VANTAGE DRILLING INTERNATIONAL - Annual Report: 2018 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D. C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018  

OR

For the transition period from                    to                    

Commission File Number: 333-212081

Vantage Drilling International

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:

(281) 404-4700

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

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

Indicate by check mark if 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 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 (§232.405 of this chapter) 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 if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  ☒

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

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 is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

The number of the registrant’s ordinary shares outstanding as of February 28, 2019 is 5,000,053 shares.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Section 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.   Yes  ☒    No  ☐

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements are included throughout this Annual Report, including under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” When used, statements which are not historical in nature, including those containing words such as “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “budget,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would,” “will,” “future” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements in this Annual Report.

These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements.

Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are the risks and uncertainties described under “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” under “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the following:

1

Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Any, or a combination of these factors, could materially affect our future financial condition or results of operations and the ultimate accuracy of the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of our future performance, and our actual results and future developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Management cautions against putting undue reliance on forward-looking statements or projecting any future results based on such statements or present or prior earnings levels.

In addition, each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. We may not update these forward-looking statements, even if our situation changes in the future. All forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements. Additional information concerning factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements is contained from time to time in filings we may make with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), which may be obtained by contacting us or the SEC. These filings are also available through our website at www.vantagedrilling.com or through the SEC’s Electronic Data Gathering and Analysis Retrieval system (EDGAR) at www.sec.gov. The contents of our website are not part of this Annual Report.

Unless the context indicates otherwise, all references to the “Company,” “Vantage,” “VDI,” “we,” “our” or “us” refer to Vantage Drilling International and its consolidated subsidiaries.

2

PART I

Our Company

Vantage Drilling International, a Cayman Islands exempted company, is an international offshore drilling company focused on operating a fleet of modern, high specification drilling units. Our principal business is to contract drilling units, related equipment and work crews, primarily on a dayrate basis to drill oil and natural gas wells for our customers. Through our fleet of drilling units, we are a provider of offshore contract drilling services to major, national and independent oil and natural gas companies, focused on international markets. Additionally, for drilling units owned by others, we provide construction supervision services for rigs that are under construction, preservation management services for rigs that are stacked and operations and marketing services for operating rigs.

Our Fleet  

Jackups

A jackup rig is a mobile, self-elevating drilling platform equipped with legs that are lowered to the ocean floor until a foundation is established for support, at which point the hull is raised out of the water into position to conduct drilling and workover operations. All of our premium jackup rigs were built at PPL Shipyard in Singapore. The design of our premium jackup rigs is the Baker Marine Pacific Class 375. These units are ultra-premium jackup rigs with independent legs capable of drilling in up to 375 feet of water, a cantilever drilling floor and a total drilling depth capacity of approximately 30,000 feet.

Drillships

Drillships are self-propelled and suited for drilling in remote locations because of their mobility and large load carrying capacity. While all of our drillships are dynamically positioned and designed for drilling in water depths of up to 12,000 feet, with a total vertical drilling depth capacity of up to 40,000 feet, the Platinum Explorer, Titanium Explorer and Tungsten Explorer are currently equipped to drill in 10,000 feet of water. The drillships’ hull design has a variable deck load of approximately 20,000 tons and measures approximately 781 feet long by 137 feet wide. All of our drillships were built at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering shipyard in South Korea.

The following table sets forth certain information concerning our offshore drilling fleet as of February 28, 2019.

Reorganization

Restructuring Agreement and Emergence from Voluntary Reorganization under Chapter 11 Proceeding

On December 1, 2015, we and Vantage Drilling Company (“VDC”), our former parent company, entered into a restructuring support agreement (the “Restructuring Agreement”) with a majority of our secured creditors. Pursuant to the terms of the Restructuring Agreement, the Company agreed to pursue a pre-packaged plan of reorganization (the “Reorganization Plan”) under Chapter 11 of Title 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code and VDC agreed to commence official liquidation proceedings under the laws of the Cayman Islands. On December 2, 2015, pursuant to the Restructuring Agreement, the Company acquired two subsidiaries responsible for the management of the Company from VDC in exchange for a $61.5 million promissory note (the “VDC Note”). As this transaction involved a reorganization of entities under common control, it was reflected in the consolidated financial statements, at carryover basis, on a retrospective basis. Effective as of the Company’s emergence from bankruptcy on February 10, 2016 (the

3

“Effective Date”), VDC’s former equity interest in the Company was cancelled. Immediately following that event, the VDC Note was converted into 655,094 new ordinary shares of the reorganized Company (the “New Shares”) in accordance with the terms thereof, in satisfaction of the obligation thereunder, which, including accrued interest, totaled approximately $62.6 million as of such date.

On December 3, 2015 (the “Petition Date”), the Company, certain of its subsidiaries and certain VDC subsidiaries that were guarantors of the Company’s pre-bankruptcy secured debt, filed the Reorganization Plan in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (In re Vantage Drilling International (F/K/A Offshore Group Investment Limited), et al., Case No. 15-12422). On January 15, 2016, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware confirmed the Company’s pre-packaged Reorganization Plan and the Company emerged from bankruptcy on the Effective Date.

Pursuant to the terms of the Reorganization Plan, the pre-bankruptcy term loans and senior notes were retired on the Effective Date by issuing to the debtholders 4,344,959 units in the reorganized Company (the “Units”). Each Unit of securities originally consisted of one New Share and $172.61 of principal of the Company’s 1%/12% Step-Up Senior Secured Third Lien Convertible Notes due 2030 (the “Convertible Notes”), subject to adjustment upon the payment of interest in kind (“PIK interest”) and certain cases of redemption or conversion of the Convertible Notes, as well as share splits, share dividends, consolidation or reclassification of the New Shares. The New Shares and the Convertible Notes are subject to the terms of an agreement that prohibits the New Shares and Convertible Notes from being traded separately.

The Convertible Notes are convertible into New Shares in certain circumstances, at a conversion price (subject to adjustment in accordance with the terms of the Indenture for the Convertible Notes), which was $95.60 as of the issue date. The Indenture for the Convertible Notes contains customary covenants that restrict the granting of liens and customary events of default, including among other things, failure to issue securities upon conversion of the Convertible Notes. As of December 31, 2018, after taking into account the payment of PIK interest on the Convertible Notes to such date, each such Unit consisted of one New Share and $177.66 of principal of Convertible Notes.

Other significant elements of the Reorganization Plan included:

Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The Company’s pre-petition credit agreement was amended and restated (the “Credit Agreement”) to (i) replace the $32.0 million revolving letter of credit commitment under its pre-petition facility with a new $32.0 million revolving letter of credit facility and (ii) repay the $150.0 million of outstanding borrowings with (a) $7.0 million of cash and (b) the issuance of $143.0 million initial term loans (the “2016 Term Loan Facility”). In November 2018, all obligations under the 2016 Term Loan Facility were repaid and the 2016 Term Loan Facility and the Credit Agreement were terminated in connection with the issuance of the 9.25% First Lien Notes (as defined below). See “Recent Developments—Refinancing”.

10% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes. Holders of the Company’s pre-petition term loans and senior notes claims were eligible to participate in a rights offering conducted by the Company for $75.0 million of the Company’s new 10% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2020 (the “10% Second Lien Notes”). In connection with this rights offering, certain creditors entered into a “backstop” agreement to purchase 10% Second Lien Notes if the offer was not fully subscribed. The premium paid to such creditors under the backstop agreement was approximately $2.2 million, which was paid $1.1 million in cash and $1.1 million in additional 10% Second Lien Notes, resulting in a total issued amount of $76.1 million of 10% Second Lien Notes and net cash proceeds to the Company of $73.9 million, after deducting the cash portion of the backstop premium. In November 2018, all of the 10% Second Lien Notes were redeemed in connection with the issuance of the 9.25% First Lien Notes (as defined below). See “Recent Developments—Refinancing”.

The Reorganization Plan allowed the Company to continue business operations during the court proceedings and maintain all operating assets and agreements. The Company had adequate liquidity prior to the filing and did not have to seek any debtor-in-possession financing. All trade payables, credits, wages and other related obligations were unimpaired by the Reorganization Plan.

Recent Developments

Refinancing

On November 30, 2018, we issued $350.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 9.25% Senior Secured First Lien Notes due November 15, 2023 (“9.25% First Lien Notes”) in a private placement at par. The proceeds of the issuance were used (i) to repay all obligations under the 2016 Term Loan Facility and to terminate the Credit Agreement, (ii) to redeem all outstanding 10% Second Lien Notes, (iii) to fund the remaining amounts to be paid in connection with the Rig Purchase (as defined below), (iv) to pay fees and expenses related to the foregoing and to the offering of the 9.25% First Lien Notes and (v) for general corporate purposes. The 9.25% First Lien Notes are guaranteed on a joint and several basis by the Company’s direct and indirect subsidiaries and are secured by a first priority lien on substantially all of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, in each case subject to certain exceptions. The 9.25% First Lien Notes will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or any state securities laws.

Concurrently with the issuance of the 9.25% First Lien Notes, we entered into a new letter of credit facility to replace the letter of credit facility existing under the Credit Agreement. The new facility has a capacity of $50.0 million, with all outstanding letters of credit being cash collateralized. As of December 31, 2018, we had $36.3 million available for the issuance of letters of credit under this cash collateralized letter of credit facility.

4

Rig Purchase

On June 13, 2018, we entered into a share purchase agreement with Ship Finance International Limited to acquire the shares of Rig Finance Limited, an entity that owns the Soehanah jackup rig, a Baker Marine Pacific Class 375 jackup rig, and related bareboat charter to which Rig Finance Limited is a party, for $84.6 million, subject to certain adjustments for working capital and liabilities of the entity not discharged by the acquisition date (the “Rig Purchase”). We made a down payment of $15.0 million in connection with the execution of the share purchase agreement, and the remaining $69.6 million was paid at closing on December 31, 2018. Pursuant to the bareboat charter currently in place with respect to the Soehanah jackup rig, the entity to which the rig is chartered has the right to acquire the rig at the end of the term of the bareboat charter for $100.0 million (or more depending on the rig’s valuation).

Subsequent Events

On March 1, 2019, VAALCO Gabon S.A. awarded us a 120 day contract for our premium jack-up, the Topaz Driller, to perform drilling services in Gabon.

On March 5, 2019, Dana Gas Egypt Limited (“Dana Gas”) awarded a drilling contract to Advanced Energy Systems (ADES) S.A.E. (“ADES”) in respect of our ultra-deepwater drillship, the Tungsten Explorer, to provide drilling services offshore of Egypt.    On March 13, 2019, ADES assigned its rights and obligations under the drilling contract to ADVantage Drilling Services S.A.E, a joint venture between a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and a wholly owned subsidiary of ADES.  The term of the contract is for one well, with operations estimated to last 77 days, and the client has the right to extend the term by up to three additional wells.

Drilling Contract Arbitration

On August 31, 2015, Petrobras America, Inc. (“PAI”) and Petrobras Venezuela Investments & Services, BV (“PVIS”), both subsidiaries of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (“Petrobras”), notified the Company of the termination of the Agreement for the Provision of Drilling Services for the Titanium Explorer dated February 4, 2009 (the “Drilling Contract”) between PVIS and Vantage Deepwater Company, which had been novated to PAI and Vantage Deepwater Drilling, Inc., claiming the Company had breached its obligations under the Drilling Contract. Vantage Deepwater Company and Vantage Deepwater Drilling, Inc. are both wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company. We immediately filed an international arbitration claim against PAI, PVIS and Petrobras, claiming wrongful termination of the Drilling Contract.

On July 2, 2018, an international arbitration tribunal issued an award in favor of Vantage Deepwater Company and Vantage Deepwater Drilling, Inc. The tribunal found that PAI and PVIS breached the Drilling Contract, and awarded Vantage Deepwater Company and Vantage Deepwater Drilling, Inc. damages in the aggregate amount of $622.0 million against PAI, PVIS and Petrobras, and dismissed the Petrobras parties’ counterclaims against the Company with prejudice. The tribunal also awarded the Company interest on the foregoing award amount at an annual rate of 15.2%, compounded monthly, to accrue from (i) April 1, 2018, with respect to $615.6 million thereof, (ii) October 20, 2015, with respect to $5.2 million thereof, and (iii) November 19, 2015, with respect to $1.2 million thereof, in each case, until final payment of the awarded sums. In accordance with the terms of the award, each of the Company and Petrobras will bear its own legal fees, and the fees and expenses of the tribunal, including the compensation of the arbitrators, aggregating approximately $1.5 million, will be borne equally by both sides. Pursuant to the terms of the award, the amount due to the Company as of December 31, 2018, totaled approximately $701.4 million, inclusive of interest.

