Noble (NE) 10-K2021 FY Annual report

This combined Annual Report on Form 10-K is separately filed by Noble Corporation, an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability (“Noble” or “Successor”), and Noble Finance Company (formerly known as Noble Corporation), an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands with limited liability and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Noble (“Finco”). Information in this filing relating to Finco is filed by Noble and separately by Finco on its own behalf. Finco makes no representation as to information relating to Noble (except as it may relate to Finco) or any other affiliate or subsidiary of Noble.

This report should be read in its entirety as it pertains to each Registrant. Except where indicated, the Consolidated Financial Statements and the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements are combined. References in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to “Noble,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” and words of similar meaning refer collectively to Noble and its consolidated subsidiaries, including Finco.

Noble is a leading offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry. We provide contract drilling services to the international oil and gas industry with our global fleet of mobile offshore drilling units. We focus on a high-specification fleet of floating and jackup rigs and the deployment of our drilling rigs in oil and gas basins around the world. Noble and its predecessors have been engaged in the contract drilling of oil and gas wells since 1921.

On July 31, 2020 (the “Petition Date”), our former parent company, Noble Holding Corporation plc (formerly known as Noble Corporation plc), a public limited company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales (“Legacy Noble” or the “Predecessor”), and certain of its subsidiaries, including Finco, filed voluntary petitions in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (the “Bankruptcy Court”) seeking relief under chapter 11 of title 11 of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”). On September 4, 2020, the Debtors (as defined herein) filed with the Bankruptcy Court the Joint Plan of Reorganization of Noble Corporation plc and its Debtor Affiliates, which was subsequently amended on October 8, 2020 and October 13, 2020 and modified on November 18, 2020 (as amended, modified or supplemented, the “Plan”), and the related disclosure statement. On September 24, 2020, six additional subsidiaries of Legacy Noble (together with Legacy Noble and its subsidiaries that filed on the Petition Date, as the context requires, the “Debtors”) filed voluntary petitions in the Bankruptcy Court. The chapter 11 proceedings were jointly administered under the caption Noble Corporation plc, et al. (Case No. 20-33826) (the “Chapter 11 Cases”). On November 20, 2020, the Bankruptcy Court entered an order confirming the Plan.

In connection with the Chapter 11 Cases and the Plan, on and prior to the Effective Date (as defined herein), Legacy Noble and certain of its subsidiaries effectuated certain restructuring transactions pursuant to which Legacy Noble formed Noble as an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Legacy Noble and transferred to Noble substantially all of the subsidiaries and other assets of Legacy Noble. On February 5, 2021 (the “Effective Date”), the Plan became effective in accordance with its terms, the Debtors emerged from the Chapter 11 Cases and Noble became the new parent company. For additional information on the financial restructuring, see Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Executive Overview—Recent Events—Emergence from Chapter 11.” For a description of the events that occurred on the Effective Date, including the issuance of ordinary shares of Noble with a nominal value of $0.00001 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), the Tranche 1 Warrants, the Tranche 2 Warrants and the Tranche 3 Warrants (each as defined herein), see “Note 2— Chapter 11 Emergence” to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In accordance with the Plan, Legacy Noble and its remaining subsidiary will in due course be wound down and dissolved in accordance with applicable law. The Bankruptcy Court closed the Chapter 11 Cases with respect to all Debtors other than Legacy Noble, pending its wind down.

Noble is the successor issuer to Legacy Noble for purposes of and pursuant to Rule 15d-5 of the Exchange Act. References to the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” in this Annual Report are to Noble, together with its consolidated subsidiaries, when referring to periods following the Effective Date, and to Legacy Noble, together with its consolidated subsidiaries, when referring to periods prior to the Effective Date.

Finco was an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Legacy Noble prior to the Effective Date and has been a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Noble, our parent company, since the Effective Date. Noble’s principal asset is all of the shares of Finco. Finco has no public equity outstanding. The consolidated financial statements of Noble include the accounts of Finco, and Noble conducts substantially all its business through Finco and its subsidiaries. As such, the terms “Predecessor” and “Successor” also refer to Finco, as the context requires.

We report our contract drilling operations as a single reportable segment, Contract Drilling Services, which reflects how we manage our business. The mobile offshore drilling units comprising our offshore rig fleet operate in a global market for contract drilling services and are often redeployed to different regions due to changing demands of our customers, which consist primarily of large, integrated, independent and government-owned or controlled oil and gas companies throughout the world.

We typically provide contract drilling services under an individual contract, on a dayrate basis. Although each contract’s final terms and conditions are the result of negotiations with our customers, many contracts are awarded through a competitive bidding process. Our drilling contracts may contain the following terms:

During periods of depressed market conditions, such as the one we recently experienced for a number of years, our customers may attempt to renegotiate or repudiate their contracts with us although we seek to enforce our rights under our contracts. The renegotiations may include changes to key contract terms, such as pricing, termination and risk allocation.

For a discussion of our backlog of commitments for contract drilling services, please read Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations— Contract Drilling Services Backlog.”

Noble is a leading offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry. Noble owns and operates one of the most modern, versatile and technically advanced fleets of mobile offshore drilling units in the offshore drilling industry. Noble provides, through its subsidiaries, contract drilling services with a fleet of 20 offshore drilling units, consisting of 12 floaters and eight jackups at the date of this report, focused largely on ultra-deepwater and high-specification drilling opportunities in both established and emerging regions worldwide. Each type of drilling rig is described further below. Several factors determine the type of unit most suitable for a particular job, the most significant of which include the water depth and the environment of the intended drilling location, whether the drilling is being done over a platform or other structure, and the intended well depth. At December 31, 2021, our fleet was located in Africa, Far East Asia, the Middle East, the North Sea, Oceania, South America and the US Gulf of Mexico. Our fleet consists of the following types of mobile offshore drilling units:

A drillship is a type of floating drilling unit that is based on the ship-based hull of the vessel and equipped with modern drilling equipment that gives it the capability of easily transitioning from various worldwide locations and carrying high capacities of equipment while being able to drill ultra-deepwater oil and gas wells in up to 12,000 feet of water. Drillships can stay directly over the drilling location without anchors in open seas using a dynamic positioning system (“DPS”), which coordinates position references from satellite signals and acoustic seabed transponders with the drillship's six to eight thrusters to keep the ship directly over the well that is being drilled. Drillships are selected to drill oil and gas wells for programs that require a high level of simultaneous operations, where drilling loads are expected to be high, or where there are occurrences of high ocean currents, where the drillship's hull shape is the most efficient. Noble's fleet consists of 11 drillships capable of water depths from 10,000 feet to 12,000 feet.

Semisubmersible drilling units are designed as a floating drilling platform incorporating one or several pontoon hulls, which are submerged in the water to lower the center of gravity and make this type of drilling unit exceptionally stable in the open sea. Semisubmersible drilling units are generally categorized in terms of the water depth in which they are capable of operating, from the mid-water range of 300 feet to 4,000 feet, the deepwater range of 4,000 feet to 7,500 feet, to the ultra-deepwater range of 7,500 feet to 12,000 feet as well as by their generation, or date of construction. This type of drilling unit typically exhibits excellent stability characteristics, providing a stable platform for drilling in even rough seas. Semisubmersible drilling units hold their position over the drilling location using either an anchored mooring system or a DPS and may be self-propelled. Noble’s fleet consists of one moored ultra-deepwater semisubmersible drilling unit.

Jackup drilling units are designed to provide drilling solutions in depths ranging from less than 100 feet to as deep as 500 feet of water with drilling hookloads up to 2,500,000 pounds. Jackup rigs can be used in open water exploration locations, as well as over fixed, bottom-supported platforms. A jackup drilling unit is a towed mobile vessel consisting of a floating hull equipped with three or four legs, which are lowered to the seabed at the drilling location. The hull is then elevated out of the water by the jacking system using the legs to support weight of the hull and drilling equipment against the seabed. Once the hull is elevated to the desired level, or jacked up, the drilling package can be extended out over an existing production platform or the open water location and drilling can commence. Noble’s fleet of eight jackups consists of high-specification units capable of drilling in up to 500 feet of water.

The following table presents certain information concerning our offshore fleet at February 16, 2022. We own and operate all of the units included in the table.

The offshore contract drilling industry is a highly competitive and cyclical business. Demand for offshore drilling services is driven by the offshore exploration and development programs of oil and gas operators, which in turn are influenced by many factors. Those factors include, but are not limited to, the price and price stability of oil and gas, the relative cost and carbon footprint of offshore resources within each operator’s broader energy portfolio, global macroeconomic conditions, world energy demand, the operator’s strategy toward renewable energy sources, environmental considerations and governmental policies.

In the provision of offshore contract drilling services, success in securing contracts is primarily governed by price, a rig’s availability, drilling capabilities and technical specifications and its safety performance record. Other factors include experience of the workforce, process efficiency, condition of equipment, operating integrity, reputation, industry standing and client relations.

Our business strategy focuses on a high-specification fleet of both floating and jackup rigs and the deployment of our drilling rigs in established and emerging offshore oil and gas basins around the world. We emphasize safe operations, environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and robust governance to sustain superior performance and maximize stakeholder value, achieved through the employment of our qualified and well-trained crews, the care of our surroundings and neighboring communities, a regimented management system, and a superior fleet. We also carefully manage rig operating costs through the implementation and continuous improvement of innovative systems and processes, which includes the use of data analytics and predictive maintenance technology.

