Jon A Marshall News

Transocean Inc. and GlobalSantaFe Corporation said that their boards of directors have unanimously approved a definitive agreement for a merger of equals. Based upon closing prices for each company's ordinary shares as of July 20, 2007, the estimated enterprise value of the combined company would be approximately $53 billion. The combined company, to be known as Transocean Inc., will retain principal offices in Houston and trade on the New York Stock Exchange with the symbol RIG. Under the terms of the agreement, Transocean shareholders will receive $33.03 in cash and 0.6996 shares of the combined company for each share of Transocean they own. GlobalSantaFe shareholders will receive $22.46 in cash and 0.4757 shares of the combined company for each share of GlobalSantaFe they own.

Keppel FELS Ltd (Keppel FELS) has secured a contract with GlobalSantaFe Corporation (GSF) to build an ultra-deepwater drilling rig for $270 million. Under the contract agreement, GSF will supply the drilling and sub-sea equipment while Keppel FELS provides the design, engineering and construction of the hull as well as the accommodation quarters for 180 men and marine equipment. The rig, to be named the GSF Development Driller III, is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2009. GSF has chosen to build the state-of-the-art semisubmersible (semi) to the proprietary design, DSS-51, jointly designed and developed by Keppel’s Deepwater Technology Group (DTG) and Marine Structure Consultants (MSC).

GlobalSantaFe Corporation has taken delivery of its new, high- performance jackup rig, Constellation I. Equipped with a dual activity pipe handling system and state-of-the-art drilling capabilities, the rig is designed to reduce critical path time to drill wells. Constructed in the PPL Shipyard in Singapore, the Constellation I is capable of drilling to 30,000 feet in water depths of up to 400 feet. A 75-foot reach cantilever with a combined drilling load capacity of 2.6 million pounds, enables the rig to operate over a large drilling pattern. The Constellation II, an identical rig, is scheduled to be delivered in the first quarter of 2004.

GlobalSantaFe Corporation announced that its board of directors has elected Jon A. Marshall as president and chief executive officer of the company. In addition, Mr. Marshall was elected a director at the company's annual meeting of shareholders. Mr. Marshall, who previously held the title of chief operating officer, succeeds C. Stedman "Sted" Garber, Jr., who, earlier this year, announced his intention to retire from his position as president, chief executive officer and a director. Marshall joined the company in 1979 and has held numerous operational and management roles over his 24-year career. In 1992, he became president of Applied Drilling Technology Inc. (ADTI), the company's turnkey drilling service subsidiary and Challenger Minerals Inc.