On July 2, 2018, our subsidiaries, Vantage Deepwater Company and Vantage Deepwater Drilling, Inc., filed a petition in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to confirm the arbitration award against the Petrobras parties. On August 31, 2018, Petrobras, PAI and PVIS filed with the court, among other things, a response to our petition and a motion to vacate the arbitration award. The court heard our petition and their response and motion to vacate on March 8, 2019.  

In connection with enforcing the arbitration award against the Petrobras parties, we secured an order from the Amsterdam District Court in the Netherlands on August 22, 2018, which froze certain assets of Petrobras and PVIS in the Netherlands that we believe are valued in excess of our claim at this time. On November 15, 2018, we filed a petition in the Court of Appeals in The Hague, the Netherlands, to recognize and enforce the arbitration award against the Petrobras parties in the Netherlands.  On March 1, 2019, the Petrobras parties filed their statement of defense with the court.  The court is scheduled to hear our petition and the Petrobras parties’ statement of defense on May 14, 2019.  

The Company’s ability to fully recover the award against the Petrobras parties is subject to legal, procedural, solvency and other risks associated with enforcing arbitration awards in these circumstances. In addition, any award ultimately recovered will be subject to reduction in respect of legal fees owed (including, among others, fees contingent on the size of the award, less amounts previously paid) and any applicable taxes. Accordingly, no assurances can be given as to whether, or to what extent, such award will ultimately be recovered, if at all.

Brazil Improbity Action

On April 27, 2018, the Company was added as an additional defendant in a legal proceeding initiated by the Brazilian federal public prosecutor’s office in the State of Parana, Brazil (the “Brazilian Federal Prosecutor”) against certain individuals, including an executive of Petrobras and two political lobbyists, in connection with the contracting of the Titanium Explorer drillship to Petrobras under the Drilling Contract, with the Brazilian Government and Petrobras as plaintiffs. Vantage is alleged to have been involved in and benefitted from the purported bribery scheme at Petrobras through Hamylton Padilha, the Brazilian agent our former parent

5

company, VDC, used in the contracting of the Titanium Explorer drillship to Petrobras, and Mr. Hsin-Chi Su, a former member of the Board of Directors and a significant shareholder of VDC. We first became aware of the legal proceeding on July 19, 2018 as it was previously under seal. The Company has not been formally served nor advised by any Brazilian authorities of any particular charges. The Company understands that the legal proceeding, which is called an improbity action, is a civil action and is part of the Brazilian Federal Prosecutor’s larger “Car Wash” investigation into money laundering and corruption allegations at Petrobras.            

The damages claimed in the proceeding are in the amount of BRL 102.8 million (approximately $31.0 million), together with a civil fine equal to three times that amount. The Company understands that the Brazilian court hearing the proceeding has issued an order authorizing the seizure and freezing of the assets of the Company and the other three defendants in the legal proceeding, as a precautionary measure, in the amount of approximately $124.0 million. The Company and the other three defendants are jointly and severally liable for this amount. The seizure order has not had an effect on the Company’s assets or operations. The Company does not own any assets in Brazil, and does not currently intend to relocate any assets to Brazil.

On February 13, 2019, we learned that the Brazilian Federal Prosecutor has requested mutual legal assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice pursuant to the United Nations Convention against Corruption of 2003 to obtain a freezing order against the Company’s U.S. assets in the amount of $124.0 million. The Company believes this request is not supported by applicable law and intends to vigorously oppose and defend against any attempts to seize its assets. Further, the Company intends to vigorously defend against the allegations made in the underlying improbity action.  However, we can neither predict the ultimate outcome of this matter nor that there will not be further developments in the “Car Wash” investigation or in any other ongoing investigation or related proceeding that could adversely affect us.

Strengths

We believe our primary competitive strengths include the following:

We own and operate a diversified, premium fleet. We have a diversified fleet of eight high-specification drilling units that is capable of providing premium drilling services for both shallow water and deepwater applications. We recognize that shallow water and deepwater business cycles may differ, particularly during an industry recovery, and believe our fleet diversity reduces our reliance on any particular market segment. Our fleet currently includes five jackup rigs and three drillships.

Our focus on increased efficiency has led to an optimized cost structure. Following the commodity price downturn in 2014, we implemented company-wide cost savings initiatives in an effort to reduce our rig operating expenses and general and administrative expenses through the right-sizing of shore-based teams and centralization of shore-based operational support in Dubai near key areas of operation. Further, we have significantly reduced our rig operating cost through nationalization and regionalization of senior offshore positions and active supply chain management. We believe our optimized cost structure is among the best in the industry and provides us with the flexibility to operate across business cycles and will lead to enhanced profitability in the event of a recovery in the offshore drilling industry.

We have a strong balance sheet with significant debt coverage. As of December 31, 2018, we have approximately $239.4 million of cash on our balance sheet (including $14.4 million of restricted cash) and no near-term debt maturities. Our long-

6

term debt consists of $350.0 million of 9.25% First Lien Notes, which are secured on a first priority basis by substantially all of our assets, as well as the Convertible Notes. In addition, in connection with our arbitration with Petrobras and related entities, we were awarded damages in the aggregate amount of $622.0 million, which accrues interest at an annual rate of 15.2%, although no assurances can be given as to whether, or to what extent, such award will ultimately be recovered, if at all.

We are a leading operator with strong client relationships. We believe that our safety and operational performance, experienced and skilled employees, and modern and highly advanced fleet have produced a track record of high-quality client service and operational safety, efficiency and effectiveness. We have received special recognition from several of our clients for superior drilling services based on key operational metrics, including with respect to drilling efficiency, low non-productive time, safe operations and best contractor performance.

We have a proven management team. Our executive team has a strong reputation for sound execution, customer focus and delivering strong financial performance. Our management team has extensive experience in the oilfield services and offshore drilling industries, as well as experience operating in key global offshore development locations, including the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, the Middle East, South East Asia and India, with major international and national oil companies as well as independent exploration and production companies. In addition to the members of the management team, we have highly trained personnel operating and maintaining our rigs. We believe that our team’s significant experience, technical expertise and strong client relationships, as well as the functional depth throughout our organization, enhance our ability to deliver superior drilling service to our clients and effectively operate on a global basis.

Strategy

Our principal business objective is to be the preferred provider of premium offshore drilling rig services to the oil and gas industry. Our operating strategy is designed to enable us to provide high-quality, safe and cost-competitive services through the current business cycle, positioning us to benefit from an expected increase in demand for offshore drilling and to increase our cash flow and profits. Specifically, we expect to achieve our business objectives through the following strategies:

Enhanced focus on safety and operational excellence. With current decreased demand for offshore drilling services, excelling in safety and operational ability is a key factor for success. We intend to continue our focus on minimizing safety incidents, while also continually increasing our operational uptime and efficiency. This dual focus is intended to enable us to develop and maintain long-term customer relationships and maximize the utilization of our fleet while also ensuring the safety of our and our customers’ employees and contractors. We intend to maintain our exemplary safety and operational performance through attentive and engaged leadership, ongoing competency and training programs, appropriate incentive structures at all levels and effective management oversight.

Efficiently manage costs to adapt to and withstand a range of market conditions. With a cost-competitive fleet, we believe we are well-positioned to operate across business cycles and achieve enhanced profitability in the event of a recovery in the offshore drilling industry. We have assembled and deployed an active fleet that we believe is at the low end of the cost-of-supply curve through right sizing and centralization of shore-based support, nationalization and regionalization of senior offshore positions, and active supply chain management. We believe these efforts to manage costs will enable us to maintain our industry-leading fleet utilization while generating positive operational cash flows in the current low dayrate environment.

Maintain high fleet utilization and consistent activity levels to capitalize on customer preferences for active rigs. We enjoy an industry-leading fleet utilization, which serves as a competitive advantage in securing contracts given operators’ strong preference for rigs with consistent activity levels. Consistent activity helps reduce the uncertainty of any associated costs and preparation time for rigs to undertake new contracts. All of our jackup rigs are currently contracted with client options to extend their contracts. One of our drillships is currently contracted, one drillship is having its special periodic survey performed in advance of returning to work, and one drillship is maintained warm-stacked in anticipation of what we believe to be an improved dayrate and contract term environment commencing as early as 2020.

Preserve balance sheet and maintain significant liquidity through business cycles. With approximately $239.4 million cash on our balance sheet as of December 31, 2018 (including $14.4 million of restricted cash) and no near-term debt maturities, we continue to focus on preservation of liquidity as the offshore drilling business cycle continues. Additionally, the award we obtained in connection with our arbitration with Petrobras and related entities provides potential future upside and financial cushion in our capital structure.

Maintain high-quality asset portfolio with diverse footprint by selectively pursuing acquisitions that we believe align with our operational model and are likely to increase cash flow. Our balanced fleet of jackup rigs and drillships allows us to address the dynamic opportunity set in the offshore drilling industry. We believe the quality of our jackup rig and drillship fleets, combined with our experience in shallow and deepwater markets, position us to compete in various market segments and geographies. We maintain a young fleet with an average age of approximately eight years; accordingly, our high-specification assets enable us to capitalize on the bifurcation in utilization levels between modern and older rigs, and to secure contracts with premium dayrates. Additionally, high-

7

specification modern drilling units generally provide superior and more efficient drilling performance, as well as enhanced and more cost effective logistics. Newer and more modern drilling units are also generally preferred by crews, which makes it easier to hire and retain high-quality operating personnel. As a result, our fleet is well suited to meet the requirements of customers for efficiently drilling complex wells in demanding locations. To maintain our high-quality asset portfolio, we are focused on disciplined investment in, and the growth of, our active drilling fleet to maximize our profitability. We believe the most attractive returns on invested capital are in opportunistic acquisitions of rigs that are complementary to our fleet, and that rigs of this type are currently available at historically low acquisition prices due to the offshore industry downturn. Additionally, we have invested in MPD technology for the Tungsten Explorer ultra-deepwater drillship, technology which is currently required by a significant number of the tenders in the market and is becoming increasingly prevalent in the industry, making such drillship highly regarded and sought after by customers. We have the ability to use this MPD system on our other drillships.

Our Industry

The offshore contract drilling industry provides drilling, workover and well construction services to oil and natural gas exploration and production companies through the use of mobile offshore drilling units. Historically, the offshore drilling industry has been very cyclical with periods of high demand, limited rig supply and high dayrates alternating with periods of low demand, excess rig supply and low dayrates. Periods of low demand and excess rig supply intensify the competition in the industry and often result in some rigs becoming idle for long periods of time as is the case today. As is common throughout the oilfield services industry, offshore drilling is largely driven by actual or anticipated changes in oil and natural gas prices and capital spending by companies exploring for and producing oil and natural gas. Sustained high commodity prices historically have led to increases in expenditures for offshore drilling activities and, as a result, greater demand for our services. As a result of the persistence of reduced oil and gas prices since late 2014, reduced demand for offshore drilling rigs by our customers has continued. The reduced demand is occurring at the same time that drilling rigs continue to be brought into the market or scheduled for delivery resulting in an oversupply of equipment. We expect that these adverse market conditions are likely to continue for the duration of 2019 and potentially beyond.  

Offshore drilling rigs are generally marketed on a worldwide basis as rigs can be moved from one region to another. The cost of moving a rig and the availability of rig-moving vessels may cause the supply and demand balance to vary between regions. However, significant variations between regions do not tend to exist long-term because of rig mobility.

The offshore drilling market generally consists of shallow water (<400 ft.), midwater (>400 ft.), deepwater (>4,000 ft.) and ultra-deepwater (>7,500 ft.). The global shallow water market is serviced primarily by jackups.

Our jackup fleet is focused on the “long-legged” (>350 ft.) high specification market. The drillships that we operate are focused primarily on the ultra-deepwater segment, but can also operate efficiently and cost effectively in the midwater and deepwater markets.