We maintain a global operational presence and compete in many of the major offshore oil and gas basins worldwide. All our drilling rigs are mobile, and we may reposition our drilling rigs among regions for a variety of reasons, including in response to customer requirements. We compete in both the jackup and floating rig market segments, each of which may have different supply and demand dynamics at a given period in time or in different regions.

Since 2014, the offshore drilling industry has faced the challenging combination of a significant rig oversupply and an overall reduction in offshore development and exploration activity that has reduced global offshore rig demand. Industry conditions gradually improved in 2019, which was evidenced by increasing utilization and improving dayrates. However, in the first half of 2020, this gradual recovery was abruptly halted as oil prices experienced concurrent supply and demand shocks. The supply shock was driven by production disagreements among OPEC+ members that resulted in a sudden and a significant oversupply of oil, and the demand shock by the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in a meaningful reduction in global economic activity and produced significant uncertainty among our customers. However, by early 2021, oil prices returned to pre-pandemic levels and continued to rise throughout 2021. Concurrent with this oil price recovery, contracting activity improved as our customer base started to increase their capital budgets.

The global rig supply continues to come down from historic highs as Noble and other offshore drilling contractors retire less capable and idle assets. Concurrently, the incoming supply of newbuild offshore drilling rigs has diminished materially, with several newbuild rigs stranded in shipyards generally requiring dayrates in excess of current market rates in order to be economic to be brought into the global fleet.

Looking forward to 2022, we expect offshore drilling activity to increase as the global economy continues to improve. However, the market outlook in our business varies by geographical region and water depth. We are continually encouraged by the ongoing indications of recovery in the ultra-deepwater floater market in the US Gulf of Mexico, South America, and Africa. Harsh environment jackup markets show stable opportunities and remain an important portion of our business.

While we are cautiously optimistic that recent positive trends will continue, our industry continues to face uncertainties and is unlikely to return to activity levels experienced in historical cycle peaks. Energy rebalancing trends have accelerated in recent years as evidenced by promulgated or proposed government policies and commitments by many of our customers to further invest in sustainable energy sources. Our industry could be further challenged as our customers rebalance their capital investments to include alternative energy sources, as well as respond to the normal cycles that have historically existed in our industry. We also expect inflationary pressures to persist as well as continue to experience disruptions in supply chains and distribution channels. Nonetheless, the global energy demand is predicted to increase over the coming decades, and we expect that offshore oil and gas will continue to play an important and sustainable role in meeting this demand.

During the three years ended December 31, 2021, we principally conducted our contract drilling operations in Canada, Far East Asia, the Middle East, the North Sea, Oceania, the Black Sea, Africa, South America and the US Gulf of Mexico.

The following table sets forth revenues from our customers as a percentage of our consolidated operating revenues:

No other customer accounted for more than 10 percent of our consolidated operating revenues in 2021, 2020 or 2019.

At December 31, 2021, we had approximately 1,800 employees, excluding approximately 1,000 persons we engaged through labor contractors or agencies. Approximately 88 percent of our workforce is located offshore. We are not a party to any material collective bargaining agreements, and we consider our employee relations to be satisfactory.

Our compliance program is focused on ensuring adherence with the highest ethical standards and applicable laws and setting the tone for an ethical work environment. Noble’s commitment to a strong compliance culture is fundamental to who we are as a leading offshore drilling contractor. We uphold our Core Value of respecting the dignity and worth of all employees and are committed to advancing a more diverse and inclusive workplace. The Noble Code, Noble’s code of business conduct and ethics (the “Code of Conduct”), provides the foundation for our culture and underscores our commitment to our Core Values of safety, environmental stewardship, honesty and integrity, respect and performance. It also includes our responsibility and commitment to follow all applicable laws as well as our own internal policies, and requires any supplier or third party who works with Noble to comply with similar fundamental principles.

Operating our business in a socially responsible way is integral to who we are. Internally, our employee-focused programs, such as training and continuing education, our promotion and advancement program, diversity, equity, and inclusion, recruitment initiatives, and retirement and benefits, are key to our commitment to the personal and professional growth of our workforce. Externally, our dedication is evidenced by our affiliations and how we contribute to and invest in the communities where we operate.

In consideration of the negative impact of COVID-19 on our employees, customers, suppliers and the communities in which we operate, as well as associated human rights concerns that may exist in the areas in which we operate, we have taken, and will continue to take, incremental measures to monitor, identify and manage risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, we have continued operations in support of essential infrastructure in the energy industry while carefully ensuring worker safety. We have been able to maintain operation of our rigs by implementing several mitigations, such as extending crew schedules to offset travel delays due to limitations or restrictions, implementing quarantine measures in advance of persons boarding our rigs to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on board and enhancing crew health monitoring and response measures to prevent an outbreak on board any of our vessels. We have also continued the operation of our shore-side offices by implementing social distancing programs and implementing staggered rotational schedules for facility employees to reduce the number of persons on site. In addition, we have increased internal contingency planning, protective measures and employee communications and reinforced our employee wellness programs with all offshore and shore-side employees to offset the potential impact on employees both personally and professionally.

Our environmental commitment is to protect our world and its resources in a manner led by our Mission and Core Values. With our experience and procedural discipline, we are able to operate with excellence, delivering efficient and reliable services for the benefit of our customers as well as our community, which includes everyone from our investors, to our workers, and the communities where we live and operate. Political developments and numerous governmental regulations, which may relate directly or indirectly to the contract drilling industry, affect many aspects of our operations. Our contract drilling operations are subject to various laws and regulations in countries in which we operate, including laws and regulations relating to the equipping, supplying and operation of drilling units, environmental protection and related recordkeeping, health and safety of personnel, safety management systems, the reduction of atmospheric emissions that contribute to a cumulative effect on the overall air quality and environment (commonly referred to as greenhouse gases), economic sanctions, currency conversions and repatriation, oil and gas exploration and development, taxation of capital equipment, taxation of offshore earnings and earnings of expatriate personnel, employee benefits and use of local employees, content and suppliers by foreign contractors. A number of countries actively regulate and control the ownership of concessions and companies holding concessions, the exportation of oil and gas and other aspects of the oil and gas industries in their countries. In addition, government actions, including initiatives by OPEC and OPEC+, may continue to contribute to oil price volatility. In some areas of the world, this government activity has adversely affected the amount of exploration and development work done by oil and gas companies and influenced their need for offshore drilling services, and likely will continue to do so.

The regulations applicable to our operations include provisions that regulate the discharge of materials into the environment or require remediation of contamination under certain circumstances. Many of the countries in whose waters we operate from time to time regulate the discharge of oil and other contaminants in connection with drilling and marine operations. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations, or failure to obtain or comply with permits, may result in the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, imposition of remedial requirements and the imposition of injunctions to force future compliance. Although these requirements impact the oil and gas and energy services industries, generally, they do not appear to affect us in any material respect that is different, or to any materially greater or lesser extent, than other companies in the energy services industry. However, our business and prospects could be adversely affected by regulatory activity that prohibits or restricts our customers’ exploration and production activities, resulting in reduced demand for our services or imposing environmental protection requirements that result in increased costs to us, our customers or the oil and natural gas industry in general.

The following is a summary of some of the existing laws and regulations that apply in the United States and Europe, which serves as an example of the various laws and regulations to which we are subject. While laws vary widely in each jurisdiction, each of the laws and regulations below addresses regulatory issues similar to those in most of the other jurisdictions in which we operate.

Regulations under OPA require owners and operators of rigs in United States waters to maintain certain levels of financial responsibility. The failure to comply with OPA’s requirements may subject a responsible party to civil, criminal, or administrative enforcement actions. We are not aware of any action or event that would subject us to liability under OPA, and we believe that compliance with OPA’s financial assurance and other operating requirements will not have a material impact on our operations or financial condition.

Moreover, in 2005, the Kyoto Protocol to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which establishes a binding set of emission targets for GHGs, became binding on all countries that had ratified it. In 2015, the United Nations (“U.N.”) Climate Change Conference in Paris resulted in the creation of the Paris Agreement. In September 2016, the US deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Paris Agreement, which later entered into force on November 4, 2016. The Paris Agreement requires countries to review and “represent a progression” in their nationally determined contributions, which set emissions reduction goals, every five years beginning in 2020. In November 2019, the US submitted formal notification to the U.N. of its decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, which took effect on November 4, 2020. However, in January 2021, shortly after Joseph Biden was sworn into office as the President of the United States, a series of executive orders were issued regarding climate change, which in part led to the US again depositing an instrument of acceptance of the Paris Agreement, which thereafter re-entered into force for the US on February 19, 2021. The terms of the Paris Agreement and the executive orders are expected to result in additional regulations or changes to existing regulations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business in the US and that of our customers. In addition, incentives to conserve energy or use alternative energy sources in many of the countries where we currently operate or may operate in the future, could have a negative impact on our business in those countries and worldwide. See Part I, Item1A, “Risk Factors—Regulatory and Legal Risks— Governmental laws and regulations may add to our costs, result in delays, or limit our drilling activity” for additional information.

In addition, the United Kingdom (“UK”) government implemented its own ETS in January 2021 to replace the UK’s participation in the EU ETS. The UK has also introduced an auction price floor to prevent carbon prices from dropping below a set level during the initial implementation of the UK ETS. The cost of compliance with the UK ETS and the EU ETS can be expected to increase over time. Additional member state climate change legislation may result in potentially material capital expenditures.

