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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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FORM 10-K

(Mark one)

☑  ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

OR

☐  TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from _____ to _____

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Commission file number 001-38373

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TRANSOCEAN LTD.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: +41 (41) 749-0500

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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.   Yes ☑   No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.   Yes ☐   No ☑

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.   Yes ☑   No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).   Yes ☑   No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer ☑ Accelerated filer ☐ Non-accelerated filer ☐
Smaller reporting company ☐ Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☑

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).   Yes ☐   No ☑ 

As of June 30, 2023, 766,655,180 shares were outstanding and the aggregate market value of shares held by non-affiliates was approximately $5.37 billion (based on the reported closing market price of the shares of Transocean Ltd. on June 30, 2023 of $7.01 per share and assuming that all directors and executive officers of the Company are “affiliates,” although the Company does not acknowledge that any such person is actually an “affiliate” within the meaning of the federal securities laws).  As of February 14, 2024, 809,030,846 shares were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of December 31, 2023, for its 2024 annual general meeting of shareholders, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

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TRANSOCEAN LTD. AND SUBSIDIARIES

INDEX TO ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023

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Forward-Looking Information

The statements included in this annual report regarding future financial performance and results of operations and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the United States (“U.S.”) Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  Forward-looking statements in this annual report include, but are not limited to, statements about the following subjects:

Forward-looking statements in this annual report are identifiable by use of the following words and other similar expressions:

Such statements are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, but not limited to:

The foregoing risks and uncertainties are beyond our ability to control, and in many cases, we cannot predict the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements.  Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated.  All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or to persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by reference to these risks and uncertainties.  You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.  Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement.  We expressly disclaim any obligations or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in our expectations or beliefs with regard to the statement or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any forward-looking statement is based, except as required by law.

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PART I

Item 1.Business

Overview

Transocean Ltd. (together with its subsidiaries and predecessors, unless the context requires otherwise, “Transocean,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”) is a leading international provider of offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells.  As of February 14, 2024, we owned or had partial ownership interests in and operated 37 mobile offshore drilling units, consisting of 28 ultra-deepwater floaters and nine harsh environment floaters.  Additionally, as of February 14, 2024, we were constructing one ultra-deepwater drillship.

We provide, as our primary business, contract drilling services in a single operating segment, which involves contracting our mobile offshore drilling rigs, related equipment and work crews to drill oil and gas wells.  We specialize in technically demanding regions of the global offshore drilling business with a particular focus on ultra-deepwater and harsh environment drilling services.  Our drilling fleet is one of the most versatile fleets in the world, consisting of drillships and semisubmersible floaters used in support of offshore drilling activities and offshore support services on a worldwide basis.

Transocean Ltd. is a Swiss corporation with its registered office in Steinhausen, Canton of Zug and with principal executive offices located at Turmstrasse 30, 6312 Steinhausen, Switzerland.  Our telephone number at that address is +41 41 749-0500.  Our shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “RIG.”  For information about the revenues, operating income, assets and other information related to our business and the geographic areas in which we operate, see “Part II. Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Part II. Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements—Note 1—Business, Note 5—Revenues and Note 7—Long-Lived Assets.”

Drilling Fleet

Overview—We provide contract drilling services using our fleet of mobile offshore drilling units, including both drillships and semisubmersibles, broadly referred to as floaters.  Floaters are designed to operate in locations away from port for extended periods of time and have living quarters for the crews, a helicopter landing deck and storage space for drill pipe, riser and drilling supplies.  Our drilling units and related equipment are suitable for both exploration and development, and we engage in both types of activities.

Drillships are floating vessels that are shaped like conventional ships, generally self-propelled and considered to be the most mobile of the major rig types.  Drillships typically have greater deck load and storage capacity than semisubmersible rigs, which provides logistical and resupply efficiency benefits for customers.  Drillships are generally better suited to operations in calmer sea conditions and typically do not operate in areas considered to be harsh environments.  All of our high-specification drillships are equipped with dynamic positioning thruster systems, which allows them to maintain position without anchors through the use of onboard propulsion and station-keeping systems.  We have two ultra-deepwater drillships that are equipped with an industry-leading, 1,700 short ton hoisting capacity.  We have 23 ultra-deepwater drillships that are, and one ultra-deepwater drillship under construction that will be, equipped with our patented dual-activity technology.  Dual-activity technology employs structures, equipment and techniques using two drilling stations within a dual derrick to allow these drillships to perform simultaneous drilling tasks in a parallel, rather than a sequential manner, which reduces critical path activity and improves efficiency in both exploration and development drilling.