Customers

Our customers are primarily large multinational oil and natural gas companies, government owned oil and natural gas companies and independent oil and natural gas producers. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 and for the periods from January 1, 2016 to February 10, 2016 and from February 10, 2016 to December 31, 2016, the following customers accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated revenue, in the respective periods:

Drilling Contracts

Our drilling contracts are the result of negotiation with our customers, and most contracts are awarded through competitive bidding against other contractors. Drilling contracts generally provide for payment on a dayrate basis, with higher rates while the drilling unit is operating and lower rates for periods of mobilization or when drilling operations are interrupted or restricted by equipment breakdowns, adverse environmental conditions or other conditions beyond our control. Currently all of our drilling

8

contracts are on a dayrate basis. A dayrate drilling contract generally extends over a period of time covering either the drilling of a single well (or group of wells) or covering a stated term. Certain of our contracts with customers may be cancelable at the option of the customer upon payment of an early termination fee. Such payments may not, however, fully compensate us for the loss of the contract. Contracts also customarily provide for either automatic termination or termination at the option of the customer typically without the payment of any termination fee, under various circumstances such as non-performance, in the event of extensive downtime or impaired performance caused by equipment or operational issues, or sustained periods of downtime due to force majeure events or for convenience by the customer. Many of these events are beyond our control. The contract term in some instances may be extended by the client exercising options for the drilling of additional wells or for an additional term. Our contracts also typically include a provision that allows the client to extend the contract to finish drilling a well-in-progress. During periods of depressed market conditions, our clients may seek to renegotiate drilling contracts to reduce their obligations or may seek to repudiate their contracts. Suspension of drilling contracts will result in the reduction in or loss of dayrate for the period of the suspension. To the extent (i) our customers cancel some of our contracts and we are unable to secure new contracts on a timely basis and on substantially similar terms, (ii) our contracts are suspended for an extended period of time or (iii) a number of our contracts are renegotiated, it could adversely affect our consolidated statements of financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

The following table sets forth certain information concerning the current contract status of our offshore drilling fleet as of February 28, 2019.  

Contract Backlog

As of December 31, 2018, our owned fleet had total drilling contract backlog of approximately $156.7 million. We expect that approximately $108.9 million of our total contract backlog will be performed during 2019, with the remainder performed in subsequent years.

Competition

The contract drilling industry is highly competitive. Demand for contract drilling and related services is influenced by a number of factors, including the current and expected prices of oil and natural gas and the expenditures of oil and natural gas companies for exploration and development of oil and natural gas. In addition, demand for drilling services remains dependent on a variety of political and economic factors beyond our control, including worldwide demand for oil and natural gas, the ability of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) to set and maintain production levels and pricing, the level of production of non-OPEC countries and the policies of various governments regarding exploration and development of their oil and natural gas reserves.

Drilling contracts are generally awarded on a competitive bid or negotiated basis. Pricing (day rate) is often the primary factor in determining which qualified contractor is awarded a job. Rig availability, capabilities, age and each contractor’s safety performance record and reputation for quality also can be key factors in the determination. Operators also may consider crew experience, rig location and efficiency. We believe that the market for drilling contracts will continue to be highly competitive for the foreseeable future. Certain competitors may have greater financial resources than we do, which may better enable them to withstand periods of low utilization, compete more effectively in a low price environment, build new rigs or acquire existing rigs. In the current market, contractors that are awarded a job are more often the ones that submit proposals for contracts at very low day rates thereby depressing global pricing.

Our competition ranges from large international companies offering a wide range of drilling and other oilfield services to smaller, locally owned companies. Competition for rigs is usually on a global basis, as these rigs are highly mobile and may be moved, although at a cost that is sometimes substantial, from one region to another in response to demand.

9

Operating Hazards

Our operations are subject to many hazards inherent in the offshore drilling business, including, but not limited to: blowouts, craterings, fires, explosions, equipment failures, loss of well control, loss of hole, damaged or lost equipment and damage or loss from inclement weather or natural disasters.

These hazards could cause personal injury or death, serious damage to or destruction of property and equipment, suspension of drilling operations, or damage to the environment, including damage to producing formations and surrounding areas. Generally, we seek to obtain contractual indemnification from our customers for some of these risks. To the extent not transferred to customers by contract, we seek protection against some of these risks through insurance, including property casualty insurance on our rigs and drilling equipment, protection and indemnity, commercial general liability, which has coverage extension for underground resources and equipment coverage, commercial contract indemnity and commercial umbrella insurance.

There are risks that are outside of our control. Nonetheless, we believe that we are adequately insured for liability and property damage to others with respect to our operations. However, such insurance may not be sufficient to protect us against liability for all consequences of well disasters, extensive fire damage or damage to the environment. For more information regarding the risks related to our insurance policies, see “Risk Factors—Our business involves numerous operating hazards, and our insurance and contractual indemnity rights may not be adequate to cover our losses”.

Insurance

We maintain insurance coverage that includes coverage for physical damage, third party liability, employer’s liability, war risk, general liability, vessel pollution and other coverage. However, our insurance is subject to exclusions and limitations and there is no assurance that such coverage will adequately protect us against liability from all potential consequences and damages.

Our primary marine package provides for hull and machinery coverage for our drilling units up to a scheduled value for each asset, which we believe approximates replacement cost. The maximum coverage for our eight drilling units is $1.5 billion. The policies are subject to certain exclusions, limitations, deductibles and other conditions. Deductibles for physical damage to our jackup rigs and our drillships are $2.5 million and $5.0 million, respectively, per occurrence. Our protection and indemnity policy provides liability coverage limits of $500.0 million per rig. In addition to these policies, we have separate policies providing coverage for onshore general liability, employer’s liability, auto liability and non-owned aircraft liability, with customary coverage, limits and deductibles.

Foreign Regulation

Our operations are conducted in foreign jurisdictions and are subject to, and affected in varying degrees by, governmental laws and regulations in countries in which we operate, including laws, regulations and duties relating to the importation and exportation of and operation of drilling units and other equipment, currency conversions and repatriation, oil and natural gas exploration and development, environmental protection, taxation of offshore earnings and earnings of expatriate personnel and the use of local employees and suppliers by foreign contractors. Governments in some foreign countries have become increasingly active in regulating and controlling the ownership of concessions and companies holding concessions, the exploration for oil and natural gas and other aspects of the oil and natural gas industries in their countries. In some areas of the world, this governmental activity has adversely affected the amount of exploration and development work done by major oil and natural gas companies and may continue to do so. Furthermore, these regulations have limited the opportunities for international drilling contractors to participate in tenders for contracts or to perform services in certain countries as the governments have strongly favored local service providers. Operations in less developed countries may be subject to legal systems that are not as predictable as those in more developed countries, which can lead to greater uncertainty in legal matters and proceedings.

The shipment of goods, services and technology across international borders subjects us to extensive trade laws and regulations. Our import and export activities are governed by unique customs laws and regulations in each of the countries where we operate. The laws and regulations concerning import and export activity, recordkeeping and reporting, import and export control and economic sanctions are complex and constantly changing. These laws and regulations may be enacted, amended, enforced or interpreted in a manner materially impacting our operations. Governments also may impose economic sanctions against certain countries, persons and other entities that may restrict or prohibit transactions involving such countries, persons and entities. Shipments can be delayed and denied import or export for a variety of reasons, some of which are outside our control and some of which may result from failure to comply with existing legal and regulatory regimes. Shipping delays or denials could cause unscheduled operational downtime.

Environmental Regulation

For a discussion of the effects of environmental regulation on our current operations, see “Risk Factors—Our business is subject to numerous governmental laws and regulations, including those that may impose significant costs and liability on us for environmental and natural resource damages”. We anticipate that we will continue to make expenditures to comply with environmental requirements. To date, we have not expended material amounts beyond those amounts spent on our basic rig designs in

10

order to comply and we do not believe that our compliance with such requirements will have a material adverse effect upon our results of operations or competitive position or materially increase our capital expenditures.

We have historically conducted work in the Gulf of Mexico and may conduct such work in the future. Although we are not currently conducting any operations under the jurisdiction of U.S. environmental and natural resource agencies, similar restrictions and concerns apply in the jurisdictions in which we currently operate. These requirements and concerns may be more or less stringent than those associated with the following U.S. laws.

Heightened environmental concerns have led to greater and more stringent environmental regulations, higher drilling costs, and a more difficult and lengthy well permitting process in many jurisdictions throughout the world. Requirements applicable to our operations include regulations that would require us to obtain and maintain specified permits or governmental approvals, control the discharge of materials into the environment, require removal and cleanup of materials that may harm the environment, or otherwise relate to the protection of the environment. Laws and regulations protecting the environment have become more stringent and may in some cases impose strict liability, rendering a person liable for environmental damage without regard to negligence or fault on the part of such person. Some of these laws and regulations may expose us to liability for the conduct of, or conditions caused by, others or for acts which were in compliance with all applicable laws at the time they were performed. The application of these requirements or the adoption of new or more stringent requirements could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Environmental requirements include water quality laws, regulations and policies that prohibit and/or regulate the discharge of pollutants, including petroleum, into the waters. Certain facilities that store or otherwise handle oil are required to prepare and implement Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plans and Facility Response Plans relating to the possible discharge of oil to surface waters. Violations of monitoring, reporting, permitting and other requirements can result in the imposition of administrative, civil and criminal penalties. Laws governing air emissions and solid and hazardous waste also apply to our operations.

A variety of initiatives intended to enhance vessel security have been adopted in certain jurisdictions where we operate. For example, these initiatives may require the development of vessel security plans and on-board installation of automatic information systems, or AIS, to enhance vessel-to-vessel and vessel-to-shore communications.

The International Maritime Organization (the “IMO”), a specialized agency of the United Nations, is responsible for developing measures to improve the safety and security of international shipping and to prevent marine pollution from ships. Among the various international conventions negotiated by the IMO is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (“MARPOL”). MARPOL imposes environmental standards on the shipping industry relating to oil spills, management of garbage, the handling and disposal of noxious liquids, harmful substances in packaged forms, sewage and air emissions.

Annex VI to MARPOL (“Annex IV”) sets limits on sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from ship exhausts and prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone depleting substances. Annex VI also imposes a global cap on the sulfur content of fuel oil and allows for specialized areas to be established internationally with more stringent controls on sulfur emissions. For vessels 400 gross tons and greater, platforms and drilling units, Annex VI imposes various survey and certification requirements. For this purpose, gross tonnage is based on the International Tonnage Certificate for the vessel. The United States has ratified Annex VI. In addition, any drilling units we operate internationally are subject to the requirements of Annex VI in those countries that have implemented its provisions. We believe the drilling units we currently offer for international projects comply with Annex VI, but changes to our equipment and ratifying countries’ regulatory interpretations of the Annex VI requirements could impose additional costs on us, which could be significant.

Although significant capital expenditures may be required to comply with these governmental laws and regulations, such compliance has not materially adversely affected our earnings or competitive position. We believe that we are currently in compliance in all material respects with the environmental regulations to which we are subject.

Employees

At December 31, 2018, we managed a workforce of approximately 894 people, of which approximately 400 were our direct employees.

11

Available Information

This Annual Report on Form 10-K also contains summaries of the terms of certain agreements that we have entered into that are filed as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The descriptions contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K of those agreements do not purport to be complete and are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, the respective definitive agreements. You may request a copy of the agreements described herein at no cost by writing or telephoning us at the following address: Vantage Drilling International, Attention: General Counsel, c/o Vantage Energy Services, Inc., 777 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 800, Houston, Texas 77056, phone number (281) 404-4700. You can also obtain copies of any of the agreements that are filed as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K from the SEC through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

There are numerous factors that affect our business and operating results, many of which are beyond our control. The following is a description of significant factors that might cause our future operating results to differ materially from those currently expected. The risks described below are not the only risks facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties not specified herein, not currently known to us or currently deemed to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial position, operating results or cash flows.

Our industry is highly competitive, cyclical and subject to intense price competition.  

The offshore contract drilling industry, historically, has been cyclical and volatile with periods of high demand, limited supply and high dayrates alternating with periods of low demand, excess supply and low dayrates. Many offshore drilling units are highly mobile. Competitors may move drilling units from region to region in response to changes in demand. According to Bassoe Offshore A.S., as of January 2019 there were 71 jackups and 29 deepwater/harsh environment floaters on order at shipyards with scheduled deliveries extending out to June 2021. It is unclear when or whether delivery of these drilling rigs will occur as many rig deliveries have been deferred and some have been canceled. Notwithstanding such deferrals and cancellations, excess supply may continue to depress the markets in which we operate. Periods of low demand and excess supply intensify competition in our industry and often result in some of our drilling units becoming idle for long periods of time. Prolonged periods of low utilization and dayrates, or extended idle time, could result in the recognition of impairment charges on our drilling units if cash flow estimates, based upon information available to management at the time, indicate that the carrying value of the drilling units may not be recoverable.  

