Pride International Inc News

South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries Co. (SHI) has agreed to pay $75 million in penalties to avoid prosecution in the United States over its scheme to pay millions of dollars in bribes to Brazilian officials to win a contract.“Samsung Heavy Industries paid millions of dollars to a Brazilian intermediary, knowing that some of that money would be used to bribe high-level executives at Petrobras and obtain a lucrative shipbuilding contract,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s resolution is yet one more example of the Department’s continued commitment…

Pride International, Inc. (NYSE: PDE) announced that the company has reached agreement with Samsung Heavy Industries, Ltd. (SHI) for the construction of a fifth ultra-deepwater drillship, further expanding the company's ultra-deepwater fleet size and drilling capabilities. Consistent with the company's previous four ultra-deepwater drillships ordered since 2007, the new unit will be constructed on a fixed price basis at the SHI shipyard in Geoje, South Korea, with an expected delivery in mid-2013. The rig will be equipped with some of the most technically advanced well construction features available in the offshore drilling industry…

Pride International, Inc. (NYSE: PDE) announced the dedication of the second of its four new deepwater drillships under construction by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea, the Deep Ocean Clarion. The company is expected to take delivery of the rig in September 2010, followed by the mobilization of the rig to the U.S. Gulf of Mexico where it is expected to commence operations in the first quarter of 2011 under a five year contract with BP. In a shipyard ceremony, Louis A. Raspino, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pride International, Inc., commented, "The addition of the Deep Ocean Clarion to our fleet further strengthens Pride's presence in the deepwater. These drillships represent the best, most technologically advanced generation of rigs.

At the recent ABS Council meeting in N.Y., 40 prominent members of the shipping and offshore industries were elected as new members of the international classification society. The ABS Council also elected two new members to the society’s Technical Committee. “ABS governance is vested in a membership comprised of distinguished individuals drawn from the international shipping, shipbuilding and offshore industries, from academia, the insurance sector and other related disciplines,” said ABS Chairman and CEO Robert D. Somerville. Akimitsu Ashida, President, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. Noel L. Captain Ali M. Belhag, Chairman, GNMTC – General National Maritime Transport Co. Joseph L. Takatoshi Funada, President, Funada Kaiun Co., Ltd. Kevin M.

Pride International, Inc. (NYSE: PDE) reported income from continuing operations for the three months ended June 30, 2009 of $121.8 million, or $0.69 per diluted share. The second quarter results compared to income from continuing operations of $153.1 million, or $0.87 per diluted share, for the corresponding three months in 2008. Results for the second quarter of 2008 included a net after-tax gain of $11.8 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, relating primarily to the sale of the company's platform rig fleet. Revenues during the second quarter of 2009 totaled $500.7 million compared to $541.5 million during the second quarter of 2008. Louis A.

Pride International is continuing the expansion of its deepwater fleet, following a multi-year contract award from a subsidiary of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) for the construction and operation of an advanced-capability, ultra-deepwater drillship in support of Petrobras's international exploration and development drilling projects. The ultra-deepwater drillship, to be built at the Samsung Heavy Industries, Co. Ltd. (SHI) shipyard in Geoje, South Korea on a fixed-price basis…

Coastal Petroleum Company said Florida's First District Court of Appeal denied motions by the State and certain environmental groups asking for a rehearing of the Court's decision of Oct. 6, 1999. The Court also affirmed that the Florida circuit court was the proper venue to determine the issue of the State's taking of Coastal's property. In its October decision, the Court said, "There is no dispute that (Coastal) has a viable contract with the State of Florida to explore for and extract oil from submerged sovereignty lands. DEP's interpretation and application of the permitting statute, based on its determination that there is a compelling public purpose in not allowing (Coastal) to drill offshore, effectively prevents the appellant from exercising its rights under the contract.

Pride International, Inc. (NYSE:PDE) announced the appointment of Robert G. Phillips to the company's board of directors. Over the past 26 years, Mr. Phillips has served in numerous senior management positions in the oil and gas industry, most recently until June 2007 as president and chief executive officer and a director of the general partner of Enterprise Oil Products Partners L.P. (Enterprise). Mr. Phillips also served as chief executive officer of the general partner of GulfTerra Energy Partners, L.P. from 1999 to 2004 prior to its acquisition by Enterprise, and held numerous management positions with El Paso Corporation and its affiliated companies, including president of El Paso Field Services Company from 1996 to 2004. From 1981 to 1995, Mr.

Transocean Inc. announced that a license agreement has been executed by wholly owned subsidiaries of Transocean and Pride International, Inc. (NYSE:PDE). In the agreement, the Transocean subsidiary granted the Pride subsidiary a worldwide and non-exclusive license to utilize Transocean's patents for offshore dual activity drilling methods and structures. In return, the Pride subsidiary agreed to pay the Transocean subsidiary $10 million for the first dual activity rig that Pride builds in a patented country, plus a five percent royalty on dayrate revenue generated by that rig in any patented country. The Pride subsidiary agreed to pay the Transocean subsidiary an additional $15 million for each subsequent dual activity rig that Pride builds in any patented country…