Semisubmersibles are floating vessels that can be partially submerged by means of a water ballast system such that the lower column sections and pontoons are below the water surface during drilling operations.  Semisubmersibles are known for stability, making them well suited for operating in rough sea conditions.  Semisubmersible floaters are capable of maintaining their position over a well either through dynamic positioning or the use of mooring systems.  Although most semisubmersible rigs are relocated with the assistance of tugs, some units are self-propelled and move between locations under their own power when afloat on pontoons.  Four of our 12 semisubmersibles are equipped with dual-activity technology and also have mooring capability.  Two of these four dual-activity units are custom-designed, high-capacity semisubmersible drilling rigs, equipped for year-round operations in harsh environments, such as those of the Norwegian continental shelf and sub-Arctic waters.

Our fleet consists of ultra-deepwater drillships and semisubmersibles and harsh environment semisubmersibles that are designed with high-specification capabilities to operate in the technically demanding regions of the global offshore drilling business.  Ultra-deepwater floaters are equipped with high-pressure mud pumps and are capable of drilling in water depths of 4,500 feet or greater.  Harsh environment floaters are capable of drilling in harsh environments in water depths between 1,500 and 10,000 feet and typically have greater displacement than other semisubmersibles, which offers larger variable load capacity, more useable deck space and better motion characteristics.

Fleet status—Depending on market conditions, we may idle or stack our non-contracted rigs.  An idle rig is between drilling contracts, readily available for operations, and operating costs are typically at or near normal operating levels.  A stacked rig typically has reduced operating and maintenance costs, is staffed by a reduced crew or has no crew and is (a) preparing for an extended period of inactivity, (b) expected to continue to be inactive for an extended period, or (c) completing a period of extended inactivity.  Stacked rigs will continue to incur operating costs at or above normal operating levels for approximately 30 days following initiation of stacking.  Some idle rigs and all stacked rigs require additional costs to return to service.  The actual cost to return to service, which in many instances could be significant and could fluctuate over time, depends upon various factors, including the availability and cost of shipyard facilities, the cost of

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equipment and materials, the extent of repairs, maintenance and commercial upgrades that may ultimately be required, the length of time a rig has spent in stacking mode and the time and cost of assembling and training crew.  We consider these factors, together with market conditions, length of contract, dayrate and other contract terms, when deciding whether to return a stacked rig to service.  We may not return some stacked rigs to work for drilling services.

Drilling units—The following tables, presented as of February 14, 2024, provide certain specifications for our rigs.  Unless otherwise noted, the stated location of each rig indicates either the current drilling location, if the rig is operating, or the next operating location, if the rig is in shipyard with a follow-on contract.  The dates provided represent the expected time of completion, the year placed into service, and, if applicable, the year of the most recent upgrade.  As of February 14, 2024, we owned all of the drilling rigs in our fleet noted in the tables below, except for the following: (1) the ultra-deepwater floater Petrobras 10000, which is subject to a finance lease through August 2029 and (2) the harsh environment floater Transocean Norge, which is owned through our noncontrolling equity ownership interest in Orion Holdings (Cayman) Limited (together with its subsidiary, “Orion”).

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Drilling Contracts

Our offshore drilling services contracts are individually negotiated and vary in their terms and conditions.  We obtain most of our drilling contracts through bidding processes in competition against other drilling services contractors and through direct negotiations with operators.  Drilling contracts generally provide for payment on a dayrate basis, typically with higher rates for periods when drilling operations are optimized and, conversely, lower or zero rates for periods during which the drilling unit is not mobilized or when drilling operations are interrupted or restricted, whether due to equipment breakdowns, adverse environmental conditions, regulatory approvals or otherwise.  A dayrate drilling contract generally extends over a period of time either covering the drilling of a single well or group of wells or covering a stated term.  At December 31, 2023, our contract backlog was approximately $9.25 billion, representing an increase of 11 percent and 40 percent, respectively, compared to the contract backlog at December 31, 2022 and 2021, which was $8.34 billion and $6.60 billion, respectively.  See “Part II. Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Performance and Other Key Indicators.”