We may engage in certain strategic or transformational transactions in the future which could affect the value or type of our assets. 

From time to time, our management independently evaluates, and separately receives indications of interest in respect of, a variety of strategic and/or transformational transactions in respect of our assets or a particular subset thereof. While the documents governing our indebtedness include certain restrictions on our ability to dispose of our assets or to finance the acquisitions of new assets, such restrictions contain various exceptions and limitations.   

To the extent we were to pursue or engage in such transactions, there is no guarantee that such transactions will be successful or, even if consummated, improve our operating results. We may incur costs, breakage fees or other expenses in connection with any such transactions, and any such transactions may ultimately have a material adverse effect on our operating results and on our ability to pay amounts due on our debt.  

In addition, such transactions may be transformative and consequently, may result in a change in the type of the assets we hold. Such new assets may be valued differently as compared to our current assets in the event of a liquidation thereof or due to changes in applicable market conditions even absent such a liquidation scenario. Accordingly, there can be no guarantee that any replacement assets will continue to hold comparable value to our current assets. Any such changes to our asset mix may also be viewed negatively by the market and could have an adverse effect on the trading price of our securities.

We could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws.

The FCPA and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws (together, anti-corruption laws) prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Our policies mandate compliance with these laws. We operate in many parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree and, in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. Despite our extensive training and compliance program, we cannot assure you that our internal control policies and procedures will protect us from improper acts committed by our directors, employees or agents. Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt our business and result in a material adverse effect on our business and operations. We may be subject to competitive disadvantages to the extent that our competitors are able to secure business, licenses or other preferential treatment by making payments to government officials and others in positions of influence or using other methods that U.S. laws and regulations prohibit us from using.

In order to effectively compete in some foreign jurisdictions, we utilize local agents and seek to establish joint ventures with local operators or strategic partners. In addition, in some foreign jurisdictions in which we operate, we are required to retain the

12

services of a national agent or sponsor. Although we have procedures and controls in place to monitor internal and external compliance, if we are found to be liable for violations of anti-corruption laws (either due to our own acts or omissions, or due to the acts or omissions of others, including actions taken by our agents and our strategic or local partners, even though our agents and partners may not be subject to the FCPA), we could suffer from civil and criminal penalties or other sanctions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows. In July 2015, we became aware of media reports that Hamylton Padilha, the Brazilian agent VDC used in the contracting of the Titanium Explorer drillship to Petrobras, had entered into a plea arrangement with the Brazilian authorities in connection with his role in facilitating the payment of bribes to former Petrobras executives. Among other things, Mr. Padilha provided information to the Brazilian authorities of an alleged bribery scheme between former Petrobras executives and Mr. Hsin-Chi Su, who was, at the time of the alleged bribery scheme, a member of the Board of Directors and a significant shareholder of VDC. When we learned of Mr. Padilha’s plea agreement and the allegations, we voluntarily contacted the DOJ and the SEC to advise them of these developments, as well as the fact that we had engaged outside counsel to conduct an internal investigation of the allegations. Since disclosing this matter to the DOJ and SEC, we have cooperated fully in their investigation of these allegations. In connection with such cooperation, we advised both agencies that in early 2010, we engaged outside counsel to investigate a report of alleged improper payments to customs and immigration officials in Asia. That investigation was concluded in 2011, and we determined at that time that no disclosure was warranted; however, in an abundance of caution, we provided the results of this investigation to the DOJ and SEC in light of the allegations in the Petrobras matter. In August 2017, we received a letter from the DOJ acknowledging our full cooperation in the DOJ’s investigation concerning possible violations of the FCPA by VDC in the Petrobras matter and indicating that the DOJ had closed such investigation without any action.

On November 19, 2018, we concluded a settlement agreement with the SEC resolving the SEC’s investigation into possible violations of the internal accounting control provisions of the FCPA by VDC and VDC’s subsidiaries (including Vantage and Vantage’s subsidiaries, the foregoing having been subsidiaries of VDC at the commencement of the investigation). As part of the settlement agreement, we paid the SEC $5.0 million. We neither admitted nor denied any of the SEC’s allegations, except as to jurisdiction, which we admitted. We accrued a liability for the payment in the fourth quarter of 2017. With the settlement of this matter with the SEC and the earlier decision by the DOJ to close its inquiry into Vantage and VDC without taking any action, the U.S. government’s investigation of Vantage and VDC for possible violations of the FCPA has formally concluded.

Negative publicity may adversely affect us.

Media coverage and public statements that insinuate improper actions by us, regardless of their factual accuracy or truthfulness, may result in negative publicity, litigation or governmental investigations by regulators. Addressing negative publicity and any resulting litigation or investigations may distract management, increase costs and divert resources. Negative publicity may have an adverse impact on our reputation and the morale of our employees, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our financial health and prevent us from fulfilling our debt obligations.

As of December 31, 2018, we had approximately $1,121.9 million aggregate principal amount of debt outstanding, consisting of $350.0 million under the 9.25% First Lien Notes and approximately $771.9 million of the Convertible Notes. Our high level of indebtedness could have significant effects on our business. For example, our level of indebtedness and the terms of our debt agreements may:

13

Each of these factors may have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition and viability. Our ability to satisfy our other debt obligations will depend on our future operating performance, which will be affected by prevailing economic conditions and financial, business and other factors affecting our company and industry, many of which are beyond our control.

In the event the Convertible Notes accelerate, the holders are entitled to the outstanding principal, accrued interest and a premium (“Applicable Premium”). The Applicable Premium is calculated as the greater of (i) 1.0% of the then outstanding principal amount and (ii) the difference between the present value, computed using a discount rate equal to the treasury rate plus 50 basis points, of the accreted value at maturity, less the outstanding principal of the Convertible Notes. The estimated Applicable Premium is in excess of $1.0 billion.

We may be required to repurchase certain of our indebtedness with cash upon a change of control or other triggering events.

Upon the occurrence of specified change of control events or certain losses of our vessels in the agreements governing the 9.25% First Lien Notes and the Convertible Notes, we will be required to offer to repurchase or repay all (or in the case of events of losses of vessels, an amount up to the amount of proceeds received from such event of loss, with the 9.25% Senior Notes having priority over the Convertible Notes) of the 9.25% First Lien Notes and the Convertible Notes at the prices and upon the terms set forth in the applicable agreements. In addition, in connection with certain asset sales, we will be required to offer to repurchase or repay the 9.25% First Lien Notes and the Convertible Notes (with the 9.25% First Lien Notes having priority over the Convertible Notes) as set forth in the agreements governing the 9.25% First Lien Notes and the Convertible Notes. We may not have sufficient funds available to repurchase or repay all of the debt that becomes due and payable pursuant to any such offer, which would constitute an event of default that, in turn, would likely trigger a default under any other then-existing debt agreements. Moreover, the creditors under certain of our debt agreements may limit our ability to repurchase debt. In that event, we would need to refinance the applicable debt, or obtain a waiver under the applicable debt agreement, before making an offer to purchase. We may be unable to refinance such indebtedness or obtain a waiver. Any requirement to offer to repurchase or repay any of our existing debt may therefore require us to refinance some or all of our other outstanding debt, which we may not be able to accomplish on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. These repurchase requirements may also delay or make it more difficult for others to obtain control of us.

The international nature of our operations results in additional political, economic, legal and other uncertainties not generally associated with domestic operations.

Our business strategy is to operate in international oil and natural gas producing areas. Our international operations are subject to a number of risks inherent in any business operating in foreign countries, including:

14

Our financial condition and results of operations could be susceptible to adverse events beyond our control that may occur in the particular countries or regions in which we are active. Additionally, we may experience currency exchange losses where, at some future date, revenues are received and expenses are paid in nonconvertible currencies or where we do not hedge exposure to a foreign currency. We may also incur losses as a result of an inability to collect revenues because of a shortage of convertible currency available in the country of operation, controls over currency exchange or controls over the repatriation of income or capital.

Many governments favor or effectively require that drilling contracts be awarded to local contractors or require foreign contractors to employ citizens of, or purchase supplies from, a particular jurisdiction. These practices may result in inefficiencies or put us at a disadvantage when bidding for contracts against local competitors.

Our offshore contract drilling operations are subject to various laws and regulations in countries in which we operate, including laws and regulations relating to the equipment and operation of drilling units, currency conversions and repatriation, oil and natural gas exploration and development, taxation of offshore earnings and earnings of expatriate personnel, the use of local employees and suppliers by foreign contractors and duties on the importation and exportation of drilling units and other equipment. Governments in some foreign countries have become increasingly active in regulating and controlling the ownership of concessions and companies holding concessions, the exploration for oil and natural gas and other aspects of the oil and natural gas industries in their countries. In some areas of the world, this governmental activity has adversely affected the amount of exploration and development work done by major oil and natural gas companies and may continue to do so. Operations in less developed countries can be subject to legal systems which are not as predictable as those in more developed countries, which can lead to greater uncertainty in legal matters and proceedings.

Political disturbances, war, or terrorist attacks and changes in global trade policies and economic sanctions could adversely impact our operations.

Our operations are subject to political and economic risks and uncertainties, including instability resulting from civil unrest, political demonstrations, mass strikes, or an escalation or additional outbreak of armed hostilities or other crises in oil or natural gas producing areas, which may result in extended business interruptions, suspended operations and danger to our employees, or result in claims by our customers of a force majeure situation and payment disputes. Additionally, we are subject to risks of terrorism, piracy, political instability, hostilities, expropriation, confiscation or deprivation of our assets or military action impacting our operations, assets or financial performance in many of our areas of operations.  

A continued low amount of, or further reduction in, expenditures by oil and natural gas exploration and production companies due to the recent low level of oil and natural gas prices, a decrease in demand for oil and natural gas, or other factors, would adversely affect our business.

Our business, including the utilization rates and dayrates we achieve for our drilling units, depends on the level of activity in oil and natural gas exploration, development and production expenditures of our customers. Oil and natural gas prices and customers’ expectations of potential changes in these prices significantly affect this level of activity. Commodity prices are affected by numerous factors, including the following:

15

In addition to oil and gas prices, the offshore drilling industry is influenced by additional factors, including:

Any of these factors could reduce demand for or prices paid for our services and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Low prices for oil and natural gas may reduce demand for our services and could have a material adverse effect on our revenue and profitability.

Demand for our services depends on oil and natural gas industry activity and expenditure levels that are directly affected by trends in oil and natural gas prices. In addition, demand for our services is particularly sensitive to the level of exploration, development and production activity of and the corresponding capital spending by, oil and natural gas companies. Any prolonged weakness in oil and natural gas prices could depress the near-term levels of exploration, development and production activity. Perceptions of longer-term lower oil and natural gas prices by oil and natural gas companies could similarly reduce or defer major expenditures given the long-term nature of many large-scale development projects. 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. Additionally, these factors may adversely impact our financial position if they are determined to cause an impairment of our long-lived assets.

A small number of customers account for a significant portion of our revenues, and the loss of one or more of these customers could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. The concentration of revenue with a small number of customers also exposes us to credit risk of these customers for non-payment or contract termination.

We derive a significant portion of our revenues from a few customers. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, three customers accounted for approximately 69% of our revenue. Our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected if any one of these customers interrupts or curtails their activities, fails to pay for the services that have been performed, terminates their contracts, fails to renew their existing contracts or refuses to award new contracts and we are unable to enter into contracts with new customers on comparable terms. The loss of any of our significant customers could materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Our drilling contracts are generally short-term in duration, and we could experience reduced profitability if customers reduce activity levels or if we otherwise fail to secure new drilling contracts or extend existing contracts upon their termination.

Many drilling contracts are short-term, and oil and natural gas companies tend to reduce shallow water activity levels quickly in response to downward changes in oil and natural gas prices. Due to the short-term nature of most of our drilling contracts, a decline in market conditions can quickly affect our business if customers reduce their levels of operations. We may not be able to secure new contracts for our vessels or extend contracts on favorable terms or at all, or satisfy any conditions precedent to finalizing any letters of intent or award with respect to our vessels. This could result in one or more of our vessels being idle for an extended period of time, which could adversely affect our profitability, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Our drilling contracts may be terminated early in certain circumstances and our customers may seek to renegotiate the terms of their existing drilling contracts with us.

