David G Williams News

The Naval Academy says that an estimated 30,000 people filled the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, to witness the swearing in of the U.S. military's newest officers. The Naval Academy Class of 2014 graduated 1,068 men and women, including 784 Navy ensigns and 265 Marine Corps second lieutenants. Graduating first in the class is Marine 2nd Lt. David F. Williams, of Roanoke, Virginia, a political science and economics major who will serve as a Marine ground officer after finishing a master's degree in Latin American studies at the University of Cambridge, England. The class included 12 foreign exchange students from Brunei, Ecuador, Georgia, Jamaica, Lebanon, Lithuania, Maldives, Panama, and Taiwan.

Noble Corporation has reported fourth quarter 2013 net income of $174 million, or $0.68 per diluted share. Results for the fourth quarter included an after tax charge of $36 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, relating to an impairment taken on the FPSO Seillean. Excluding the impairment charge, net income for the fourth quarter would have totaled $210 million, or $0.82 per diluted share. For the third quarter of 2013, the Company reported net income of $282 million, or $1.10 per diluted share, which included after tax gains totaling approximately $63 million, or $0.25 per diluted share.

Offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry, Noble Corp., reports that (excluding a sale transaction mentioned below, settlement and asset impairment charge), third quarter 2013 earnings were $219 million, or $0.85 per diluted share. The results compared to $177 million, or $0.69 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2013 and $115 million, or $0.45 per diluted share for the third quarter of 2012. Results for the quarter included the sale of the jackup rig Noble Lewis Dugger…

Noble Corporation's Board of Directors has approved changing the place of incorporation of the publicly traded parent of the Noble group of companies from Switzerland to the United Kingdom. The Company's shareholders will be asked to vote to approve the proposed change. If approved by shareholders, Noble expects the change of the place of incorporation to be effective as soon as practicable following the merger of Noble Corporation, the current Swiss parent company, into a newly formed company incorporated under English law.

At the 150th Annual Meeting of the Members of ABS, three industry leaders were elected to the ABS Council. Following the Annual Meeting, the ABS Council met and elected industry leaders to both its Marine and Offshore Technical Committees. Individuals serving on the ABS Council and the Technical Committees help guide the class society in fulfilling its mission of promoting the security of life, property and the natural environment. “Classification represents the concept of self-regulation for the marine and offshore industry,” said ABS President and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki.

Noble Corporation (NYSE: NE) today announced that a subsidiary has signed a contract with Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. ("HHI") 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.

Noble Corporation (NYSE:NE) announced that it has closed its acquisition of FDR Holdings Limited (Frontier). The acquisition of Frontier, formerly an independent drilling company, and previously announced agreements with Shell increase Noble's drilling fleet size to 69 from 62 units, with the addition of three dynamically positioned drillships (including two Bully-class joint venture-owned ultra-deepwater rigs under construction), two conventionally moored drillships, including one which is Arctic-class, and a conventionally moored deepwater semisubmersible drilling rig. Additionally, as a result of this acquisition, Noble will own and operate a dynamically positioned floating production, storage, offloading vessel (FPSO).

Noble Corporation reported 4Q 2007 earnings of $347.4 million, or $1.29 per diluted share, versus $199.7 million, or $0.74 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2006. Per-share earnings were up 74 percent from the fourth quarter of 2006 and up nine percent from the $1.18 per share reported for the third quarter of 2007. Earnings for the full year 2007 totaled $4.48 per diluted share compared with $2.66 per diluted share in 2006 (split adjusted). The results for the 2007 fourth quarter include a net after-tax charge of $0.06 per share related to the previously reported fire aboard the drillship Noble Roger Eason and costs associated with the ongoing independent investigation of the Company's Nigerian operations, offset by an insurance recovery on our 2005 Hurricane claims.

David G. Williams, a Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard and the Main Propulsion Assistant for the Coast Guard Cutter RUSH, was indicted by a federal grand jury for obstructing the investigation into his authorization of the direct overboard discharge of bilge wastes through the deep sink into the Honolulu Harbor, announced Ronald J. Tenpas, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment & Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Edward H. Kubo Jr. Williams was charged with two counts: one count of obstruction of justice and one count of making a false statement. As the Main Propulsion Assistant…

Florida's West Coast premier designer and builder of luxury yachts has expanded its services with the introduction of a new luxury catamaran series. Trident Shipworks Incorporated is working in conjunction with Royal Crown Yachts, Inc. to develop customized high-performance luxury catamarans. Stephen R. Nichols, President of Trident Shipworks, said, "Joining forces was a natural fit as well as a great opportunity for both companies. We have assembled a team of renowned experts who have created a new catamaran series that offers unparalleled riding comfort, range, safety, and styling. Trident Shipworks is a premier designer and builder of handcrafted high- tech composite state-of-the-art mega yachts.