Certain of our drilling contracts may be cancelable for the convenience of the customer, typically with payment of an early termination fee.  Such payments, however, may not fully compensate us for the loss of the contract.  Drilling contracts also customarily provide for either automatic termination or termination at the option of the customer, typically without payment of any termination fee, under various circumstances such as non-performance, in the event of extended downtime or impaired performance due to equipment or operational issues or extended downtime due to force majeure events.  Many of these events are beyond our control.  The contract term in some instances may be extended by the customer exercising options for the drilling of additional wells or for additional periods of time.  Our contracts also typically include a provision that allows the customer to extend the contract to finish drilling a well-in-progress.  During periods of depressed market conditions, our customers may seek to renegotiate drilling contracts or options to reduce the term of their obligations or the average dayrate through term extensions or may seek to early terminate or repudiate their contracts.  Suspension of drilling contracts will result in the reduction in or loss of dayrate for the period of the suspension.  If customers cancel some of our contracts and we are unable to secure new contracts on a timely basis and on substantially similar or more favorable terms, if some of our contracts are suspended for an extended period of time or if a number of our contracts are renegotiated on less favorable terms, our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows may be adversely affected.  See “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks related to our business—Our drilling contracts may be terminated due to a number of events, and, during depressed market conditions, our customers may seek to repudiate or renegotiate their contracts.”

Under dayrate drilling contracts, consistent with standard industry practice, our customers, as the operators, generally assume, and grant indemnity for, subsurface and well control risks, and their consequential damages.  Under all of our current drilling contracts, our customers indemnify us for pollution damages in connection with reservoir fluids stemming from operations under the contract, and we indemnify our customers for pollution that originates above the surface of the water from the rig for substances in our control, such as diesel used or other fluids stored onboard the rig.  Also, our customers indemnify us for consequential damages they incur, damage to the well or reservoir, loss of subsurface oil and gas and costs to bring the well under control.  However, because our drilling contracts are individually negotiated, the degree of indemnification we receive from our customers for such risks and related costs may vary from contract to contract based on market conditions, customer requirements existing when the contract was negotiated or other factors.  In some instances, we have contractually agreed upon certain limits to our indemnification rights and can be responsible for certain damages up to a specified maximum dollar amount.  The nature of our liability and the prevailing market conditions, among other factors, can influence such contractual terms.  Notwithstanding a contractual indemnity from a customer, there can be no assurance that our customers will be financially able to indemnify us or will otherwise honor their contractual indemnity obligations.

The interpretation and enforceability of a contractual indemnity depends upon the specific facts and circumstances involved, as governed by applicable laws, and may ultimately need to be decided by a court or other proceeding, which would need to consider the specific contract language, the facts and applicable laws.  Applicable laws often consider contractual indemnity for criminal fines and penalties to be against public policy.  Many courts also restrict indemnification for criminal fines and penalties.  The inability or other failure of our customers to fulfill their indemnification obligations, or the unenforceability of all of our contractual protections could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.  See “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks related to our business—Our business involves numerous operating hazards, and our insurance and indemnities from our customers may not be adequate to cover potential losses from our operations.”

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Markets

Our operations are geographically dispersed in oil and gas exploration and development areas throughout the world.  We operate in a single, global offshore drilling market, as our drilling rigs are mobile assets and can be moved according to prevailing market conditions.  We may mobilize our drilling rigs between regions for a variety of reasons, including to respond to customer contracting requirements or to capture observed market demand.  Consequently, we cannot predict the future percentage of our revenues that will be derived from particular geographic areas.  As of February 14, 2024, the drilling units in our fleet, including stacked and idle rigs, but excluding rigs under construction, were located in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico (ten units), Greece (seven units), Brazil (five units), the Norwegian North Sea (four units), Malaysia (three units), Australia (two units), Angola (one unit), Aruba (one unit), Canada (one unit), Cyprus (one unit), India (one unit) and the United Kingdom (the “U.K.”) North Sea (one unit).