Our customers may have the right to terminate, or may seek to renegotiate, their existing drilling contracts with us if we experience excessive downtime, operational problems above the contractual limit or safety-related issues, if the drilling unit is a total

16

loss, if the drilling unit is not delivered to the customer within the period specified in the contract or in other specified circumstances, which include events beyond the control of either party.

Some of our current drilling contracts, and some drilling contracts that we may enter into in the future, may include terms allowing customers to terminate contracts without cause, with little or no prior notice and without penalty or early termination payments. In addition, we could be required to pay penalties, which could be material, if some of these contracts are terminated due to downtime, operational problems or failure to deliver. Some of the contracts with customers that we enter into in the future may be cancellable at the option of the customer upon payment of a penalty, which may not fully compensate us for the loss of the contract. Early termination of a contract may result in a drilling unit being idle for an extended period of time. The likelihood that a customer may seek to terminate a contract is increased during periods of market weakness. Under most of our contracts, it is an event of default if we file a petition for bankruptcy or reorganization, which would allow the customer to terminate such contract.

Further, during depressed market conditions, a customer may no longer need a unit that is currently under contract or may be able to obtain a comparable unit at a lower dayrate. As a result, customers may seek to renegotiate the terms of their existing drilling contracts or avoid their obligations under those contracts.

Our financial results may not reflect historical trends.

Our past financial performance may not be indicative of our future financial performance. We have a limited operating history since our emergence from bankruptcy on February 10, 2016. Further, we became a new entity for financial reporting purposes when we adopted fresh-start accounting as of our emergence from bankruptcy. As a result, our financial results for periods following our emergence from bankruptcy are different from historical trends and the differences may be material.

Our current backlog of contract drilling revenue may not be fully realized, which may have a material adverse impact on our consolidated statement of financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

As of December 31, 2018, our owned fleet had total drilling contract backlog of approximately $156.7 million. This amount was calculated based on certain estimates and assumptions regarding operations and payments to be received under such drilling contracts. Although management believes that such estimates and assumptions are reasonable, actual amounts received under these contracts could materially differ from the projected amount. Material differences between the projected contract backlog amount and the amounts actually received pursuant to such contracts could be caused by a number of factors, including rig downtime or suspension of operations. We may not be able to realize the full amount of our contract backlog due to events beyond our control.

We may not be able to replace expiring or terminated contracts for our existing rigs at dayrates that are economically feasible for us.  

Due to the cyclical nature and high level of competition in our industry, we may not be able to replace expiring or terminated contracts. Our ability to replace expiring or terminated contracts will depend on prevailing market conditions, the specific needs of our customers, and numerous other factors beyond our control. Additionally, any contracts for our drilling units may be at dayrates that are below existing dayrates, which could have a material adverse effect on our overall business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects.  

In particular, the Tungsten Explorer’s most recently concluded drilling contract, which ended in October 2018, accounted for the highest dayrate of any of our other drillships’ drilling contracts for the current year. The Tungsten Explorer is currently completing certain equipment recertifications and upgrades and is scheduled to work offshore of Egypt under a drilling services contract with a term for one well and options to add up to three additional wells. Given current market conditions, the dayrate associated with this contract is lower than the rate associated with the previous drilling contract and it is unlikely that we will be able to secure additional new drilling contracts at rates comparable to the previous rate in the near-term. If we are unable to secure a new drilling contract at a comparable rate, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be adversely affected.

There may be limits to our ability to mobilize drilling units between geographic markets and the time and costs of such drilling unit mobilizations may be material to our business.

The offshore contract drilling market is generally a global market as drilling units may be mobilized from one market to another market. However, geographic markets can, from time to time, have material fluctuations in costs and risks as the ability to mobilize drilling units can be impacted by several factors including, but not limited to, governmental regulation and customs practices, the significant costs to move a drilling unit, availability of tow boats or heavy lift vessels, weather, political instability, civil unrest, military actions and the technical capability of the drilling units to operate in various environments. Any increase in the supply of drilling units in the geographic areas in which we operate, whether through new construction, refurbishment or conversion of drilling units from other uses, remobilization or changes in the law or its application, could increase competition and result in lower dayrates and/or utilization, which would adversely affect our financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Additionally, while a drilling unit is being mobilized from one geographic market to another, we may not be paid by the customer for the time that the

17

drilling unit is out of service. Also, we may mobilize the drilling unit to another geographic market without a customer contract which will result in costs not reimbursable by future customers.

Our business involves numerous operating hazards, and our insurance and contractual indemnity rights may not be adequate to cover our losses.

Our operations are subject to the usual hazards inherent in the drilling and operation of oil and natural gas wells, such as blowouts, reservoir damage, loss of production, loss of well control, punch-throughs, craterings, fires and pollution. The occurrence of these events could result in the suspension of drilling or production operations, claims by the operator and others affected by such events, severe damage to, or destruction of, the property and equipment involved, injury or death to drilling unit personnel, environmental damage and increased insurance costs. We may also be subject to personal injury and other claims of drilling unit personnel as a result of our drilling operations. Operations also may be suspended because of machinery breakdowns, abnormal operating conditions, failure of subcontractors to perform or supply goods or services and personnel shortages.

In addition, our operations will be subject to perils particular to marine operations, including capsizing, grounding, collision and loss or damage from severe weather. Severe weather could have a material adverse effect on our operations. Our drilling units could be damaged by high winds, turbulent seas or unstable sea bottom conditions which could potentially cause us to curtail operations for significant periods of time until such damages are repaired.

Damage to the environment could result from our operations, particularly through oil spillage or extensive uncontrolled fires. We may also be subject to property, environmental and other damage claims by host governments, oil and natural gas companies and other businesses operating offshore and in coastal areas, as well as claims by individuals living in or around coastal areas.

As is customary in our industry, the risks of our operations are partially covered by our insurance and partially by contractual indemnities from our customers. However, insurance policies and contractual rights to indemnity may not adequately cover losses, and we may not have insurance coverage or rights to indemnity for all risks. Moreover, pollution and environmental risks generally are not fully insurable. If a significant accident or other event resulting in damage to our drilling units, including severe weather, terrorist acts, war, civil disturbances, pollution or environmental damage, occurs and is not fully covered by insurance or a recoverable indemnity from a customer, it could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Our offshore drilling operations could be adversely impacted by changes in regulation of offshore oil and gas exploration and development activity.

Offshore drilling operations could be adversely impacted by changes in regulation of offshore oil and gas exploration and development activities. New regulatory requirements in the future could impose greater costs on our operations, which could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations. We do not currently operate in the United States, but may do so in the future. The jurisdictions in which we currently operate have imposed requirements for offshore oil and gas exploration and development activities and, like the U.S., may impose new regulatory requirements in the future.

Customers may be unable or unwilling to indemnify us.

Consistent with standard industry practice, our customers generally assume liability for and indemnify us against well control and subsurface risks under our dayrate contracts, and we do not separately purchase insurance for such indemnified risks. These risks are those associated with the loss of control of a well, such as blowout or cratering, the cost to regain control or redrill the well and associated pollution. In the future, we may not be able to obtain agreements from customers to indemnify us for such damages and risks or the indemnities that we do obtain may be limited in scope and duration or subject to exceptions. Additionally, even if our customers agree to indemnify us, there can be no assurance that they will necessarily be financially able to indemnify us against all of these risks.

Our insurance coverage may not be adequate if a catastrophic event occurs.

As a result of the number and significance of catastrophic events in the history of the offshore drilling industry, insurance underwriters have increased insurance premiums and increased restrictions on coverage and have made other coverages unavailable to us on commercially reasonable terms. During the recent industry downturn, in addition to paying lower day rates, many oil and gas companies  have negotiated less favorable terms with respect to risk allocation and indemnity rights in the drilling service contracts to which we are or may become a party.

While we believe we have reasonable policy limits of property, casualty and liability insurance, including coverage for acts of terrorism, with financially sound insurers, we cannot guarantee that our policy limits for property, casualty, liability and business interruption insurance, including coverage for severe weather, terrorist acts, war, civil disturbances, pollution or environmental damage, would be adequate should a catastrophic event occur related to our property, plant or equipment, or that our insurers would have adequate financial resources to sufficiently or fully pay related claims or damages. When any of our coverage expires, or when we seek coverage in the future, we cannot guarantee that adequate coverage will be available, offered at reasonable prices, or offered by insurers with sufficient financial soundness. Additionally, we do not have third party windstorm insurance and we may not have windstorm insurance for any vessel that we operate in the Gulf of Mexico in the future. The occurrence of an incident or incidents

18

affecting any one or more of our drilling units could have a material adverse effect on our financial position and future results of operations if asset damage and/or our liability were to exceed insurance coverage limits or if an insurer was unable to sufficiently or fully pay related claims or damages.

Our business is subject to numerous governmental laws and regulations, including those that may impose significant costs and liability on us for environmental and natural resource damages.

Many aspects of our operations are affected by governmental laws, regulations and policies that may relate directly or indirectly to the contract drilling industry, including those requiring us to control the discharge of oil and other contaminants into the environment or otherwise relating to environmental protection. Countries where we currently operate have environmental laws and regulations covering the discharge of oil and other contaminants and protection of the environment in connection with operations. Operations and activities in the United States and its territorial waters are subject to numerous environmental laws and regulations, including the Clean Water Act, the Oil Pollution Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and MARPOL. While we do not currently operate in the United States, many of the countries in which we currently operate have similar requirements. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, the imposition of remedial obligations, the denial or revocation of permits or other authorizations and the issuance of injunctions that may limit or prohibit operations.  

Laws and regulations protecting the environment have become more stringent in recent years and may in certain circumstances impose strict liability, rendering us liable for environmental and natural resource damages without regard to negligence or fault on our part. These laws and regulations may expose us to liability for the conduct of, or conditions caused by, others or for acts that were in compliance with all applicable laws at the time the acts were performed. The application of these requirements, the modification of existing laws or regulations or the adoption of new laws or regulations relating to exploratory or development drilling for oil and natural gas could materially limit future contract drilling opportunities or materially increase our costs. In addition, we may be required to make significant capital expenditures to comply with such laws and regulations.

In addition some financial institutions are imposing, as a condition to financing, requirements to comply with additional non-governmental environmental and social standards in connection with operations outside the United States, such as the Equator Principles, a credit risk management framework for determining, assessing and managing environmental and social risk in project finance transactions. Such additional standards could impose significant new costs on us, which may materially and adversely affect us.

Further, certain governments at the international, national, regional and state level are at various stages of considering or implementing treaties and environmental laws that could limit emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, associated with the burning of fossil fuels. It is not possible to predict how new laws to address greenhouse gas emissions would impact our business or that of our customers, but these laws and regulations could impose costs on us or negatively impact the market for offshore drilling services, and consequently, our business.

Changes in laws and regulations of jurisdictions where we operate, including those that may impose significant costs and liability on us for environmental and natural resource damages, may adversely affect our operations. The jurisdictions where we operate have modified or may in the future modify their laws and regulations in a manner that would increase our liability for pollution and other environmental damage.

We may be required to make substantial capital and operating expenditures to maintain and upgrade our fleet to maintain our competitiveness and to comply with laws and the applicable regulations and standards of governmental authorities and organizations, each of which could negatively affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

19

Our business is highly capital intensive and dependent on having sufficient cash flow and or available sources of financing in order to fund capital expenditure requirements. We can provide no assurance that we will have access to adequate or economical sources of capital to fund necessary capital expenditures. Such capital expenditures could increase as a result of changes in the following:

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. In addition, changes in governmental regulations, safety or other equipment standards, as well as compliance with standards imposed by maritime self-regulatory organizations, may require us to make additional unforeseen capital expenditures. As a result, 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.

In addition, we may require additional capital in the future. If we are unable to fund capital expenditures with our cash flow from operations or sales of non-strategic assets, we may be required to either incur additional borrowings or raise capital through the sale of debt or equity securities. Our ability to access the capital markets may be limited by our financial condition at the time, by certain restrictive covenants under the agreements governing our credit agreement and notes, by changes in laws and regulations or interpretation thereof and by adverse market conditions resulting from, among other things, general economic conditions and contingencies and uncertainties that are beyond our control. If we raise funds by issuing equity securities, existing shareholders may experience dilution. Our failure to obtain the funds for necessary future capital expenditures could have a material adverse effect on our business and on our consolidated statements of financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Construction projects are subject to risks, including delays and cost overruns, which could have an adverse impact on our liquidity and results of operations.

