Noble Corp. Orders Ultra-Deepwater Drillship

Noble Drilling Holding has signed contracts for the construction of a new, dynamically positioned, ultra-deepwater, harsh environment Globetrotter class drillship with 's STX Heavy Industries Co., LTD (STX) and Dutch-based design and construction firm Huisman Equipment B.V.

The drillship will be built on a fixed-price basis in two phases.

Following construction of the hull and installation of the propulsion system by STX at their new state-of-the-art facility in , , the to-be-named drillship will sail under its own power to the where Huisman will complete the installation and commissioning of the topside equipment. The delivered cost of the drillship, excluding capitalized interest, is estimated to be $585 million, with delivery scheduled for the second half of 2011. Additionally, Noble has secured priced options for three additional Globetrotter drillships exercisable by Noble over the next 90, 120 and 180 days, respectively, from the date of contract execution.