We categorize the sectors of the floater market in which we operate as follows: (1) ultra-deepwater and deepwater, (2) harsh environment and (3) midwater.  We typically employ our ultra-deepwater floaters to service the ultra-deepwater and deepwater sector, and we employ our harsh environment floaters to service all three sectors.  We generally view the ultra-deepwater and deepwater market sector as water depths beginning at 4,500 feet and extending to the maximum water depths in which rigs are capable of drilling, which is currently up to 12,000 feet.  The midwater market sector includes water depths from approximately 300 feet to approximately 4,500 feet.  The harsh environment market sector includes regions that are more challenged by lower temperatures, harsher weather conditions and water currents.

The market for offshore drilling rigs and related services reflects our customers’ demand for equipment for drilling exploration, appraisal and development wells and for performing maintenance on existing production wells.  Activity levels of energy companies, including integrated energy companies, independent energy companies and, to a lesser extent, national energy companies are largely driven by the worldwide demand for energy, including crude oil and natural gas.  Worldwide energy supply and demand drives oil and natural gas prices, which, in turn, impact energy companies’ ability to fund investments in exploration, development and production activities.

See “Part II. Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Outlook.”

Customers

We provide our offshore drilling services to most of the leading integrated energy companies or their affiliates, as well as for many government-owned or government-controlled energy companies and other independent energy companies.  For the year ended December 31, 2023, our most significant customers were Shell plc (together with its affiliates, “Shell”), Equinor ASA (together with its affiliates, “Equinor”), TotalEnergies SE (together with its affiliates, “TotalEnergies”) and Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (together with its affiliates, “Petrobras”), representing approximately 27 percent, 16 percent, 12 percent and 11 percent, respectively, of our consolidated operating revenues.  No other customers accounted for 10 percent or more of our consolidated operating revenues in the year ended December 31, 2023.  Additionally, as of February 14, 2024, the customers with the most significant aggregate amount of contract backlog associated with our drilling contracts were Petrobras, Shell and Chevron Corporation (together with its affiliates, “Chevron”), representing approximately 31 percent, 25 percent and 10 percent, respectively, of our total contract backlog.  See “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Risks related to our business—We rely heavily on a relatively small number of customers and the loss of a significant customer or a dispute that leads to the loss of a customer could have an adverse effect on our business.”

Human Capital Resources

Worldwide workforce—As of December 31, 2023, we had a global workforce of approximately 5,800 individuals, including approximately 370 contractors, representing 53 nationalities.  At December 31, 2023, our global workforce was geographically distributed in 22 countries across six continents as follows: 38 percent in North America, 25 percent in Europe, 23 percent in South America, six percent in Asia, five percent in Africa and three percent in Australia.

FIRST Shared Values and corporate culture—Our FIRST Shared Values serve as the foundation for our corporate culture and guide us to act ethically and responsibly as we strive to deliver value for our stakeholders and to maintain a safe and respectful work environment for our people.

Code of Integrity and Human Rights—We maintain a Code of Integrity and Human Rights Policy that applies to all our board members, executives, employees and business partners, including contractors, suppliers, vendors, investees and joint venture partners.  We demonstrate our respect of human rights by maintaining a healthy and safe work environment, observing fair employment practices and providing competitive employment terms.  Practices such as modern slavery, child labor, forced or indentured servitude, and other human rights abuses are strictly prohibited.

Labor rights—We respect the labor rights of all individuals in our workforce, including the right to collective bargaining.  As of December 31, 2023, approximately 42 percent of our total workforce, working primarily in Norway and Brazil, are represented by, and some of our contracted labor work is subject to, collective bargaining agreements, substantially all of which are subject to annual salary negotiation.  Negotiations over annual salary or other labor matters could result in higher personnel or other costs or increased operational restrictions or disruptions.  The outcome of any such negotiation generally affects the market for all offshore employees, not only union members.  A failure to reach an agreement on certain key issues could result in strikes, lockouts or other work stoppages.

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Attraction, development and retention—We aim to strategically cultivate a best-in-class workforce to offer the innovation, local knowledge and experience required of the world’s premier offshore drilling contractor.  We seek to maintain our competitive advantage while benefitting our local communities by offering regionally competitive compensation and benefits packages, a technically challenging work environment, global opportunities, and rotational development programs.  We continually assess and adapt our offerings and our policies, based on evolving social and technological practices, to provide a modern work environment, which is essential to attract and retain top talent, and a respectful and inclusive work environment in which our global workforce can thrive.  Our focus on the quality of our workforce is designed to maximize the quality of our work performance and ultimately, the value we deliver to our stakeholders.