As part of our growth strategy we may contract from time to time for the construction of drilling units or may enter into agreements to manage the construction of drilling units for others. Construction projects are subject to the risks of delay or cost overruns inherent in any large construction project, including costs or delays resulting from the following:

If we experience delays and costs overruns in the construction of drilling units due to certain of the factors listed above, it could also adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

20

New technology and/or products may cause us to become less competitive.

The offshore contract drilling industry is subject to the introduction of new drilling techniques and services using new technologies, some of which may be subject to patent protection. As competitors and others use or develop new technologies, we may be placed at a competitive disadvantage. Further, we may face competitive pressure to implement or acquire certain new technologies at a substantial cost. Some of our competitors have greater financial, technical and personnel resources that may allow them to access technological advantages and implement new technologies before we can. We cannot be certain that we will be able to implement new technology or products on a timely basis or at an acceptable cost. Thus, our inability to effectively use and implement new and emerging technology may have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our information technology systems and those of our service providers are subject to cybersecurity risks and threats.

We depend on information technology systems that we manage, and others that are managed by our third-party service and equipment providers, to conduct our operations, including critical systems on our drilling units, and these systems are subject to risks associated with cyber incidents or attacks as well as breaches due to human error. It has been reported that unknown entities or groups have mounted cyber-attacks on businesses and other organizations solely to disable or disrupt computer systems, disrupt operations and, in some cases, steal data. Due to the nature of cyber-attacks, breaches to our systems or the systems of our service or equipment providers could go unnoticed for a prolonged period of time. These cybersecurity risks could disrupt our operations and result in downtime, loss of revenue or the loss of critical data, as well as result in higher costs to correct and remedy the effects of such incidents. The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors has oversight responsibility related to our cybersecurity risk management programs and periodically reviews reports on cybersecurity and other information technology risks.

In 2018, we experienced a cybersecurity breach which temporarily hindered our ability to utilize our email server and obstructed certain back-up data. However, the breach did not have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, and did not compromise any customer data. The costs to restore the data and services impacted by the cybersecurity breach were not material. While we believe such breach to be an isolated incident, we cannot provide assurance that we will not in the future experience any other actual or attempted breaches of our cybersecurity. If either our systems or the systems of our service or equipment providers used for protecting against cyber incidents or attacks prove to be insufficient and another incident were to occur, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Currently, we do not carry insurance for losses related to cybersecurity attacks and may elect to not obtain such insurance in the future.

Our financial condition may be adversely affected if we are unable to identify and complete future acquisitions, fail to successfully integrate acquired assets or businesses we acquire, or are unable to obtain financing for acquisitions on acceptable terms.

The acquisition of assets or businesses that we believe to be complementary to our drilling operations is an important component of our business strategy. We believe that acquisition opportunities may arise from time to time, and that any such acquisition could be significant. At any given time, discussions with one or more potential sellers may be at different stages. However, any such discussions may not result in the consummation of an acquisition transaction, and we may not be able to identify or complete any acquisitions. We cannot predict the effect, if any, that any announcement or consummation of an acquisition would have on the price of our securities. Our business is capital intensive and any such transactions could involve the payment by us of a substantial amount of cash. We may need to raise additional capital through public or private debt or equity financings to execute our growth strategy and to fund acquisitions. Adequate sources of capital may not be available when needed on acceptable terms. If we raise additional capital by issuing additional equity securities, existing shareholders may be diluted. If our capital resources are insufficient at any time in the future, we may be unable to fund acquisitions, take advantage of business opportunities or respond to competitive pressures, any of which could harm our business.

Any future acquisitions could present a number of risks, including:

If we are unsuccessful in completing acquisitions of other operations or assets, our financial condition could be adversely affected and we may be unable to implement an important component of our business strategy successfully. In addition, if we are unsuccessful in integrating our acquisitions in a timely and cost-effective manner, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

21

Operating and maintenance costs will not necessarily fluctuate in proportion to changes in operating revenues.

We cannot predict what operating and maintenance costs will fluctuate in proportion to changes in operating revenues. Operating revenues may fluctuate as a function of changes in dayrates. However, costs for operating a drilling unit are generally fixed or only semi-variable regardless of the dayrate being earned. In addition, should the drilling units incur idle time between contracts, we would typically maintain the crew to prepare the drilling unit for its next contract and may not be able to reduce costs to correspond to the decrease in revenue. During times of moderate activity, reductions in costs may not be immediate as the crew may be required to prepare the drilling units for stacking, after which time the crew will be reduced to a level necessary to maintain the drilling unit in working condition with the extra crew members assigned to active drilling units or dismissed. In addition, as drilling units are mobilized from one geographic location to another, the labor and other operating and maintenance costs can vary significantly. Equipment maintenance expenses fluctuate depending upon the type of activity the drilling unit is performing and the age and condition of the equipment. Contract preparation expenses vary based on the scope and length of contract preparation required and the duration of the firm contractual period over which such expenditures are amortized.

The loss of some of our key executive officers and employees could negatively impact our business prospects.

Our future operational performance depends to a significant degree upon the continued service of key members of our management as well as marketing, technical and operations personnel. The loss of one or more of our key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business. We believe our future success will also depend in large part upon our ability to attract, retain and further motivate highly skilled management, marketing, technical and operations personnel. We may experience intense competition for personnel, and we cannot assure you that we will be able to retain key employees or that we will be successful in attracting, assimilating and retaining personnel in the future.

Failure to employ a sufficient number of skilled workers or an increase in labor costs could hurt our operations.

We require skilled personnel to operate and provide technical services to, and support for, our drilling units. In periods of increasing activity and when the number of operating units in our areas of operation increases, either because of new construction, re-activation of idle units or the mobilization of units into the region, shortages of qualified personnel could arise, creating upward pressure on wages and difficulty in staffing. The shortages of qualified personnel or the inability to obtain and retain qualified personnel also could negatively affect the quality and timeliness of our work. In addition, our ability to expand operations depends in part upon our ability to increase the size of the skilled labor force. Due to the extremely weak conditions in the offshore drilling market, the lack of employment and lower wages for offshore personnel have caused and will continue to cause many of our current offshore personnel to permanently leave the industry for employment opportunities in other industries. If industry conditions improve, there is no guarantee these workers will return to the offshore industry resulting in a shortage of qualified personnel that we will be able to employ.

Consolidation of suppliers may increase the cost of obtaining supplies, which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

We rely on certain third parties to provide supplies and services necessary for our offshore drilling operations, including, but not limited to, drilling equipment suppliers, catering and machinery suppliers. Recent mergers have reduced the number of available suppliers, resulting in fewer alternatives for sourcing key supplies. Such consolidation, combined with a high volume of drilling units under construction, may result in a shortage of supplies and services thereby increasing the cost of supplies and/or potentially inhibiting the ability of suppliers to deliver on time, or at all. These cost increases, delays or unavailability could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and result in drilling unit downtime, and delays in the repair and maintenance of our drilling units.

We are exposed to potential risks from the requirement that we evaluate our internal controls under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

We have evaluated our internal controls systems in order to allow management to report on our internal controls, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. We have performed the system and process evaluation and testing required to comply with the management certification requirements of Section 404. As a result, we have incurred additional expenses and a diversion of management’s time. While we have been able to fully implement the requirements relating to internal controls and all other aspects of Section 404 in a timely fashion, we cannot be certain that our internal control over financial reporting will be adequate in the future to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or the FCPA. If we are not able to maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting, we may be susceptible to sanctions or investigation by regulatory authorities, such as the DOJ and the SEC. Any such action could adversely affect our financial results.

Changes in tax laws, treaties or regulations, effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our tax returns could adversely affect our financial results.

Our future effective tax rates could be adversely affected by changes in tax laws, treaties, and regulations both internationally and domestically. On December 22, 2017, Public Law 115-97, commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Act”)

22

was enacted. The Act, among other things, made significant changes to the U.S. corporate income tax system, including reducing the federal corporate income tax rate from 35.0% to 21.0%; changed certain business-related deductions, including modifying the rules regarding limitations on certain deductions for executive compensation, introducing a capital investment deduction in certain circumstances, placing certain limitations on the interest deduction, modifying the rules regarding the usability of certain net operating losses; and transitioned U.S. international taxation from a worldwide tax system to a modified territorial tax system. We completed the evaluation of the impact of the Act on our financial statements under the guidance as of December 2018, and have concluded that no further adjustments are required beyond the re-measurement of the deferred taxes recorded in 2017.

It is our intention to continue to indefinitely reinvest the earnings of foreign subsidiaries to finance our foreign activities. Should a future distribution be made from any unremitted earnings of these subsidiaries, we may be required to record additional taxes in certain jurisdictions. However, it is not practical to estimate the unremitted earnings or the potential tax liability due to the complexity of the hypothetical calculations.

Tax laws, treaties and regulations are highly complex and subject to interpretation. Our income tax expense is based upon the interpretation of the tax laws in effect in various countries at the time that the expense was incurred. A change in these tax laws, treaties or regulations, or in the interpretation thereof, could result in a materially higher tax expense or a higher effective tax rate on our worldwide earnings. If any country’s tax authority successfully challenges our income tax filings based on our structure or the presence of our operations there, or if we otherwise lose a material dispute, our effective tax rate on worldwide earnings could increase substantially and our financial results could be materially adversely affected.

Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, stakeholders may face difficulties in protecting their interests, and their ability to protect their rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited.

We are an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands. In addition, substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for holders of our securities to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or executive officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the U.S. courts against our directors or executive officers.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Law (as the same may be supplemented or amended from time to time) of the Cayman Islands, and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of holders of our securities to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are, to a large extent, governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from those under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws which may provide significantly less protection to investors as compared to the United States, and some states, such as Delaware, which have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law.

The Cayman Islands courts are also unlikely:

Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the federal courts of the United States. There is no statutory recognition in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, although the courts of the Cayman Islands recognize and enforce a non-penal judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without re-examination of the merits of the underlying dispute, provided such judgment:

The Grand Court of the Cayman Islands may stay proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.

We remain subject to litigation relating to our reorganization proceedings.

In connection with our bankruptcy cases, two appeals were filed relating to the confirmation of the Reorganization Plan. Specifically, on January 29, 2016, Mr. Hsin-Chi Su and F3 Capital filed two appeals before the United States District Court for the

23

District of Delaware seeking a reversal of (i) the Court’s determination that Mr. Hsin-Chi Su and F3 Capital did not have standing to appear and be heard in the bankruptcy cases, which was made on the record at a hearing held on January 14, 2016, and (ii) the Court’s Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order (I) Approving the Debtors’ (A) Disclosure Statement Pursuant to Sections 1125 and 1126(b) of the Bankruptcy Code, (B) Solicitation of Votes and Voting Procedures, and (C) Forms of Ballots, and (II) Confirming the Amended Joint Prepackaged Chapter 11 Plan of Offshore Group Investment Limited and its Affiliated Debtors [Docket No. 188], which was entered on January 15, 2016. The appeals were consolidated on June 14, 2016. We cannot predict with certainty the ultimate outcome of any such appeals. An adverse outcome could negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

On January 10, 2019, Mr. Hsin-Chi Su and his company, F3 Capital, filed a declaratory action against us in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware seeking a ruling from the court that the confirmation of the Reorganization Plan does not prevent Mr. Hsin-Chi Su or F3 Capital from suing the Company for certain unspecified claims based on a theory of fraud alleged to be valued in excess of $2.0 billion. We filed a motion to dismiss with the court on March 4, 2019. We intend to vigorously defend against these claims, which we deem to be meritless. However, we cannot predict with certainty the ultimate decision by the court with respect to Mr. Hsin-Chi Su’s request.

Reactivation of idle rigs may take longer or be more costly than we anticipate.

Reactivation of idle rigs may take longer and be more costly than anticipated. As our rigs are mobilized from one geographic location to another, the labor and other operating and maintenance costs can vary significantly. In general, labor costs increase primarily due to higher salary levels and inflation. Equipment maintenance expenses fluctuate depending upon the type of activity the rig is performing and the age and condition of the equipment. Contract preparation expenses vary based on the scope and length of contract preparation required and the duration of the firm contractual period over which such expenditures are amortized.

