Dryships to Raise Stockmarket Cash

Greece's DryShips Inc. is to offer the public 5-million of the common shares it holds in Ocean Rig UDW.

Following the completion of the offering, DryShips is expected to own approximately 61.3% of Ocean Rig’s outstanding shares (Ocean Rig is a provider of offshore deepwater drilling services). Deutsche Bank Securities and Credit Suisse are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering.

DryShips Inc. is an owner of drybulk carriers and tankers that operate worldwide. Through its majority owned subsidiary, Ocean Rig UDW Inc., DryShips owns and operates 10 offshore ultra deepwater drilling units, comprising of 2 ultra deepwater semisubmersible drilling rigs and 8 ultra deepwater drillships, 3 of which remain to be delivered to Ocean Rig during 2013 and 1 is scheduled for delivery during 2015.

DryShips owns a fleet of 46 drybulk carriers (including newbuildings), comprising 12 Capesize, 28 Panamax, 2 Supramax and 4 newbuilding Very Large Ore Carriers (VLOC) with a combined deadweight tonnage of approximately 5.1 million tons, and 10 tankers (including newbuildings), comprising 4 Suezmax and 6 Aframax, with a combined deadweight tonnage of over 1.3 million tons.