Training—We invest in our workers by providing them with the transferrable skill sets essential to advancing their professional development.  To optimize the competitive position of our business, we maintain a rigorous competency-based training program.  Our internal training board maintains and regularly updates our training matrix to meet or exceed industry standards, and it oversees our competency assurance management system, which is accredited by the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organization.  We provide various offshore training formats designed to encompass all learning styles through on-the-job, e-learning, customer-specific training, certifications, and leadership and licensing programs.  Setting us apart from our competitors, we also offer unique simulation-based education, augmented by digital twin modeling, enabling our workforce to more accurately visualize equipment performance and target efficiencies.  We clearly articulate to our workforce the certifications, skills and competencies needed for each role, and workers are required to successfully complete the relevant training and attain necessary certifications prior to taking on new roles.

Wellness and benefits—We offer our workforce regionally competitive medical and financial benefits, tailored to our workforce demographics.  We design our wellness and benefits strategy under four pillars consisting of physical well-being, financial well-being, emotional well-being and social well-being, including our globally available employee assistance program.

Safety—Our safety vision is to conduct our operations in an incident-free workplace, all the time, everywhere.  As a socially responsible company, we prioritize the protection of everyone aboard our rigs and in our facilities, the environment and our property at all work locations and during all operations.  We require compliance with all local regulations and a comprehensive set of internal requirements that govern our operations.  With regular competency and effectiveness assessments, our highly trained crews are equipped to protect our operational integrity with the process-driven management of hazards to prevent and mitigate major accidents.  We measure our safety performance in terms of widely accepted ratios with the use of industry standards, including (a) the total recordable incident rate (“TRIR”), which represents the number of recordable work-related injuries or illnesses for every 200,000 hours worked, and (b) the lost time incident rate (“LTIR”), which measures the number of incidents that result in lost time due to work-related injuries or illnesses for every 200,000 hours worked.  In the year ended December 31, 2023, our TRIR was 0.23 and our LTIR was 0.02, both calculations of which were based on 11.3 million labor hours.

Environmental Responsibility

We strive to deliver services in a manner that both minimizes the impact our business has on the environment and supports the interests of our stakeholders.  We continuously seek new ways to advance our commitment to safely performing operations while simultaneously safeguarding the environment.  We maintain a global Environmental Management System (“EMS”) standard that is applied to our rigs, offices and facilities.  The EMS is aligned to ISO 14001 and provides a framework to ensure that our worldwide operations are managed consistently and continuously in an environmentally responsible manner.  We regularly assess the environmental impact of operations, focusing on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, operational discharges, water use and waste.  Accordingly, we intend to reduce our greenhouse gas operating emissions intensity by 40 percent from 2019 levels by 2030.  Achieving these targets will require investments over time that result in the development and implementation of new technologies, reduced fuel consumption and other initiatives that enable us to optimize power management capabilities.

Technological Innovation

We have a long history of technological innovation, including the first dynamically positioned drillship, the first rig to drill year-round in the North Sea, the first semisubmersible rig for year-round sub-Arctic operations, the first 10,000-ft. water depth rated ultra-deepwater drillship and numerous water depth world records over the past several decades.  Twenty-three drillships and two semisubmersibles in our existing fleet are, and our drillship under construction will be, equipped with our patented dual-activity technology, which allows our rigs to perform simultaneous drilling tasks in a parallel rather than sequential manner, reducing well construction critical path activities and, thereby, improving efficiency in both exploration and development drilling.

We develop and deploy industry-leading technology in the pursuit of delivering safer, more efficient and environmentally responsible drilling services.  Two of our drillships are equipped with 1,700 short ton hoisting capacity and 20,000 psi blowout preventers.  Seven of our drillships and our drillship under construction include hybrid energy storage systems for enhanced drill floor equipment reliability, fuel and emissions savings as well as advanced generator protection for power plant reliability.  Twelve drillships in our existing fleet are outfitted with dual blowout preventers and triple liquid mud systems.  Five drillships in our existing fleet are designed to accept 20,000 psi blowout preventers in the future.  We also continue to develop and invest in technologies designed to optimize our performance, deliver ever improving operational integrity and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

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Seven of our harsh environment semisubmersibles are designed and constructed specifically to provide highly efficient performance in harsh environments.  We have installed automated drilling control systems on six harsh environment floaters, which materially improves our ability to safely and efficiently deliver wells to our customers.