The market value of our current vessels may decrease, which could cause us to take accounting charges or incur losses if we decide to sell them following a decline in their values.

If the offshore contract drilling industry continues to suffer adverse developments, the fair market values of our vessels may decline. The fair market values of the vessels we currently own or may acquire in the future may increase or decrease depending on a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control, including the general economic and market conditions affecting the oil and gas industry and the possible corresponding adverse effect on the level of offshore drilling activity.

Any such deterioration in the market values of our vessels could require us to record an impairment charge in our financial statements, which could adversely affect our results of operations. If we sell any of our vessels when prices for such vessels have fallen, the sale may be at less than such drillship’s carrying amount on our financial statements, resulting in a loss.

We may experience downtime as a result of repairs or maintenance, human error, defective or failed equipment, or delays waiting for replacement parts.

Our operations may be suspended because of machinery breakdowns, human error, abnormal operating conditions, failure of subcontractors to perform or supply goods or services, delays on replacement parts or personnel shortages, which may cause us to experience operational downtime and could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

Public health threats could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Public health threats, including, but not limited to, Ebola, the H1N1 flu virus, the Zika virus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, and other highly communicable diseases, outbreaks of which have occurred fairly recently in various parts of the world in which we operate, could adversely impact our operations, the operations of our clients and the global economy, including the worldwide demand for oil and natural gas and the level of demand for our services. Any quarantine of personnel or the inability to access our offices or rigs could adversely affect our operations. Travel restrictions or operational problems in any part of the world in which we operate, or any reduction in the demand for drilling services caused by public health threats in the future, may adversely affect our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

We may suffer losses as a result of foreign currency fluctuations.

A significant portion of the contract revenues of our foreign operations will be paid in U.S. dollars; however, some payments are made in foreign currencies. As a result, we are exposed to currency fluctuations and exchange rate risks as a result of our foreign operations. To minimize the financial impact of these risks when we are paid in foreign currency, we attempt to match the currency of operating costs with the currency of contract revenue. If we are unable to substantially match the timing and amounts of these payments, any increase in the value of the U.S. dollar in relation to the value of applicable foreign currencies could adversely affect our operating results.

24

None.

We maintain offices, land bases and other facilities in several worldwide locations, including our principal executive offices in Houston, Texas, an operational, executive and marketing office in Dubai and a regional administrative office in Singapore. We lease all of these facilities.

The description of our drilling fleet included under “Item 1. Business” is incorporated by reference herein.

We may be involved in litigation, claims and disputes incidental to our business, which may involve claims for significant monetary amounts, some of which would not be covered by insurance. In the opinion of management, none of the existing disputes to which we are a party will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In July 2015, we became aware of media reports that Hamylton Padilha, the Brazilian agent VDC used in the contracting of the Titanium Explorer drillship to Petrobras, had entered into a plea arrangement with the Brazilian authorities in connection with his role in facilitating the payment of bribes to former Petrobras executives. Among other things, Mr. Padilha provided information to the Brazilian authorities of an alleged bribery scheme between former Petrobras executives and Mr. Hsin-Chi Su, who was, at the time of the alleged bribery scheme, a member of the Board of Directors and a significant shareholder of our former parent company, VDC. When we learned of Mr. Padilha’s plea agreement and the allegations, we voluntarily contacted the DOJ and the SEC to advise them of these developments, as well as the fact that we had engaged outside counsel to conduct an internal investigation of the allegations. Since disclosing this matter to the DOJ and SEC, we have cooperated fully in their investigation of these allegations. In connection with such cooperation, we advised both agencies that in early 2010, we engaged outside counsel to investigate a report of alleged improper payments to customs and immigration officials in Asia. That investigation was concluded in 2011, and we determined at that time that no disclosure was warranted; however, in an abundance of caution, we provided the results of this investigation to the DOJ and SEC in light of the allegations in the Petrobras matter. In August 2017, we received a letter from the DOJ acknowledging our full cooperation in the DOJ’s investigation and closing the investigation without any action against the Company. On November 19, 2018, we concluded a settlement agreement with the SEC resolving the SEC’s investigation into possible violations of the internal accounting control provisions of the FCPA by VDC and VDC’s subsidiaries (including Vantage and Vantage’s subsidiaries, the foregoing having been subsidiaries of VDC at the commencement of the investigation). As part of the settlement agreement, we paid the SEC $5.0 million. We neither admitted nor denied any of the SEC’s allegations, except as to jurisdiction, which we admitted. We accrued a liability for the payment in the fourth quarter of 2017. With the settlement of this matter with the SEC and the earlier decision by the DOJ to close its inquiry into Vantage and VDC without taking any action, the U.S. government’s investigation of Vantage and VDC for possible violations of the FCPA has formally concluded.        

On April 27, 2018, the Company was added as an additional defendant in a legal proceeding initiated by the Brazilian Federal Prosecutor against certain individuals, including an executive of Petrobras and two political lobbyists, in connection with the contracting of the Titanium Explorer drillship to Petrobras under the Drilling Contract, with the Brazilian Government and Petrobras as plaintiffs. Vantage is alleged to have been involved in and benefitted from the purported bribery scheme at Petrobras through Hamylton Padilha and Mr. Hsin-Chi Su. We first became aware of the legal proceeding on July 19, 2018 as it was previously under seal. The Company has not been formally served nor advised by any Brazilian authorities of any particular charges. The Company understands that the legal proceeding, which is called an improbity action, is a civil action and is part of the Brazilian Federal Prosecutor’s larger “Car Wash” investigation into money laundering and corruption allegations at Petrobras.            

The damages claimed in the proceeding are in the amount of BRL 102.8 million (approximately $31.0 million), together with a civil fine equal to three times that amount. The Company understands that the Brazilian court hearing the proceeding has issued an order authorizing the seizure and freezing of the assets of the Company and the other three defendants in the legal proceeding, as a precautionary measure, in the amount of approximately $124.0 million. The Company and the other three defendants are jointly and severally liable for this amount. The seizure order has not had an effect on the Company’s assets or operations, as the Company does not own any assets in Brazil, and does not currently intend to relocate any assets to Brazil.

On February 13, 2019, we learned that the Brazilian Federal Prosecutor has requested mutual legal assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice pursuant to the United Nations Convention against Corruption of 2003 to obtain a freezing order against the Company’s U.S. assets in the amount of $124.0 million. The Company believes this request is not supported by applicable law and intends to vigorously oppose and defend against any attempts to seize its assets. Further, the Company intends to vigorously defend against the allegations made in the underlying improbity action.  However, we can neither predict the ultimate outcome of this matter nor that there will not be further developments in the “Car Wash” investigation or in any other ongoing investigation or related proceeding that could adversely affect us.

In connection with our bankruptcy cases, two appeals were filed relating to the confirmation of the Reorganization Plan. Specifically, on January 29, 2016, Mr. Hsin-Chi Su and F3 Capital filed two appeals before the United States District Court for the

25

District of Delaware seeking a reversal of (i) the Court’s determination that Mr. Hsin-Chi Su and F3 Capital did not have standing to appear and be heard in the bankruptcy cases, which was made on the record at a hearing held on January 14, 2016, and (ii) the Court’s Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order (I) Approving the Debtors’ (A) Disclosure Statement Pursuant to Sections 1125 and 1126(b) of the Bankruptcy Code, (B) Solicitation of Votes and Voting Procedures, and (C) Forms of Ballots, and (II) Confirming the Amended Joint Prepackaged Chapter 11 Plan of Offshore Group Investment Limited and its Affiliated Debtors [Docket No. 188], which was entered on January 15, 2016. The appeals were consolidated on June 14, 2016. We cannot predict with certainty the ultimate outcome of any such appeals. An adverse outcome could negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

On January 10, 2019, Mr. Hsin-Chi Su and his company, F3 Capital, filed a declaratory action against us in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware seeking a ruling from the court that the confirmation of the Reorganization Plan does not prevent Mr. Hsin-Chi Su or F3 Capital from suing the Company for certain unspecified claims based on a theory of fraud alleged to be valued in excess of $2.0 billion. We filed a motion to dismiss with the court on March 4, 2019. We intend to vigorously defend against these claims, which we deem to be meritless. However, we cannot predict with certainty the ultimate decision by the court with respect to Mr. Hsin-Chi Su’s request.

On August 31, 2015, PAI and PVIS, both subsidiaries of Petrobras, notified the Company of the termination of the Drilling Contract between PVIS and Vantage Deepwater Company, which had been novated to PAI and Vantage Deepwater Drilling, Inc., claiming the Company had breached its obligations under the Drilling Contract. Vantage Deepwater Company and Vantage Deepwater Drilling, Inc. are both wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company. We immediately filed an international arbitration claim against PAI, PVIS and Petrobras, claiming wrongful termination of the Drilling Contract.

On July 2, 2018, an international arbitration tribunal issued an award in favor of Vantage Deepwater Company and Vantage Deepwater Drilling, Inc. The tribunal found that PAI and PVIS breached the Drilling Contract, and awarded Vantage Deepwater Company and Vantage Deepwater Drilling, Inc. damages in the aggregate amount of $622.0 million against PAI, PVIS and Petrobras, and dismissed the counterclaims made by PAI and PVIS against the Company with prejudice. The tribunal also awarded the Company interest on the foregoing award amount at an annual rate of 15.2%, compounded monthly, to accrue from (i) April 1, 2018, with respect to $615.6 million thereof, (ii) October 20, 2015, with respect to $5.2 million thereof, and (iii) November 19, 2015, with respect to $1.2 million thereof, in each case, until final payment of the awarded sums. In accordance with the terms of the award, each of the Company and Petrobras will bear its own legal fees, and the fees and expenses of the tribunal, including the compensation of the arbitrators, aggregating approximately $1.5 million, will be borne equally by both sides. Pursuant to the terms of the award, the amount due to the Company as of December 31, 2018, totaled approximately $701.4 million, inclusive of interest.

On July 2, 2018, our subsidiaries, Vantage Deepwater Company and Vantage Deepwater Drilling, Inc., filed a petition in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to confirm the arbitration award against Petrobras. On August 31, 2018, Petrobras, PAI and PVIS filed with the court, among other things, a response to our petition and a motion to vacate the arbitration award. The court heard our petition and their response and motion to vacate on March 8, 2019.

In connection with enforcing the arbitration award against the Petrobras parties, we secured an order from the Amsterdam District Court in the Netherlands on August 22, 2018, which froze certain assets of Petrobras and PVIS in the Netherlands that we believe are valued in excess of our claim at this time. On November 15, 2018, we filed a petition in the Court of Appeals in The Hague, the Netherlands, to recognize and enforce the arbitration award against the Petrobras parties in the Netherlands.  On March 1, 2019, the Petrobras parties filed their statement of defense with the court.  The court is scheduled to hear our petition and the Petrobras parties’ statement of defense on May 14, 2019.

The Company’s ability to fully recover the award against Petrobras is subject to legal, procedural, solvency and other risks associated with enforcing arbitration awards in these circumstances. In addition, any award ultimately recovered will be subject to reduction in respect of legal fees owed (including, among others, fees contingent on the size of the award, less amounts previously paid) and any applicable taxes. Accordingly, no assurances can be given as to whether, or to what extent, such award will ultimately be recovered, if at all.  

Not applicable.

26

PART II

Market Prices and Dividends

There is no established trading market for our New Shares and there has not been an established trading market for our New Shares since we emerged from bankruptcy on February 10, 2016. Therefore, we are not able to provide information regarding the trading prices for the New Shares.  

We have not paid dividends on our New Shares to date and do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the immediate future as we contemplate that our cash flows will be used for debt reduction and growth. The payment of future dividends, if any, will be determined by our board of directors in light of conditions then existing, including our earnings, financial condition, capital requirements, restrictions in financing agreements, business conditions and other factors. We are subject to certain restrictive covenants under the terms of the agreements governing our indebtedness, including restrictions on our ability to pay any cash dividends.

Repurchases of Equity Securities

There were no repurchases of equity securities during the fiscal fourth quarter ended December 31, 2018. 