Combustion of ultra-low sulfur fuel oil aboard all of our vessels worldwide (Scope 1) is the Company’s primary source of GHG emissions, which includes carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Based upon the emissions calculation factor provided by the Environmental and Emissions Monitoring System (“EEMS”), we estimate our carbon dioxide equivalent (“C02e”) gas emissions to have been 449,119 tons for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared to 413,628 tons for the year ended December 31, 2020. When expressed as an intensity measure of tons of C02e gas emissions per contract day for our vessels worldwide, we estimate that the intensity measure during 2021 and 2020 was 80.81 and 80.34 tons per contract day, respectively. In 2020, the scope of reporting of energy, GHG and other emissions has been changed from a financial scope to operational scope to further increase transparency on GHG emissions for Noble operating days. Prior years have been restated.

Noble utilizes emission coefficient factors directly from the OEM engine manufacturers carefully calculated per engine type and fuel usage to determine emissions generated from our direct operations throughout the year. While OEM provided coefficients are one method of calculation, there are other relevant industry and regulatory approved standards for calculating GHG production that lead us to a broader understanding of our GHG impact. Each of these methods of calculation vary in assumptions made during the calculation process. By providing these additional calculations such as the Environmental Emissions Monitoring System (EEMS), we feel we are more prepared to compare our emissions data to those relevant industry standards and accurately compare to peer performance with a higher degree of transparency.

Finally, climate change could increase the frequency and severity of adverse weather conditions, including hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, winter storms and rough seas. If such effects were to occur, they could have an adverse impact on our operations.

The IMO has also adopted and revised MARPOL, including Annex VI to MARPOL, which limits the main air pollutants contained in exhaust gas from ships, including sulfur oxides (“SOx”) and nitrous oxides (“NOx”), prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone depleting substances, regulates shipboard incineration and the emissions of volatile organic compounds from tankers, sets a progressive reduction globally in emissions of SOx, NOx and particulate matter, introduces emission control areas to reduce emissions of those air pollutants further in designated sea areas, and effective from January 1, 2020, reduces the global sulfur limit in fuel oil from the current 3.50% to 0.50% m/m (mass by mass) sulfur content. Prior to January 1, 2020, our rigs were operating and continue to operate with low sulfur fuel oil at or below the global limits of 0.50%.

The IMO has also negotiated international conventions that impose liability for oil pollution in international waters and the territorial waters of the signatory to such conventions such as the Ballast Water Management Convention, (the “BWM Convention”) and the International Convention for Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage of 2001 (the “Bunker Convention”). The BWM Convention's implementing regulations call for a phased introduction of mandatory ballast of water exchange requirements, to be replaced in time with a requirement for mandatory ballast water treatment. The Bunker Convention provides a liability, compensation and compulsory insurance system for the victims of oil pollution damage caused by spills of bunker oil. We believe that all of our drilling rigs are currently compliant in all material respects with these regulations. However, the IMO continues to review and introduce new regulations. It is impossible to predict what additional regulations, if any, may be passed by the IMO and what effect, if any, such regulation may have on our operations.

Our operations are subject to many hazards inherent in the drilling business, including blowouts, fires, collisions, groundings, punch-throughs, and damage or loss from adverse weather and sea conditions. These hazards could cause personal injury or loss of life, loss of revenues, pollution and other environmental damage, damage to or destruction of property and equipment and oil and natural gas producing formations, and could result in claims by employees, customers or third parties and fines and penalties.

Our drilling contracts provide for varying levels of indemnification from our customers and in most cases also require us to indemnify our customers for certain losses. Under our drilling contracts, liability with respect to personnel and property is typically assigned on a “knock-for-knock” basis, which means that we and our customers assume liability for our respective personnel and property, generally irrespective of the fault or negligence of the party indemnified. In addition, our customers may indemnify us in certain instances for damage to our down-hole equipment and, in some cases, our subsea equipment. Also, we generally obtain a mutual waiver of consequential losses in our drilling contracts.

Our customers typically assume responsibility for and indemnify us from loss or liability resulting from pollution or contamination, including third-party damages and clean-up and removal, arising from operations under the contract and originating below the surface of the water. We are generally responsible for pollution originating above the surface of the water and emanating from our drilling units. Additionally, our customers typically indemnify us for liabilities incurred as a result of a blow-out or cratering of the well and underground reservoir loss or damage. In the current market, we are under increasing pressure to accept exceptions to the above-described allocations of risk and, as a result, take on more risk. In such cases where we agree, we generally limit the exposure with a monetary cap and other restrictions.

In addition to the contractual indemnities described above, we also carry Protection and Indemnity (“P&I”) insurance, which is a comprehensive general liability insurance program covering liability resulting from offshore operations. Our P&I insurance includes coverage for liability resulting from personal injury or death of third parties and our offshore employees, third-party property damage, pollution, spill clean-up and containment and removal of wrecks or debris. We also carry hull and machinery insurance that protects us against physical loss or damage to our drilling rigs. Our P&I and hull and machinery insurance program is renewed in April of each year, with the P&I program currently carrying a limit of $50.0 million per occurrence of which Noble retains the first $5.0 million per occurrence, plus excess liability

Our insurance policies and contractual rights to indemnity may not adequately cover our losses and liabilities in all cases. For additional information, please read Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business and Operations—We may have difficulty obtaining or maintaining insurance in the future and our insurance coverage and contractual indemnity rights may not protect us against all the risks and hazards we face.”

The above description of our insurance program and the indemnification provisions of our drilling contracts is only a summary as of the time of preparation of this report and is general in nature. Our insurance program and the terms of our drilling contracts may change in the future. In addition, the indemnification provisions of our drilling contracts may be subject to differing interpretations, and enforcement of those provisions may be limited by public policy and other considerations.

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act are available free of charge at our website. The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

You may also find information related to our corporate governance, committees of our Board of Directors (our “Board of Directors” or the “Board”) and company code of ethics (and any amendments or waivers of compliance) at our website. Among the documents you can find there are the following:

Our website address is http://www.noblecorp.com. Investors should also note that we announce material financial information in SEC filings, press releases and public conference calls. Based on guidance from the SEC, we may use the investor relations section of our website to communicate with our investors. It is possible that the financial and other information posted there could be deemed to be material information. Except to the extent explicitly stated herein, documents and information contained on or linked to or from our website are not part of, and are not incorporated by reference into, this report.

You should carefully consider the following risk factors in addition to the other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Each of these risk factors could affect our business, operating results and financial condition, as well as affect an investment in our shares.

We have also experienced: customers seeking price reductions for our services, payment deferrals and termination of our contracts; customers seeking to not perform under our contracts pursuant to a force majeure claim; and customers that are unable or unwilling to timely pay outstanding receivables owed to us, all of which present liquidity challenges for us. Our customers may generally terminate our drilling contracts if a drilling rig is destroyed or lost or if we have to suspend drilling operations for a specified period of time as a result of a breakdown of equipment or, in some cases, due to other events beyond the control of either party. In the case of nonperformance and under

Our operations are subject to many hazards inherent in the drilling business, including:

These hazards could cause personal injury or loss of life, suspend drilling operations, result in regulatory investigation or penalties, seriously damage or destroy property and equipment, result in claims by employees, customers or third parties, cause environmental damage and cause substantial damage to oil and gas producing formations or facilities. Operations also may be suspended because of machinery breakdowns, abnormal drilling conditions, and failure of subcontractors to perform or supply goods or services or personnel shortages. The occurrence of any of the hazards we face could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We operate in various regions throughout the world that may expose us to political and other uncertainties, including risks of:

Further, we operate or have operated in certain less-developed countries with legal systems that are not as mature or predictable as those in more developed countries, which can lead to greater uncertainty in legal matters and proceedings. Examples of challenges of operating in these countries include:

Our ability to do business in a number of jurisdictions is subject to maintaining required licenses and permits and complying with applicable laws and regulations. For example, all of our drilling units are subject to regulatory requirements of the flag state where the drilling unit is registered. The flag state requirements are international maritime requirements and, in some cases, further interpolated by the flag state itself. In addition, each of our drilling units must be “classed” by a classification society, signifying that such drilling rig has been built and maintained in accordance with the rules of the classification society and complies with applicable rules and regulations of the flag state. If any drilling unit loses its flag, does not maintain its class or fails any periodical survey or special survey, the drilling unit will be unable to carry on operations and will be unemployable and uninsurable.

Jurisdictions where we operate may attempt to impose requirements that our drilling units operating in such a jurisdiction have some local ownership or be registered under the flag of that jurisdiction, or both. If our debt agreements do not permit us to change the flag of a rig to a certain jurisdiction or register a rig under the flag of that jurisdiction (and consequently comply with local ownership requirements), and if we are otherwise unable to successfully object to registration, we may no longer be able to operate in that country. Any such inability to carry on operations in jurisdictions where we operate or desire to operate, or our failure to comply with any other laws and regulations of the countries where we operate, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

In addition, OPEC and OPEC+ initiatives, as well as other governmental actions, have caused and may continue to cause oil price volatility. In some areas of the world, this governmental activity has adversely affected the amount of exploration and development work done

In June 2016, the UK held a referendum in which voters approved an exit from the EU (“Brexit”). The UK exited the EU on January 31, 2020, consistent with the terms of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, with a transition period that ended on December 31, 2020. On January 1, 2021, the UK left the EU Single Market and Customs Union as well as all EU policies and international agreements. As a result, the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital between the UK and the EU ended, and the EU and the UK formed two separate markets and two distinct regulatory and legal spaces. On December 24, 2020, the European Commission reached a trade agreement with the UK on the terms of its future cooperation with the EU. The trade agreement, which was signed on December 30, 2020, applied provisionally from January 1, 2021 to April 30, 2021 and formally entered into force on May 1, 2021, offers UK and EU companies preferential access to each other’s markets, ensuring imported goods will be free of tariffs and quotas (subject to rules of origin requirements). Uncertainty exists regarding the ultimate impact of this trade agreement, as well as the extent of possible financial, trade, regulatory and legal implications of Brexit. Brexit also contributes to global political and economic uncertainty, which may cause, among other consequences, volatility in exchange rates and interest rates, and changes in regulations. The Company provides contract drilling services to the international oil and gas industry and our fleet operates globally across multiple locations. Based on our global operating model and the versatility and marketability of our fleet, to date we have not seen the impact of Brexit to be significant to the Company.