We utilize technology and employ a data-driven approach, augmented by the size of our fleet, to expand our knowledge framework for sustainable process optimization.  In 2020, we deployed our smart equipment analytics tool, which delivers real-time data feeds from equipment to monitor equipment health, inferred emissions and energy consumption while identifying performance trends that allow us to systematically optimize equipment maintenance and achieve higher levels of reliability, operational efficiency and sustainability.

Driven by our continued focus on safety, we developed and, on eight of our drilling units, deployed our patented HaloGuard℠ system, which alarms, notifies and, if required, halts equipment to avoid injury to personnel who move into danger zones.  In 2022, we deployed the first unit of Enhanced Drilling’s EC-Monitor system to an offshore installation, enabling highly accurate understanding of well fluid dynamics and improving the efficiency and accuracy of flow-checking and detecting flow anomalies.  Additionally, since 2021, we deployed on two of our ultra-deepwater drillships the first kinetic blowout stopper, a step-changing technology that promotes operations integrity and enterprise risk reduction through unrivaled shearing capability.  Since 2022, we deployed an offshore robotic riser bolting tool on three of our ultra-deepwater drillships, improving our ability to deliver safe and efficient operations to our customers.

We believe our efforts to continuously improve, and effectively use, innovative technologies to meet or exceed our customers’ requirements is critical to maintaining our competitive position within the contract drilling services industry by ensuring the safety of our crews, drilling more efficient wells, building greater resilience into our critical operating systems and reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

Joint Venture, Agency and Sponsorship Relationships and Other Investments

In some areas of the world, local customs and practice or governmental requirements necessitate the formation of joint ventures with local participation since local laws or customs in those areas effectively mandate the establishment of a relationship with a local agent or sponsor.  When appropriate in these areas, we may enter into agency or sponsorship agreements.  We also invest in certain companies for operational and strategic purposes.  Some of these companies or joint ventures in which we are an investor are involved in researching and developing technology to improve efficiency, reliability, sustainability and safety for our drilling and other activities or are involved in businesses developed to support renewable or other energy alternatives.  We may or may not control these partially owned companies.  At December 31, 2023, we held partial ownership interests in companies organized in Belgium, the Cayman Islands, the U.S., Norway, Canada and other countries.  At December 31, 2023, among other equity investments, we held noncontrolling equity ownership interests in (1) Global Sea Mineral Resources NV, an unconsolidated Belgian company and leading developer of nodule collection technology, which is engaged in the development and exploration of deep-sea polymetallic nodules that contain metals critical to the growing renewable energy market, and (2) Orion, an unconsolidated Cayman Islands exempted company that owns the harsh environment semisubmersible Transocean Norge.

Governmental Regulations

Our operations are subject to a variety of international, national, regional, state and local government regulations, including environmental regulations.  We monitor our compliance with such government regulations in each country of operation and, notwithstanding increases in governmental regulations, particularly general environmental regulations, we have made and will continue to make the required expenditures to comply with current and future government requirements.  To date, we have not incurred material costs to comply with such governmental regulations, and we do not expect to make any material capital expenditures to support our continued compliance in the year ending December 31, 2024, or any other period contemplated at this time.  We do not believe that our compliance with such requirements will have a material adverse effect on our competitive position, consolidated results of operations or cash flows.  We incorporate by reference herein the disclosures on government regulations, including environmental regulations, contained in the following sections of this annual report on Form 10-K:

Available Information

Our website address is www.deepwater.com.  Information contained on or accessible from our website is not incorporated by reference into this annual report on Form 10-K and should not be considered a part of this report or any other filing that we make with the SEC.  Furthermore, references to our website URLs are intended to be inactive textual references only.  We make available on this website free of charge, our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file those materials with, or furnish those materials to, the SEC.  You may also find on our website information related to our corporate governance, board committees and company code of business conduct and ethics.  The SEC also maintains a website, www.sec.gov, which contains reports, proxy statements and other information regarding SEC

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registrants, including us.  We intend to satisfy the requirement under Item 5.05 of Form 8-K to disclose any amendments to our Code of Integrity and any waiver from any provision of our Code of Integrity by posting such information in the Governance page on our website at www.deepwater.com.