27

The following selected financial information should be read in conjunction with “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

28

29

The following discussion is intended to assist you in understanding our financial position at December 31, 2018 and 2017 and our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 and for the periods from February 10, 2016 to December 31, 2017 (the “Successor Period”) and from January 1, 2016 to February 10, 2016 (the “Predecessor Period”). The Successor Period and the Predecessor Period referred to in the results of operations are two distinct reporting periods as a result of our emergence from bankruptcy on February 10, 2016. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the information contained in “Item 1. Business,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain previously reported amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation.

Overview

We are an international offshore drilling company focused on operating a fleet of modern, high specification drilling units. Our principal business is to contract drilling units, related equipment and work crews, primarily on a dayrate basis to drill oil and natural gas wells for our customers. Through our fleet of drilling units we are a provider of offshore contract drilling services to major, national and independent oil and natural gas companies, focused on international markets. Additionally, for drilling units owned by others, we provide construction supervision services for rigs that are under construction, preservation management services for rigs that are stacked and operations and marketing services for operating rigs.

30

The following table sets forth certain information concerning our offshore drilling fleet as of February 28, 2019.

Reorganization

On December 3, 2015, we filed a reorganization plan in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (In re Vantage Drilling International (F/K/A Offshore Group Investment Limited), et al., Case No. 15-12422). On January 15, 2016, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware confirmed the Company’s pre-packaged reorganization plan and we emerged from bankruptcy effective on the Effective Date.

Pursuant to the terms of the Reorganization Plan, the pre-bankruptcy term loans and senior notes were retired on the Effective Date by issuing to the debtholders 4,344,959 Units in the reorganized Company. Each Unit of securities originally consisted of one New Share and $172.61 of principal of the Convertible Notes, subject to adjustment upon the payment of PIK interest and certain cases of redemption or conversion of the Convertible Notes, as well as share splits, share dividends, consolidation or reclassification of the New Shares. The New Shares and the Convertible Notes are subject to the terms of an agreement that prohibits the New Shares and Convertible Notes from being traded separately.

The Convertible Notes are convertible into New Shares in certain circumstances, at a conversion price (subject to adjustment in accordance with the terms of the Indenture for the Convertible Notes), which was $95.60 as of the issue date. The Indenture for the Convertible Notes includes customary covenants that restrict, among other things, the granting of liens and customary events of default, including among other things, failure to issue securities upon conversion of the Convertible Notes. As of December 31, 2018, after taking into account the payment of PIK interest on the Convertible Notes to such date, each such Unit consisted of one New Share and $177.66 of principal of Convertible Notes.

Other significant elements of the Reorganization Plan included:

Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The Company’s pre-petition credit agreement was amended and restated to (i) replace the $32.0 million revolving letter of credit commitment under its pre-petition facility with a new $32.0 million revolving letter of credit facility and (ii) repay the $150.0 million of outstanding borrowings under its pre-petition facility with (a) $7.0 million of cash and (b) the issuance of $143.0 million initial term loans. In November 2018, all obligations under the 2016 Term Loan Facility were repaid and the 2016 Term Loan Facility and the Credit Agreement were terminated in connection with the issuance of the 9.25% First Lien Notes. See “Business—Recent Developments—Refinancing”.

10% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes. Holders of the Company’s pre-petition  secured debt claims were eligible to participate in a rights offering conducted by the Company for $75.0 million of the 10% Second Lien Notes. In connection with this rights offering, certain creditors entered into a “backstop” agreement to purchase 10% Second Lien Notes if the offer was not fully subscribed. The premium paid to such creditors under the backstop agreement was approximately $2.2 million, paid $1.1 million in cash and $1.1 million in additional 10% Second Lien Notes, resulting in a total issued amount of $76.1 million of 10% Second Lien Notes, and in net cash proceeds of $73.9 million, after deducting the cash portion of the backstop premium. In November 2018, all of the 10% Second Lien Notes were redeemed in connection with the issuance of the 9.25% First Lien Notes. See “Business—Recent Developments—Refinancing”.

VDC Note. Effective as of the Company’s emergence from bankruptcy, VDC’s former equity interest in the Company was cancelled. Immediately following that event, the VDC Note was converted into 655,094 New Shares in accordance with the terms thereof, in satisfaction of the obligation thereunder, which, including accrued interest, totaled approximately $62.6 million as of such date.

The Reorganization Plan allowed the Company to maintain all operating assets and agreements. All trade payables, credits, wages and other related obligations were unimpaired by the Reorganization Plan.

31

Upon emergence from bankruptcy on the Effective Date, in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 852, Reorganizations (“ASC 852”), we adopted fresh-start accounting in accordance with ASC 852, which resulted in the Company becoming a new entity for financial reporting purposes. Upon adoption of fresh-start accounting, our assets and liabilities were recorded at their fair values as of the Effective Date. The Effective Date fair values of our assets and liabilities differed materially from the recorded values of our assets and liabilities as reflected in our historical consolidated balance sheets. The effects of the Reorganization Plan and the application of fresh-start accounting are reflected in our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2016 and the related adjustments thereto were recorded in our consolidated statements of operations as reorganization items. As a result, our consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of operations subsequent to the Effective Date are not comparable to our consolidated balance sheets and statements of operations prior to the Effective Date. Our consolidated financial statements and related notes are presented with a black line division which delineates the lack of comparability between amounts presented on or after February 10, 2016 and dates prior. Our financial results for periods following the application of fresh-start accounting are different from historical trends and the differences may be material.

Business Outlook

Expectations about future oil and natural gas prices have historically been a key driver of demand for our services. The International Energy Agency (the “Agency”), in their January 2019 Oil Market Report, forecasts global oil demand growth estimates of 1.4 million barrels per day for 2019, up from demand growth of 1.3 million barrels per day in 2018. Although oil prices partially rebounded from the historical lows experienced during early 2016, reaching highs near $80 per barrel in early October 2018, oil prices continue to fluctuate, ending 2018 near $50 per barrel and currently trading around $60 per barrel. As a result of this price volatility and uncertainty for the future, operators have generally adopted a cautious approach to offshore capital expenditures.

In addition to the reduction in demand for drilling rigs, the additional supply of newbuild rigs is further depressing the market. According to Bassoe Offshore A.S. (“Bassoe”), there are currently 71 jackups and 29 deepwater/harsh environment floaters on order at shipyards with scheduled deliveries extending out to June 2021. It is unclear when these drilling rigs will actually be delivered as many rig deliveries have already been deferred to later dates and some rig orders have been canceled. In response to the oversupply of drilling rigs, a number of competitors are removing older, less efficient rigs from their fleets by either cold stacking the drilling rigs or taking them permanently out of service.

Furthermore, according to Bassoe, 216 rigs (with an average age of approximately 36 years) have been removed from the drilling fleet since the oil price decline in 2014. Of these 216 rigs, 118 are floaters (semisubmersibles and drillships) and 98 are jackups. While we believe rig recycling to be an important element in bringing the supply of drilling rigs back into alignment with demand, we do not anticipate that it will be sufficient to materially improve market conditions in 2019.

In response to both market conditions and excessive levels of idle capacity in recent years, there has been intense pressure on operating dayrates as drilling contractors generally prefer to maintain rigs in an active state and customers generally favor recently operating rigs over reactivated cold-stacked rigs. Therefore, while opportunities for our services have increased over the past year, increases in dayrates have been limited to the jackup sector and pricing improvements have yet to be observed in the floater sector.

The following table reflects a summary of our contract drilling backlog coverage of days contracted and related revenue as of December 31, 2018 forward (based on information available at that time).

32

Results of Operations

Operating results for our contract drilling services are dependent on three primary metrics: available days, rig utilization and dayrates. The following table sets forth this selected operational information for the periods indicated:

33

Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2017

Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2018 (the “Current Year”) was $141.5 million, or $28.29 per basic and diluted share, on operating revenues of $225.7 million, compared to net loss for the year ended December 31, 2017 (the “Comparable Year”) of $149.8 million, or $29.96 per basic and diluted share, on operating revenues of $212.8 million.

The following table is an analysis of our operating results for the year ended December 31, 2018 and 2017. 

Revenue: Total revenue increased 6% and contract drilling revenue increased 7% for the Current Year as compared to the Comparable Year. The increase in contract drilling revenue in the Current Year was primarily due to the commencement of operations on the Platinum Explorer, which contributed an incremental $28.7 million contract drilling revenue in the Current Year. Higher utilization on the Jackups contributed incremental drilling revenues of $0.8 million in the Current Year, with 37 more revenue earning days than the Comparable Year. These increases were partially offset by lower utilization on the Tungsten Explorer with the completion of operations in West Africa in October 2018, which resulted in $16.5 million decreased drilling revenue in the Current Year. The Tungsten Explorer is currently undergoing certain equipment recertifications and upgrades in the Canary Islands.

Management fees and reimbursable revenue for the Current Year were $1.2 million and $21.0 million, respectively, as compared to $1.5 million and $20.8 million, respectively, in the Comparable Year.

Operating costs: Operating costs for the Current Year increased 6% as compared to the Comparable Year. Deepwater operating costs for the Current Year increased $15.0 million due primarily to incremental costs for the Platinum Explorer operations in India which commenced in November 2017. Operating costs on our jackup fleet for the Current Year decreased $5.8 million as compared to the Comparable Year, which included costs associated with the reactivation of the Topaz Driller and the Sapphire Driller. Jackup operating cost decreases in the Current Year included a gain on disposal of the Vantage 260 in the amount of $2.9 million. Jackup operating costs in the Current Year and Comparable Year included $6.3 million and $4.7 million, respectively, for non-cash amortization of the contract value acquired with the Vantage 260.

General and administrative expenses: Decreases in general and administrative expenses for the Current Year as compared to the Comparable Year were primarily due to a $10.8 million decrease in legal expenses associated with non-routine legal matters, including our internal FCPA investigation and the Petrobras arbitration. General and administrative expenses for the Current Year and for the Comparable Year included approximately $5.2 million and $2.9 million, respectively, of non-cash share-based compensation expense.

Depreciation expense: Depreciation expense for the Current Year decreased 5% as compared to the Comparable Year, due primarily to drill pipe assets becoming fully depreciated.

Interest income: Interest income for the Current Year increased $1.1 million as compared to the Comparable Year due to higher interest rates and to increased cash available for investing.

34

Interest expense and financing charges: Interest expense for the Current Year increased 3% as compared to the Comparable Year due to rising interest rates and to increased payment-in-kind interest compounding on the Convertible Notes. Interest expense included non-cash discount accretion, payment-in-kind interest and deferred financing costs totaling approximately $57.6 million and $57.0 million for the Current Year and for the Comparable Year, respectively.

Loss on debt extinguishment:  In November 2018, we paid approximately $0.3 million in prepayment interest penalties and wrote off approximately $1.0 million in deferred financing costs in connection with the early redemption of all outstanding 10% Second Lien Notes.

Other, net: Our functional currency is the U.S. dollar; however, a portion of the revenues earned and expenses incurred by certain of our subsidiaries are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. These transactions are remeasured in U.S. dollars based on a combination of both current and historical exchange rates. A net foreign currency exchange loss of $1.5 million and a net foreign currency exchange gain of $2.8 million were included in other, net, for the Current Year and the Comparable Year, respectively.

Bargain purchase gain: We recorded a bargain purchase gain of $1.9 million during the Comparable Year related to our Vantage 260 acquisition. The gain on bargain purchase resulted from the excess of the net fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in the acquisition over the purchase price. We believe that we were able to negotiate a lower purchase price as a result of our operational presence in West Africa and the seller’s liquidation.

Income tax provision: For the Current Year and the Comparable Year, we had losses before income taxes resulting in negative tax rates. Our income taxes are generally dependent upon the results of our operations and the local income taxes in the jurisdictions in which we operate. The increase in taxes in the Current Year is primarily due to increases in taxable income due to operational status of some of the rigs in 2018. In some jurisdictions we do not pay taxes or receive benefits for certain income and expense items, including interest expense, loss on extinguishment of debt and gains or losses on disposal or transfer or assets.

35

Comparable Year, Successor Period and Predecessor Period

Net loss for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $149.8 million, or $29.96 per basic and diluted share, on operating revenues of $212.8 million. Net loss for the Successor Period was $147.4 million, or $29.48 per basic and diluted share, on operating revenues of $158.6 million. Net loss attributable to VDI for the Predecessor Period was $471.0 million, on operating revenues of $23.5 million.

The following table is an analysis of our operating results for the Comparable Year, the Successor Period and the Predecessor Period.