Our operating expenses and maintenance costs depend on a variety of factors including: crew costs, costs of provisions, equipment, insurance, maintenance and repairs, and shipyard costs, many of which are beyond our control. Our total operating costs are generally related to the number of drilling rigs in operation and the cost level in each country or region where such drilling rigs are located. Equipment maintenance costs fluctuate depending upon the type of activity that the drilling rig is performing and the age and condition of the equipment. Operating and maintenance costs will not necessarily fluctuate in proportion to changes in operating revenues. While operating revenues may fluctuate as a function of changes in dayrate, costs for operating a rig may not be proportional to the dayrate received and may vary based on a variety of factors, including the scope and length of required rig preparations and the duration of the contractual period over which such expenditures are amortized. Any investments in our rigs may not result in an increased dayrate for or income from such rigs. A disproportionate amount of operating and maintenance costs in comparison to dayrates could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If our drilling rigs are idle for reasons that are not related to the ability of the rig to operate, our customers are entitled to pay a waiting, or standby, rate that is lower than the full operational rate. In addition, if our drilling rigs are taken out of service for maintenance and repair for a period of time that exceeds the scheduled maintenance periods set forth in our drilling contracts, we will not be entitled to payment of dayrates until the rig is able to work. Several factors could cause operational interruptions, including:

Several of these factors have been exacerbated by current global supply chain disruptions. If the interruption of operations exceeds a determined period due to an event of force majeure, our customers have the right to pay a rate that is significantly lower than the waiting rate for a period of time and, thereafter, may terminate the drilling contracts related to the subject rig. Suspension of drilling contract payments, prolonged payment of reduced rates or termination of any drilling contract as a result of an interruption of operations as described herein could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If a significant accident or other event occurs and is not fully covered by insurance or contractual indemnity, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We increasingly depend on information technology systems that we manage, and others that are managed by our third-party service and equipment providers, to conduct our day-to-day operations, including critical systems on our drilling units, and these systems are subject to risks associated with cyber incidents or attacks. 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. In addition, the US government has issued public warnings that indicate that energy assets and companies engaging in significant transactions, such as acquisitions, might be specific targets of cybersecurity threats. Also, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our non-operational employees continue to work remotely a substantial majority of their time, which has created certain logistical challenges, inefficiencies and operational risks such as an increased risk of security breaches or other cyber-incidents or attacks, loss of data, fraud and other disruptions. Working remotely has significantly increased the use of online conferencing services and remote networking, which enable employees to work outside of our corporate infrastructure and, in some cases, use their own personal devices. This remote work model has resulted in an increased demand for information technology resources and may expose us to additional risks of security breaches or other cyber-incidents or attacks, loss of data, fraud and other disruptions as a consequence of more employees accessing sensitive and critical information from remote locations. Due to the nature of cyber-attacks, breaches to our systems or our service or equipment providers’ systems could go undetected for a prolonged period of time. A breach could also originate from, or compromise, our customers’ and vendors’ or other third-party networks outside of our control. A breach may also result in legal claims or proceedings against us by our shareholders, employees, customers, vendors and governmental

In addition, laws and regulations governing data privacy and the unauthorized disclosure of confidential or protected information, including the European Union General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Law, as revised, of the Cayman Islands, the California Consumer Privacy Act and other recent legislation in various US states and non-US jurisdictions, pose increasingly complex compliance challenges and potentially elevate costs, and any failure to comply with these laws and regulations could result in significant penalties and legal liability.

We require skilled personnel to operate and provide technical services and support for our drilling units. In the past, during periods of high demand for drilling services and increasing worldwide industry fleet size, shortages of qualified personnel have occurred. During the last few years of reduced demand, there were layoffs of qualified personnel (including offshore personnel), who often find work with competitors or leave the industry. As a result, if market conditions further improve and we seek to reactivate warm or cold stacked rigs, upgrade our working rigs or purchase additional rigs, we may face shortages of qualified personnel, which would impair our ability to attract qualified personnel for our new or existing drilling units, impair the timeliness and quality of our work and create upward pressure on personnel costs, any of which could adversely affect our operations. In addition, the unexpected loss of members of management, qualified personnel or a significant number of employees due to disease, including COVID-19, disability or death, could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our reliance on third-party suppliers, manufacturers and service providers to secure equipment used in our drilling operations exposes us to volatility in the quality, price and availability of such items. Certain specialized parts and equipment we use in our operations may be available only from a single or small number of suppliers. During the last few years of reduced demand, many of these third-party suppliers reduced their inventories of parts and equipment and, in some cases, reduced their production capacity. Moreover, the global supply chain has recently been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in shortages of, and increased pricing pressures on, among other things, certain raw materials and labor. If the market for our services improves and we seek to reactivate warm or cold stacked rigs, upgrade our working rigs or purchase additional rigs, these reductions and global supply chain constraints could make it more difficult for us to find equipment and parts for our rigs. A disruption or delay in the deliveries from such third-party suppliers, capacity constraints, production disruptions, price increases, defects or quality-control issues, recalls or other decreased availability or servicing of parts and equipment could adversely affect our ability to reactivate rigs, upgrade working rigs, purchase additional rigs or meet our commitments to customers on a timely basis, adversely impact our operations and revenues by resulting in uncompensated downtime, reduced dayrates, the incurrence of liquidated damages or other penalties or the cancellation or termination of contracts, or increase our operating costs.

As part of our business strategy, and as evidenced by the completed Pacific Drilling Merger and the proposed Business Combination with Maersk Drilling, we have pursued and completed, and may continue to pursue, mergers, acquisitions or dispositions of businesses or assets or other strategic transactions that we believe will enable us to strengthen or broaden our business. We may be unable to implement this element of our strategy if we cannot identify suitable companies, businesses or assets, reach agreement on potential strategic transactions on acceptable terms, manage the impacts of such transactions on our business or for other reasons. Moreover, mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and other strategic transactions, such as the Pacific Drilling Merger and the proposed Business Combination with Maersk Drilling, involve various risks, including, among other things, (i) difficulties relating to integrating or disposing of a business and unanticipated changes in customer and other third-party relationships subsequent thereto, (ii) diversion of management’s attention from day-to-day operations, (iii) failure to realize the anticipated benefits of such transactions, such as cost savings and revenue enhancements, (iv) potentially substantial transaction costs associated with such transactions and (v) potential impairment resulting from the overpayment for an acquisition.

We may experience currency exchange losses when revenues are received or expenses are paid in nonconvertible currencies, when we do not hedge an exposure to a foreign currency, when the result of a hedge is a loss or if any counterparty to our hedge were to experience financial difficulties. We may also incur losses as a result of an inability to collect revenues due to a shortage of convertible currency available to the country of operation, controls over currency exchange or controls over the repatriation of income or capital.

Inflationary factors such as increases in the labor costs, material costs and overhead costs may adversely affect our operating results. Although we have experienced increases in the cost of labor and materials as noted above, we do not believe that inflation has had a material impact on our financial position or results of operations to date; however, a high rate of inflation, including a continuation of inflation at the

We currently conduct our operations through our subsidiaries, and our operating income and cash flow are generated by our subsidiaries. As a result, cash we obtain from our subsidiaries is the principal source of funds necessary to meet our debt service obligations. Unless they are guarantors of our indebtedness, our subsidiaries do not have any obligation to pay amounts due on our indebtedness or to make funds available for that purpose. Contractual provisions or laws, as well as our subsidiaries’ financial condition and operating requirements, may also limit our ability to obtain the cash that we require from our subsidiaries to pay our debt service obligations. Applicable tax laws may also subject such payments to us by our subsidiaries to further taxation.