Item 1A.Risk Factors

Risks related to our business

Our business depends on the level of activity in the offshore oil and gas industry, which is significantly affected by volatile oil and gas prices and other factors.

Our business depends on oil and gas exploration, development and production in offshore areas where we are capable of operating.  Demand for our services depends on these activities and related expenditure levels that are directly affected by trends in oil and, to a lesser extent, natural gas prices.  Oil and gas prices are extremely volatile and are affected by numerous factors, including the following:

Demand for our services is particularly sensitive to the level of exploration, development and production activity of, and the corresponding capital spending by, energy companies, including national energy companies.  Prolonged reductions in oil and natural gas prices could depress the immediate levels of exploration, development and production activity.  Perceptions of longer-term lower oil and natural gas prices by energy companies, or a perception that the demand for hydrocarbons will significantly decrease in the medium to long term, could similarly reduce or defer major expenditures given the long-term nature of many large-scale development projects and capital reinvestment policies.  Lower levels of activity result in a corresponding decline in the demand for our services, which could have a material adverse effect on our revenue and profitability.  Oil and gas prices and market expectations of potential changes in these prices significantly affect this level of activity.  However, increases in near-term commodity prices do not necessarily translate into increased offshore drilling activity since customers’ expectations of longer-term future commodity prices and expectations regarding future demand for hydrocarbons typically have a greater impact on demand for our rigs.  Consistent with this dynamic, customers may delay or cancel many exploration and development programs, resulting in reduced demand for our services.  Also, increased competition for customers’ drilling budgets could come from, among other areas, land-based energy markets and renewable energy projects worldwide.  The availability of quality drilling prospects, exploration success, relative production costs, the stage of reservoir development and political and regulatory environments also affect customers’ drilling campaigns.  Worldwide military, political and economic events have often contributed to oil and gas price volatility and are likely to do so in the future.

The offshore drilling industry is highly competitive and cyclical, with intense price competition.

The offshore contract drilling industry is highly competitive with numerous industry participants, none of which has a dominant market share.  Drilling contracts are traditionally awarded on a competitive bid basis.  Although rig availability, service quality and technical capability are drivers of customer contract awards, bid pricing and intense price competition are often key determinants for which a qualified contractor is awarded a job.

The offshore drilling industry is highly cyclical and is impacted by oil and natural gas price levels and volatility.  Periods of high customer demand, limited rig supply and high dayrates have been followed by periods of low customer demand, excess rig supply and low dayrates.  Changes in commodity prices can have a dramatic effect on rig demand, and periods of excess rig supply may intensify competition in the industry and result in the idling of older and less technologically advanced equipment.  We have idled and stacked rigs, and may in the future idle or stack additional rigs or enter into lower dayrate drilling contracts in response to market conditions.  Idled or stacked rigs may remain out of service for extended periods of time.  During prior periods of high dayrates and rig utilization rates, we and other industry participants responded to increased customer demand by increasing the supply of rigs through ordering the construction of new units.  The introduction of new units delivered without contracts, combined with an increased number of rigs in the global market completing contracts and becoming idle, may intensify price competition.  During periods of low oil and natural gas price levels, new construction has resulted in an oversupply of rigs and has caused a subsequent decline in dayrates and rig utilization rates, sometimes for extended periods of time.  In

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an oversupplied market, we may have limited bargaining power to negotiate on more favorable terms.  Additionally, lower market dayrates and intense price competition may drive customers to seek to renegotiate existing contracts to reduce dayrates in exchange for longer contract terms.  Lower dayrates and rig utilization rates could adversely affect our revenues and profitability.

As of February 14, 2024, we have 13 uncontracted rigs, of which six have been out of service for greater than five years, and these rigs may remain out of service for extended periods of time.  If we are unable to obtain drilling contracts for our uncontracted rigs, whether due to a prolonged offshore drilling market downturn, a delayed or muted recovery of such market or otherwise, it may have an adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.

We may not be able to renew or obtain new drilling contracts for rigs whose contracts are expiring or obtain drilling contracts for our stacked and idle rigs.

