division of one of our United Kingdom (“U.K.”) subsidiaries (together, “ADTI”).  ADTI conducts drilling management services primarily either on a dayrate or on a completed-project, fixed-price or turnkey basis.
 
In November 2012, in connection with our efforts to dispose of non-strategic assets and to reduce our exposure to low-specification drilling units, we completed the sale of 38 drilling units to Shelf Drilling Holdings, Ltd. (together with its affiliates, “Shelf Drilling”).  See Note 7—Discontinued Operations.