Noble Corporation to Construct Two New Drillships

Noble Corporation NE today announced that a subsidiary has signed a contract with Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. ("H for the construction of two ultra-deepwater drillships, increasing the Company's number of floating drilling units to 26, 14 of which are dynamically positioned. The new ultra-deepwater drillships, to be named at a later date, will be constructed on a fixed price basis at HHI's shipyard in Ulsan, Korea, with expected deliveries from the shipyard in the second and fourth quarters of 2013, respectively. Operations are expected to commence 90-120 days after delivery following mobilization and acceptance testing. The delivered cost of the new drillships is expected to be $605 million each, and includes the turnkey construction contract, Company furnished equipment, project management and spares, but excludes capitalized interest. The construction contract contains favorable payment terms that incentivize on-time delivery. The contract further includes a fixed price option for up to two additional drillships, which must be declared by early May 2011 for delivery in 2014.