On the Effective Date and pursuant to the Plan, we issued 8,333,081 Tranche 1 Warrants and 8,333,081 Tranche 2 Warrants to the holders of Legacy Notes (as defined herein) and 2,777,698 Tranche 3 Warrants to the holders of Legacy Noble’s ordinary shares outstanding prior to the Effective Date. The Tranche 1 Warrants are exercisable for one Ordinary Share per warrant at an exercise price of $19.27 per warrant, the Tranche 2 Warrants are exercisable for one Ordinary Share per warrant at an exercise price of $23.13 per warrant and the Tranche 3 Warrants are exercisable for one Ordinary Share per warrant at an exercise price of $124.40 per warrant (in each case as may be adjusted from time to time pursuant to the applicable warrant agreement). The Tranche 1 Warrants and the Tranche 2 Warrants are exercisable until 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on February 4, 2028 and the Tranche 3 Warrants are exercisable until 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on February 4, 2026. The Tranche 1 Warrants and the Tranche 2 Warrants have Black-Scholes protections, including in the event of a Fundamental Transaction (as defined in the applicable warrant agreement). The Tranche 1 Warrants and the Tranche 2 Warrants also provide that while the Mandatory Exercise Condition (as defined in the applicable warrant agreement) set forth in the applicable warrant agreement has occurred and is continuing, Noble or the holders of Tranche 1 Warrants or Tranche 2 Warrants representing at least 20% of such tranche (the “Required Mandatory Exercise Warrantholders”) have the right and option (but not the obligation) to cause all or a portion of the warrants to be exercised on a cashless basis. In the case of Noble, under the Mandatory Exercise Condition, all of the Tranche 1 Warrants or the Tranche 2 Warrants (as applicable) would be exercised. In the case of the electing Required Mandatory Exercise Warrantholders, under the Mandatory Exercise Condition, all of their respective Tranche 1 Warrants or Tranche 2 Warrants (as applicable) would be exercised. Mandatory exercises entitle the holder of each warrant subject thereto to (i) the number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of such warrant on a cashless basis and (ii) an amount payable in cash, Ordinary Shares or a combination thereof (in Noble’s sole discretion) equal to the Black-Scholes Value (as defined in the applicable warrant agreement) with respect to the number of Ordinary Shares withheld upon exercise of such warrant on a cashless basis. As of February 15, 2022, the Mandatory Exercise Condition set forth in the warrant agreements for the Tranche 1 Warrants has been satisfied and the Tranche 2 Warrants was not satisfied. Between January 1, 2022 and February 15, 2022, an aggregate of 1,330,845 Ordinary Shares were issued pursuant to Tranche 1 Warrants and Tranche 2 Warrants pursuant to all exercises. These exercises, and continued exercises of these warrants into Ordinary Shares pursuant to the terms of the outstanding warrants, will have a dilutive effect to the holdings of our existing shareholders.

Pursuant to the Memorandum of Association of Noble Corporation, the share capital of Noble is $6,000 divided into 500,000,000 ordinary shares of a par value of $0.00001 each and 100,000,000 shares of a par value of $0.00001, each of such class or classes having the rights as our Board of Directors may determine from time to time. On February 15, 2022, there were 61,856,875 Ordinary Shares outstanding and 6,463,182 Penny Warrants (as defined herein) issued and outstanding. In addition, as of February 15, 2022, 6,274,240 Tranche 1 Warrants, 8,318,837 Tranche 2 Warrants and 2,777,562 Tranche 3 Warrants were outstanding and exercisable. We also have 7,131,501 Ordinary Shares authorized and reserved for issuance pursuant to equity awards under the Noble Corporation 2021 Long-Term Incentive Plan.

A large percentage of the Ordinary Shares (or warrants exercisable for Ordinary Shares) are held by a relatively small number of investors. We entered into (i) the Equity Registration Rights Agreement (as defined herein) with certain parties who received Ordinary Shares under the Plan associated with the Chapter 11 reorganization and (ii) a registration rights agreement with the holders identified therein in connection with the closing of the Pacific Drilling Merger, in each case pursuant to which we have agreed to file a registration statement with the SEC to facilitate potential future sales of such Ordinary Shares by them.

Sales of a substantial number of the Ordinary Shares in the public markets, exercise of a substantial number of warrants or even the perception that these sales or exercises might occur (such as upon the filing of the aforementioned registration statements), could impair our ability to raise capital for our operations through a future sale of, or pay for acquisitions using, our equity securities.

We may issue Ordinary Shares or other securities from time to time as consideration for future acquisitions and investments. If any such acquisition or investment is significant, the number of Ordinary Shares, or the number or aggregate principal amount, as the case may be, of other securities that we may issue may in turn be substantial. We may also grant registration rights covering those Ordinary Shares or other securities in connection with any such acquisitions and investments.

We cannot predict the effect that future sales of Ordinary Shares will have on the price at which the Ordinary Shares trades or the size of future issuances of Ordinary Shares or the effect, if any, that future issuances will have on the market price of the Ordinary Shares. Sales of substantial amounts of the Ordinary Shares, or the perception that such sales could occur, may adversely affect the trading price of the Ordinary Shares.

As noted above, a large percentage of the Ordinary Shares are held by a relatively small number of investors. As a result, these investors could have significant influence over all matters presented to our shareholders for approval, including election and removal of our directors, change in control transactions and the outcome of all actions requiring a majority shareholder approval.

The interests of these investors may not always coincide with the interests of the other holders of the Ordinary Shares, and the concentration of control in these investors may limit other shareholders’ ability to influence corporate matters. The concentration of ownership and voting power of these investors may also delay, defer or even prevent an acquisition by a third party or other change of control of our Company and may make some transactions more difficult or impossible without their support, even if such events are in the best interests of our other shareholders. In addition, the concentration of voting power may adversely affect the trading price of the Ordinary Shares.

Certain areas of the world such as the US Gulf of Mexico experience hurricanes and other extreme weather conditions on a relatively frequent basis. Some of our drilling rigs in the US Gulf of Mexico are located in areas that could cause them to be susceptible to damage and/or total loss by these storms. Damage caused by high winds, turbulent seas and other severe weather conditions could result in rig loss or damage (some of which may be uninsured), termination of drilling contracts for lost or severely damaged rigs or curtailment of operations on damaged drilling rigs with reduced or suspended dayrates for significant periods of time until the damage can be repaired, which could adversely affect our business. Moreover, our operating procedures may be altered during hurricane season in preparation for such severe weather conditions.

Our long-term success depends on our ability to effectively respond to the impact of energy rebalancing, which could require adapting our fleet and business to potentially changing government requirements and customer preferences, as well as engaging with our customers to develop solutions to decarbonize oil and gas operations. If the energy rebalancing landscape changes faster than anticipated or in a manner that we do not anticipate, demand for our services could be adversely affected. Furthermore, if we fail to, or are perceived not to, effectively implement an energy rebalancing strategy, or if investors or financial institutions shift funding away from companies in fossil fuel-related industries, our access to capital or the market for our securities could be negatively impacted.

On the Effective Date, and pursuant to the terms of the Plan, Finco issued an aggregate principal amount of $216.0 million of Second Lien Notes. The Second Lien Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, on a senior secured second-priority basis, by the direct and indirect subsidiaries of Finco that are Credit Parties under the Revolving Credit Facility (as defined herein). The Second Lien Notes and such guarantees are secured by senior priority liens on the assets subject to liens securing the Revolving Credit Facility, including the equity interests in Finco and each guarantor of the Second Lien Notes, all of the rigs owned by the Company as of the Effective Date or acquired thereafter, certain assets related thereto, and substantially all other assets of Finco and such guarantors, in each case, subject to certain exceptions and limitations. Neither Pacific Drilling nor any of its current subsidiaries is a subsidiary guarantor of the Revolving Credit Facility or the Second Lien Notes, and none of their assets secure the Revolving Credit Facility or the Second Lien Notes. In addition, none of the Maersk Drilling assets will secure the Revolving Credit Facility or the Second Lien Notes upon the closing of the Business Combination. Finco is entitled to pay interest on the Second Lien Notes in the form of PIK Notes (as defined herein) at its option in lieu of paying cash interest. As a result, we cannot assure you that Finco will make cash interest payments on the Second Lien Notes. The payment of interest through PIK Notes will increase the amount of Finco’s indebtedness and increase the risks associated with its level of indebtedness.

Noble conducts substantially all of its business through Finco and its subsidiaries. The primary restrictive covenants contained in the indenture under which the Second Lien Notes were issued limit Finco’s ability and the ability of certain of its subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other distributions or repurchase or redeem its capital stock and certain indebtedness, create liens securing certain indebtedness, incur certain indebtedness, consolidate, merge or transfer all or substantially all of its properties and assets, enter into transactions with affiliates and dispose of assets and use proceeds from the dispositions of assets.

Finco’s ability to comply with the covenants and restrictions contained in the indenture governing the Second Lien Notes may be affected by events beyond its control. If market or other economic conditions deteriorate, Finco’s ability to comply with these covenants and restrictions may be impaired. A failure to comply with the covenants, ratios or tests in the indenture governing the Second Lien Notes, if not cured or waived, could have a material adverse effect on Finco’s and our business, financial condition and results of operations. Finco’s existing and future indebtedness may have cross-default and cross-acceleration provisions. Upon the triggering of any such provision, the relevant creditor may:

If any of Finco’s existing indebtedness were to be accelerated, there can be no assurance that it would have, or be able to obtain, sufficient funds to repay such indebtedness in full. Even if new financing were available, it may be on terms that are less attractive to Finco than the Revolving Credit Facility or the Second Lien Notes or it may not be on terms that are acceptable to Finco.

The loans outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the applicable margin plus, at Finco’s option, either: (i) the reserve-adjusted London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or (ii) a base rate. On March 5, 2021, the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK issued an announcement on the future cessation or loss of representativeness for LIBOR benchmark settings currently published by ICE Benchmark Administration. The announcement confirmed that LIBOR will either cease to be provided by any administrator or will no longer be representative after December 31, 2021 for all non-USD LIBOR reference rates, and for certain short-term USD LIBOR reference rates, and after June 30, 2023 for other reference rates. While the Revolving Credit Facility contains hardwired “fallback” provisions providing for an alternative reference rate upon the occurrence of certain events related to the phase-out of LIBOR, the alternative reference rate plus any associated spread adjustment may result in interest rates higher than LIBOR. As a result, our interest expense could increase on our floating rate debt. In addition, the overall financial markets may be disrupted as a result of the phase-out or replacement of LIBOR. Uncertainty as to the nature of such potential phase-out and alternative reference rates or disruption in the financial market could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Income tax returns that we file will be subject to review and examination. We recognize the benefit of income tax positions we believe are more likely than not to be sustained upon challenge by a tax authority. If any tax authority successfully challenges our operational structure, intercompany pricing policies or the taxable presence of our subsidiaries in certain countries, if the terms of certain income tax treaties are interpreted in a manner that is adverse to our structure, or if we lose a material tax dispute in any country, our effective tax rate on our worldwide earnings could increase substantially and result in a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

We cannot provide any assurances as to what our consolidated effective income tax rate will be because of, among other matters, uncertainty regarding the nature and extent of our business activities in any particular jurisdiction in the future and the tax laws of such jurisdictions, as well as potential changes in the UK, US, Switzerland, Luxembourg and other tax laws, regulations or treaties or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, changes in the administrative practices and precedents of tax authorities or any reclassification or other matter (such as changes in applicable accounting rules) that increases the amounts we have provided for income taxes or deferred tax assets and liabilities in our consolidated financial statements. For example, certain countries within which we operate or own substantial assets have enacted changes to their tax laws in response to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s ongoing Base Erosion and Profit Shifting initiatives and these and other countries may enact changes to their tax laws or practices in the future (prospectively or retroactively), which may have a material adverse effect on our financial position, operating results and/or cash flows.