The offshore drilling markets in which we compete experience fluctuations in the demand for drilling services.  Our ability to renew expiring drilling contracts or obtain new drilling contracts depends on the prevailing or expected market conditions.  As of February 14, 2024, we have 13 stacked or idle rigs.  We also have three existing drilling contracts for our rigs that are currently operating, which are scheduled to expire before December 31, 2024.  We may be unable to obtain drilling contracts for our rigs that are currently operating upon the expiration or termination of such contracts, and there may be a gap in the operation of the rigs between the current contracts and subsequent contracts.  When oil and natural gas prices are low or it is expected that such prices will decrease in the future, we may be unable to obtain drilling contracts at attractive dayrates or at all.  We may not be able to obtain new drilling contracts with the terms or dayrates sufficient to support a reactivation of a cold-stacked rig.  Likewise, we may not be able to obtain new drilling contracts in direct continuation with existing contracts, or depending on prevailing market conditions, we may enter into drilling contracts at dayrates substantially below the existing dayrates or on terms otherwise less favorable compared to existing contract terms, which may have an adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Our current backlog of contract drilling revenues may not be fully realized.

At February 14, 2024, our contract backlog was approximately $9.01 billion.  This amount represents the maximum contractual operating dayrate multiplied by the number of days remaining in the firm contract period, excluding revenues for mobilization, demobilization, contract preparation, other incentive provisions or reimbursement revenues, which are not expected to be significant to our contract drilling revenues.  Our contract backlog includes amounts associated with our one contracted newbuild unit that is currently under construction.  The contractual operating dayrate may be higher than the actual dayrate we ultimately receive or an alternative contractual dayrate, such as waiting on weather rate, repair rate, standby rate or force majeure rate, may apply under certain circumstances.  The contractual operating dayrate may also be higher than the actual dayrate we ultimately receive due to a number of factors, including rig downtime or suspension of operations.  Several factors could cause rig downtime or a suspension of operations, including: equipment breakdowns and other unforeseen engineering problems, labor strikes and other work stoppages, shortages of material and skilled labor, surveys by government and maritime authorities, periodic classification surveys, severe weather or harsh operating conditions, and force majeure events.

In certain drilling contracts, the dayrate may be reduced to zero if, for example, repairs extend beyond a stated period of time.  Our contract backlog includes only firm commitments, which are represented by signed drilling contracts or, in some cases, other definitive agreements awaiting contract execution.  We may not be able to realize the full amount of our contract backlog due to events beyond our control.  In addition, some of our customers have experienced liquidity issues in the past, including some recently, and these liquidity issues could be experienced again if commodity prices decline for an extended period of time.  Liquidity issues and other market pressures could lead our customers to seek bankruptcy protection or to seek to repudiate, cancel or renegotiate these agreements for various reasons (see “—Our drilling contracts may be terminated due to a number of events, and, during depressed market conditions, our customers may seek to repudiate or renegotiate their contracts”).  Our inability to realize the full amount of our contract backlog may have an adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

We must make substantial capital and operating expenditures to reactivate our stacked or idle fleet and to maintain our active fleet, and we may be required to make significant capital expenditures to maintain our competitiveness and to comply with laws and applicable regulations and standards of governmental authorities and organizations.

We must make substantial capital and operating expenditures to maintain our active fleet or to reactivate our stacked or idle fleet.  These expenditures could increase as a result of changes in the cost of labor and materials, requirements of customers, the size of our fleet, the cost of replacement parts for existing rigs, the geographic location of the rigs and the length of drilling contracts.  Changes in offshore drilling technology, customer requirements for new or upgraded equipment and competition within our industry may require us to make significant capital expenditures in order to maintain our competitiveness and to achieve our intention to reduce our greenhouse gas emission intensity.  Changes in governmental regulations, including environmental requirements, and changes in safety or other equipment standards, as well as compliance with standards imposed by maritime self-regulatory organizations, may cause our capital expenditures to increase or require us to make additional unforeseen capital expenditures.  As a result of these factors, we may be required to take our rigs out of service for extended periods of time, with corresponding losses of revenues, in order to make such alterations or to add such equipment.  In the future, market conditions may not justify these expenditures or enable us to operate our older rigs profitably during the remainder of their economic lives.