HOUSTON, June 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ATWOOD
OCEANICS, INC., (NYSE: ATW) a Houston-based International Drilling
Contractor, announced that the ATWOOD BEACON (owned and operated by
our wholly-owned subsidiary, Atwood Oceanics Pacific Limited) has
been awarded a contract by Edison International S.p.A.
(Ivory Coast Branch) ("EDISON") to
drill one (1) well offshore Ivory
Coast at an operating dayrate of around $115,000. The drilling program (including
mobilization) is expected to take around 70 days to complete.
The rig is expected to complete its current drilling program
with Hess Equatorial Guinea, Inc. on June
17, 2010 and is expected to be on zero rate from that date
until it commences the Edison contract in early July 2010. Edison will provide the tow
vessel and pay a dayrate of around $110,000 for the estimated eight (8) days
required to relocate the rig from Equatorial Guinea to the Ivory Coast.
Statements contained in this report with respect to the
future are forward-looking statements. These statements
reflect management's reasonable judgment with respect to future
events. Forward-looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from
those anticipated as a result of various factors including; the
Company's dependence on the oil and gas industry; the risks
involved in the construction of a rig and commencement of
operations of the rig following delivery; competition; operating
risks; risks involved in foreign operations; risks associated with
possible disruption in operations due to terrorism, acts of piracy,
embargoes, war or other military operations; and governmental
regulations and environmental matters. A list of additional
risk factors can be found in the Company's annual report on Form
10-K for the year ended September 30,
2009, filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
SOURCE Atwood Oceanics, Inc.