A portion of our current and retired employee population is covered by pension and other post-retirement benefit plans, the costs of which are dependent upon various assumptions, including estimates of rates of return on benefit plan assets, discount rates for future payment obligations, mortality assumptions, rates of future cost growth and trends for future costs. In addition, funding requirements for benefit obligations of our pension and other post-retirement benefit plans are subject to legislative and other government regulatory actions. Future changes in estimates and assumptions associated with our pension and other post-retirement benefit plans could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and/or financial disclosures.

Our business is affected by public policy and laws and regulations relating to the energy industry in the geographic areas where we operate.

The drilling industry is dependent on demand for services from the oil and gas exploration and production industry, and accordingly, we are directly affected by the adoption of laws and regulations that for economic, environmental or other policy reasons curtail exploration and development drilling for oil and gas. We may be required to make significant capital expenditures to comply with governmental laws and regulations. Governments in some foreign countries are increasingly active in regulating and controlling the ownership of concessions, the exploration for oil and gas, and other aspects of the oil and gas industries.

In recent years, increasing attention has been given to corporate activities related to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) matters in public discourse and the investment community. A number of advocacy groups, both domestically and internationally, have campaigned for governmental and private action to promote change at public companies related to ESG matters, including through the investment and voting practices of investment advisers, public pension funds, universities and other members of the investing community. These activities include increasing attention and demands for action related to climate change and energy rebalancing matters, such as promoting the use of substitutes to fossil fuel products and encouraging the divestment of fossil fuel equities, as well as pressuring lenders and other financial services companies to limit or curtail activities with fossil fuel companies. If this were to continue, it could have a material adverse effect on our ability to access equity capital markets. Members of the investment community have begun to screen companies such as ours for sustainability performance, including practices related to GHGs and climate change. If we are unable to find economically viable, as well as publicly acceptable, solutions that reduce our GHG emissions and/or GHG intensity for new and existing projects, we could experience additional costs or financial penalties, delayed or cancelled projects, and/or reduced production and reduced demand for hydrocarbons, which could have a material adverse effect on our earnings, cash flows and financial condition.

In addition, our business could be impacted by governmental initiatives to address greenhouse gases and climate change and incentives to conserve energy or use alternative energy sources. For example, the Build Back Better Act, passed by the US House of Representatives and supported by President Biden, includes incentives to increase wind and solar electric generation and encourage consumers to use these alternative energy sources. At this time, it is uncertain whether, and in what form, the Build Back Better Act may become law. However, the Build Back Better Act or similar state or federal initiatives to incentivize a shift away from fossil fuels could reduce demand for hydrocarbons, thereby reducing demand for our services and causing a material adverse effect on our earnings, cash flows and financial condition.

Our operations are subject to various laws and regulations in countries in which we operate, including laws and regulations relating to:

Adverse effects may continue as a result of the uncertainty of ongoing inquiries, investigations and court proceedings, or additional inquiries and proceedings by federal or state regulatory agencies or private plaintiffs. In addition, we cannot predict the outcome of any of these inquiries or whether these inquiries will lead to additional legal proceedings against us, civil or criminal fines or penalties, or other regulatory action, including legislation or increased permitting requirements. Legal proceedings or other matters against us, including environmental matters, suits, regulatory appeals, challenges to our permits by citizen groups and similar matters, might result in adverse decisions against us. The result of such adverse decisions, both individually or in the aggregate, could be material and may not be covered fully or at all by insurance.

Substantial costs, liabilities, delays and other significant issues could arise from environmental, health and safety laws and regulations covering our operations, and we may incur substantial costs and liabilities in maintaining compliance with such laws and regulations. Our operations are subject to extensive international conventions and treaties, and national or federal, state and local laws and regulations, governing environmental protection, including with respect to the discharge of materials into the environment and the security of chemical and industrial facilities. These laws govern a wide range of environmental issues, including:

Various governmental authorities have the power to enforce compliance with these laws and regulations and the permits issued under them, oftentimes requiring difficult and costly actions. Failure to comply with these laws, regulations and permits, or the release of oil or other materials into the environment, may result in the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, the imposition of remedial obligations, the imposition of stricter conditions on or revocation of permits, the issuance of moratoria or injunctions limiting or preventing some or all of our operations, delays in granting permits and cancellation of leases, or could affect our relationship with certain consumers.

Our business may be adversely affected by increased costs due to stricter pollution control equipment requirements or liabilities resulting from non-compliance with required operating or other regulatory permits. Also, we might not be able to obtain or maintain from time to time all required environmental regulatory approvals for our operations. If there is a delay in obtaining any required environmental regulatory approvals, or if we fail to obtain and comply with them, the operation or construction of our facilities could be prevented or become subject to additional costs. In addition, the steps we could be required to take to bring certain facilities into regulatory compliance could be prohibitively expensive, and we might be required to shut down, divest or alter the operation of those facilities, which might cause us to incur losses.

We make assumptions and develop expectations about possible expenditures related to environmental conditions based on current laws and regulations and current interpretations of those laws and regulations. If the interpretation of laws or regulations, or the laws and regulations themselves, change, our assumptions may change, and new capital costs may be incurred to comply with such changes. In addition, new environmental laws and regulations might adversely affect our operations, as well as waste management and air emissions. For instance, governmental agencies could impose additional safety requirements, which could affect our profitability. Further, new environmental laws and regulations might adversely affect our customers, which in turn could affect our profitability.

Finally, although some of our drilling rigs will be separately owned by our subsidiaries, under certain circumstances a parent company and all of the unit-owning affiliates in a group under common control engaged in a joint venture could be held liable for damages or debts owed by one of the affiliates, including liabilities for oil spills under environmental laws. Therefore, it is possible that we could be subject to liability upon a judgment against us or any one of our subsidiaries.

The shipment of goods, services and technology across international borders subjects our business to extensive trade laws and regulations. Import activities are governed by unique customs laws and regulations in each of the countries of operation. Moreover, many countries, including the United States, control the export and re-export of certain goods, services and technology and impose related export recordkeeping and reporting obligations. 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. US sanctions, in particular, are targeted against certain countries that are heavily involved in the petroleum and petrochemical industries, which includes drilling activities.

The laws and regulations concerning import activity, export recordkeeping and reporting, 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. Shipments can be delayed and denied export or entry 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. Any failure to comply with applicable legal and regulatory trading obligations could also result in criminal and civil penalties and sanctions, such as fines, imprisonment, debarment from government contracts, seizure of shipments and loss of import and export privileges.

Currently, we do not, nor do we intend to, operate in countries that are subject to significant sanctions and embargoes imposed by the US government or identified by the US government as state sponsors of terrorism, such as the Crimean region of the Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria. The US sanctions and embargo laws and regulations vary in their application, as they do not all apply to the same covered persons or proscribe the same activities, and such sanctions and embargo laws and regulations may be amended or strengthened over time. There can be no assurance that we will be in compliance in the future, particularly as the scope of certain laws may be unclear and may be subject to changing interpretations. Any such violation could result in fines or other penalties and could result in some investors deciding, or being required, to divest their interest, or not to invest, in us. In addition, certain institutional investors may have investment policies or restrictions that prevent them from holding securities of companies that have contracts with countries identified by the US government as state sponsors of terrorism or with countries that are otherwise subject to US sanctions and embargo laws. In addition, our reputation and the market for our securities may be adversely affected if we engage in certain other activities, such as entering into drilling contracts with individuals or entities in countries subject to significant US sanctions and embargo laws that are not controlled by the governments of those countries, or engaging in operations associated with those countries pursuant to contracts with third parties that are unrelated to those countries or entities controlled by their governments.

We are, from time to time, involved in various litigation matters. These matters may include, among other things, contract disputes, personal injury claims, asbestos and other toxic tort claims, environmental claims or proceedings, employment matters, issues related to employee or representative conduct, governmental claims for taxes or duties, and other litigation that arises in the ordinary course of our business. Although we intend to defend or pursue such matters vigorously, we cannot predict with certainty the outcome or effect of any claim or other litigation matter, and there can be no assurance as to the ultimate outcome of any litigation. Litigation may have an adverse effect on us because of potential negative outcomes, legal fees, the allocation of management’s time and attention, and other factors.

We could also face increased climate-related litigation with respect to our operations both in the US and around the world. Governmental and other entities in various US states, such as California and New York, have filed lawsuits against coal, gas oil and petroleum companies. These suits allege damages as a result of climate change, and the plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages and abatement under various tort theories. Similar lawsuits may be filed in other jurisdictions both in the US and globally. Though we are not currently a party to any such lawsuit, these suits present uncertainty regarding the extent to which companies who are not producing oil or gas, but who are engaged in such production, such as offshore drillers, face an increased risk of liability stemming from climate change, which risk would also adversely impact the oil and gas industry and impact demand for our services.

None.

The description of our rig fleet included under “Part I, Item 1, Business” is incorporated by reference herein. We lease office space in Sugar Land, Texas, where our corporate headquarters are located. In addition, we own and lease operational, administrative and marketing offices, as well as other sites used primarily for operations, storage and maintenance and repairs for drilling rigs and equipment in various locations worldwide.

We may, from time to time, be a defendant to various legal proceedings, disputes and claims arising in the ordinary course of our business and in connection with strategic acquisitions or divestitures, such as the Business Combination. Following our announcement of the Business Combination, in the first quarter of 2022, we received one demand letter, and two complaints were filed against us, all challenging the Business Combination. The outcome of these complaints and the demand letter, as well as those that may in the future be received or filed with respect to the Business Combination, is uncertain. We believe that we and our directors and officers acted appropriately in connection with the Business Combination and have valid defenses to the allegations and we intend to defend the lawsuits vigorously. While we do not anticipate a negative outcome with respect to such litigation, we cannot assure you as to the outcome or any material negative effect thereof.

Additional information regarding legal proceedings is presented in “Note 16— Commitments and Contingencies” to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Not applicable.

On June 9, 2021, our Ordinary Shares began trading on the NYSE under the symbol “NE.”

On February 15, 2022, there were 61,856,875 Ordinary Shares outstanding held by 261 shareholder accounts of record, and there were 6,463,182 Penny Warrants issued and outstanding. This figure does not include an estimate of the indeterminate number of beneficial holders whose shares may be held of record by brokerage firms and clearing agencies.

During the year ended December 31, 2021:

Such Ordinary Shares were issued pursuant to the exemptions from the registration requirements of the Securities Act under Section 4(a)(2) under the Securities Act and Section 1145 of the Bankruptcy Code. For more information on the terms of exercise and other features of the warrants, see “Note 9—Equity—Warrants” to our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Legacy Noble and Noble have not paid dividends since the third quarter of 2016. The payment of future dividends will depend on our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, future business prospects, contractual and indenture restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors.

The chart below presents a comparison of the cumulative total returns, assuming $100 was invested at the beginning of the period for Noble, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and the Dow Jones US Oil Equipment and Services. Total return assumes the reinvestment of dividends, if any, in the security on the ex-dividend date. This graph depicts the past performance for the period from June 9, 2021, the day our Ordinary Shares began trading on the NYSE, through December 31, 2021, and in no way should be used to predict future share performance.

The following discussion is intended to assist you in understanding our financial position at December 31, 2021 and 2020, and our results of operations for the period from February 6 through December 31, 2021, the period from January 1 through February 5, 2021, and for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2020. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period from February 6 through December 31, 2021 and the period from January 1 through February 5, 2021 filed by Noble and Finco.

We provide contract drilling services to the international oil and gas industry with our global fleet of mobile offshore drilling units. Our business strategy focuses on a high-specification fleet of both floating and jackup rigs, and the deployment of our drilling rigs in established and emerging offshore oil and gas basins around the world.

We emphasize safe operations, environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and robust governance to sustain the superior performance and maximize stakeholder value achieved through our qualified and well-trained crews, the care of our surroundings and local communities, an effective management system, and a superior fleet. We also carefully manage rig operating costs through innovative systems and processes, including the use of data analytics and predictive maintenance technology.

As of the filing date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our fleet of 20 drilling rigs consisted of 12 floaters and eight jackups strategically deployed worldwide. We typically employ each drilling unit under an individual contract, and many contracts are awarded based upon a competitive bidding process.

For the period from February 6, 2021 through December 31, 2021, our financial and operating results from continuing operations include:

Demand for our services is driven by the offshore exploration and development programs of oil and gas operators, which in turn are influenced by many factors. Those factors include, but are not limited to, the price and price stability of oil and gas, the relative cost and carbon footprint of offshore resources within each operator’s broader energy portfolio, global macroeconomic conditions, world energy demand, the operator’s strategy toward renewable energy sources, environmental considerations and governmental policies.

Since 2014, the offshore drilling industry has faced the challenging combination of a significant rig oversupply and an overall reduction in offshore development and exploration activity that has reduced global offshore rig demand. Industry conditions gradually improved in 2019, which was evidenced by increasing utilization and improving dayrates. However, in the first half of 2020, this gradual recovery was abruptly halted as oil prices experienced concurrent supply and demand shocks. The supply shock was driven by production disagreements among OPEC+ member that resulted in sudden and a significant oversupply of oil, and the demand shock by the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in meaningful reduction in global economic activity and produced significant uncertainty among our customers. However, by early 2021, oil prices returned to pre-pandemic levels and continued to rise throughout 2021. Concurrent with this oil price recovery, contracting activity improved as our customer base started to increase their capital budgets. These events had significant impact on our results in 2020 and 2021.

The global rig supply continues to come down from historic highs as Noble and other offshore drilling contractors retire less capable and idle assets. Concurrently, the incoming supply of newbuild offshore drilling rigs has diminished materially, with several newbuild rigs stranded in shipyards generally requiring dayrates in excess of current market rates in order to be economic to be brought into the global fleet.

Looking forward to 2022, we expect business opportunities and results in offshore drilling to improve as the global economy continues to stabilize and improve. However, the market outlook in our business varies by geographical region and water depth. We are continually encouraged by the ongoing indications of recovery in the ultra-deepwater floater market in the US Gulf of Mexico, South America, and Africa. Harsh environment jackup markets show stable opportunities and remain an important portion of our business.

While we are cautiously optimistic about recent positive trends, our industry continues to face challenges and uncertainties and is unlikely to return to activity levels experienced in historical cycle peaks. Energy rebalancing trends have accelerated in recent years as evidenced by promulgated or proposed government policies and commitments by many of our customers to further invest in sustainable energy sources. Our industry could be further challenged as our customers rebalance their capital investments to include alternative energy sources, as well as respond to the normal cycles that have historically existed in our industry. We also expect inflationary pressures to persist as well as continue to experience disruptions in supply chains and distribution channels. Nonetheless, the global energy demand is predicted to increase over the coming decades, and we expect that offshore oil and gas will continue to play an important and sustainable role in meeting this demand.

At December 31, 2021, we had a total contract drilling services backlog of approximately $1.2 billion, which includes a commitment of approximately 58 percent of available days for 2022. For additional information regarding our backlog, see “—Contract Drilling Services Backlog” below.

We maintain a backlog of commitments for contract drilling services. Our contract drilling services backlog reflects estimated future revenues attributable to signed drilling contracts. While backlog did not include any letters of intent as of December 31, 2021, in the past we have included in backlog certain letters of intent that we expect to result in binding drilling contracts.

We calculate backlog for any given unit and period by multiplying the full contractual operating dayrate for such unit by the number of days remaining in the period, and include certain assumptions based on the terms of certain contractual arrangements, discussed in the notes to the table below. The reported contract drilling services backlog does not include amounts representing revenues for mobilization, demobilization and contract preparation, which are not expected to be significant to our contract drilling services revenues, amounts constituting reimbursables from customers or amounts attributable to uncommitted option periods under drilling contracts or letters of intent. Backlog herein also has not been adjusted for the non-cash amortization related to favorable customer contract intangibles which were recognized on the Effective Date.

The table below presents the amount of our contract drilling services backlog and the percent of available operating days committed for the periods indicated:

Net income for the period from February 6 through December 31, 2021 was $102.0 million, or $1.51 per diluted share, on operating revenues of $770.3 million. Net income for the period from January 1 through February 5, 2021 was $250.2 million, or $0.98 per diluted share, on operating revenues of $77.5 million, compared to a net loss for the year ended December 31, 2020 of $4.0 billion, or $15.86 per diluted share, on operating revenues of $1.0 billion.

As a result of Noble conducting all of its business through Finco and its subsidiaries, the financial position and results of operations for Finco, and the reasons for material changes in the amount of revenue and expense items between the period from February 6 through December 31, 2021, the period from January 1 through February 5, 2021 and the year ended December 31, 2020, would be the same as the information presented below regarding Noble in all material respects, with the exception of operating income (loss), the gain on bargain purchase and reorganization cost, net. For the period from February 6 through December 31, 2021 and the period from January 1 through February 5, 2021, Finco’s operating income was $47.7 million and $0.3 million higher, respectively, than that of Noble. The operating income difference for both the predecessor and successor period is primarily a result of expenses related to corporate legal costs and administration attributable to Noble for operations support and stewardship-related services. Included in the difference in operating income for the period from February 6 through December 31, 2021 were additional charges related to Merger and integration costs, primarily for the proposed Business Combination with Maersk Drilling and the acquisition of Pacific Drilling. In addition to the difference in operating income, the Noble successor period included a gain on bargain purchase of $62.3 million which was not recognized by Finco. In addition to the difference in operating income, the Noble predecessor period from January 1, 2021 through February 5, 2021 included a gain related to litigation claims of $77.3 million, which was not recognized by Finco.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, Finco’s operating loss was $100.6 million lower than that of Noble. The operating loss difference is primarily a result of expenses related to ongoing litigation, administration, and Chapter 11 bankruptcy charges directly attributable to Noble for operations support and stewardship-related services. Included in the difference in operating income for the year ended December 31, 2020, Noble recorded a $46.5 million expense related to litigation claims, which was not recognized by Finco and was settled in the fourth quarter of 2020 through reorganization costs, net. This resulted in a net gain of $15.0 million which is included in Noble’s Net loss but was not recognized by Finco.

Operating results for our contract drilling services segment are dependent on three primary metrics: operating days, dayrates and operating costs. We also track rig utilization, which is a function of operating days and the number of rigs in our fleet. For more information on operating costs, see “—Contract Drilling Services” below.

The following table presents the average rig utilization, operating days and average dayrates for our rig fleet for the periods indicated

During the period ended on February 5, 2021, our income tax provision included a tax benefit of $1.7 million related to non-US reserve release and tax expense of $2.5 million related to fresh start and reorganization adjustments, and other recurring tax expenses of approximately $2.6 million.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, our tax benefit included the tax effect from asset impairments of $99.7 million, the tax impact of the application of the CARES Act of $39 million, a non-US reserve release due to a statute expiration of $4.6 million, a reduction of US tax reserves of $111.9 million, and the tax benefits of an internal restructuring net of resulting adjustment to the valuation allowance of $17.9 million and other recurring tax benefits of approximately $47.3 million. These tax benefits were partially offset by a 2019 US return-to-provision adjustment and resulting adjustment to the valuation allowance of $21.2 million, an increase in UK valuation allowance of $31.1 million, and an increase in non-US tax reserves of $7.8 million.

Information related to a comparison of our results of operations for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 compared to our fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 is included in Part II, Item 7, “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on March 12, 2021.

As a result of the financial restructuring through the Chapter 11 Cases, Noble emerged with a new $675.0 million Revolving Credit Facility and $216.0 million of Second Lien Notes. At emergence, Legacy Noble’s ordinary shares were cancelled and Ordinary Shares were issued to Legacy Noble’s former bondholders. Certain former bondholders and former equity holders of Legacy Noble were also issued warrants to purchase shares of the Company.

On the Effective Date, Finco and Noble International Finance Company (“NIFCO”) entered into a senior secured revolving credit agreement (the “Revolving Credit Agreement”) providing for a $675.0 million senior secured revolving credit facility (with a $67.5 million

All obligations of the Borrowers under the Revolving Credit Agreement, certain cash management obligations and certain swap obligations are unconditionally guaranteed, on a joint and several basis, by Finco and certain of its direct and indirect subsidiaries (collectively with the Borrowers, the “Credit Parties”), including a guarantee by each Borrower of the obligations of each other Borrower under the Revolving Credit Agreement. All such obligations, including the guarantees of the Revolving Credit Facility, are secured by senior priority liens on substantially all assets of, and the equity interests in, each Credit Party, subject to certain exceptions and limitations described in the Revolving Credit Agreement. Neither Pacific Drilling Company LLC nor any of its current subsidiaries is a subsidiary guarantor of the Revolving Credit Facility, and none of their assets secure the Revolving Credit Facility. In addition, none of the Maersk Drilling assets will secure the Revolving Credit Facility upon the closing of the Business Combination.

The loans outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the applicable margin plus, at Finco’s option, either: (i) the reserve-adjusted LIBOR or (ii) a base rate, determined as the greatest of (x) the prime loan rate as published in the Wall Street Journal, (y) the federal funds effective rate plus 1⁄2 of 1%, and (z) the reserve-adjusted one-month LIBOR plus 1%. The applicable margin is initially 4.75% per annum for LIBOR loans and 3.75% per annum for base rate loans and will be increased by 50 basis points after July 31, 2024, and may be increased by an additional 50 basis points under certain conditions described in the Revolving Credit Agreement.

The Borrowers are required to pay customary quarterly commitment fees and letter of credit and fronting fees.

Availability of borrowings under the Revolving Credit Agreement is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including restrictions on borrowings if, after giving effect to any such borrowings and the application of the proceeds thereof, (i) the aggregate amount of Available Cash (as defined in the Revolving Credit Agreement) would exceed $100.0 million, (ii) the Consolidated First Lien Net Leverage Ratio (as defined in the Revolving Credit Agreement) would be greater than 5.50 to 1.00 and the aggregate principal amount outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility would exceed $610.0 million, or (iii) the Asset Coverage Ratio (as described below) would be less than 2.00 to 1.00.

Mandatory prepayments and, under certain circumstances, commitment reductions are required under the Revolving Credit Facility in connection with (i) certain asset sales, asset swaps and events of loss (subject to reinvestment rights if no event of default exists) and (ii) certain debt issuances. Available Cash in excess of $150.0 million is also required to be applied periodically to prepay loans (without a commitment reduction). The loans under the Revolving Credit Facility may be voluntarily prepaid, and the commitments thereunder voluntarily terminated or reduced, by the Borrowers at any time without premium or penalty, other than customary breakage costs.

The Revolving Credit Agreement obligates Finco and its restricted subsidiaries to comply with the following financial maintenance covenants:

The Revolving Credit Facility contains affirmative and negative covenants, representations and warranties and events of default that the Company considers customary for facilities of this type.

On the Effective Date, pursuant to the Backstop Commitment Agreement and in accordance with the Plan, Noble and Finco consummated the Rights Offering of Second Lien Notes and associated Ordinary Shares at an aggregate subscription price of $200.0 million.

An aggregate principal amount of $216.0 million of Second Lien Notes was issued in the Rights Offering, which includes the aggregate subscription price of $200.0 million plus a backstop fee of $16.0 million which was paid in kind. The Second Lien Notes mature on February 15, 2028. The Second Lien Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed, jointly and severally, on a senior secured second-priority basis, by the direct and indirect subsidiaries of Finco that are Credit Parties under the Revolving Credit Facility. Neither Pacific Drilling nor any of its current subsidiaries is a subsidiary guarantor of the Second Lien Notes, and none of their assets secure the Second Lien Notes. In addition, none of the Maersk Drilling assets will secure the Second Lien Notes upon the closing of the Business Combination.

The Second Lien Notes and such guarantees are secured by senior priority liens on the assets subject to liens securing the Revolving Credit Facility, including the equity interests in Finco and each guarantor of the Second Lien Notes, all of the rigs owned by the Company as of the Effective Date or acquired thereafter, certain assets related thereto, and substantially all other assets of Finco and such guarantors, in each case, subject to certain exceptions and limitations. Such collateral does not include any assets of or equity interests in Pacific Drilling or any of its current subsidiaries.

Interest on the Second Lien Notes accrues, at Finco’s option, at a rate of: (i) 11% per annum, payable in cash; (ii) 13% per annum, with 50% of such interest to be payable in cash and 50% of such interest to be payable by issuing additional Second Lien Notes (“PIK Notes”); or (iii) 15% per annum, with the entirety of such interest to be payable by issuing PIK Notes. Finco shall pay interest semi-annually in arrears on February 15 and August 15 of each year, commencing August 15, 2021.

On or after February 15, 2024, Finco may redeem all or part of the Second Lien Notes at fixed redemption prices (expressed as percentages of the principal amount), plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date. Finco may also redeem the Second Lien Notes, in whole or in part, at any time and from time to time on or before February 14, 2024 at a redemption price equal to 106% of the principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the applicable redemption date, plus a “make-whole” premium. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a Change of Control (as defined in the Second Lien Notes Indenture) occurs prior to (but not including) February 15, 2024, then, within 120 days of such Change of Control, Finco may elect to purchase all remaining outstanding Second Lien Notes at a redemption price equal to 106% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the applicable redemption date.

The Second Lien Notes contain covenants and events of default that the Company considers customary for notes of this type.

Our principal sources of capital in 2021 were cash generated from operating activities and funding from our Revolving Credit Facility and Second Lien Notes. Cash on hand during 2021 was primarily used for the following:

Our currently anticipated cash flow needs, both in the short-term (fiscal year 2022) and long-term (beyond fiscal year 2022), may include the following:

We may, from time to time, redeem, repurchase or otherwise acquire our outstanding Second Lien Notes through open market purchases, tender offers or pursuant to the terms of such securities.

We currently expect to fund our cash flow needs with cash generated by our operations, cash on hand, proceeds from sales of assets, or borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility and we believe this will provide us with sufficient ability to fund our cash flow needs over the next 12 months. Subject to market conditions and other factors, we may also issue equity or long-term debt securities to fund our cash flow needs and for other purposes.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $51.6 million during the period from February 6 through December 31, 2021, net cash used in operating activities was $45.4 million for the period from January 1 through February 5, 2021 and net cash provided by operating activities was $273.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The Successor and prior year Predecessor periods benefited from a cash

Net cash used in financing activities was $176.8 million during the period from February 6 through December 31, 2021 and $191.2 million during the period from January 1 through February 5, 2021 and net cash provided by financing activities was $107.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The 2021 Predecessor period included the repayment of the 2017 Credit Facility, issuances of the Second Lien Notes and borrowings on the Revolving Credit Facility. The Successor period includes net repayments on the Revolving Credit Facility, resulting in no loans outstanding under the facility as of December 31, 2021. The year ended December 31, 2020 included net borrowings on the 2017 Credit Facility and the early repayment of the 2018 Seller Loan and the 2019 Seller Loan. See Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Note 8— Debt.”

Capital expenditures totaled $159.9 million, $10.3 million, $148.2 million and $306.4 million during the period from February 6 through December 31, 2021, the period from January 1 through February 5, 2021, and the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Capital expenditures during the period from February 6 through December 31, 2021 consisted of the following:

Capital expenditures during the period from January 1 through February 5, 2021 consisted of the following:

Our total capital expenditure estimate for 2022 is expected to range between $155.0 million and $170.0 million, of which approximately $100.0 to $115.0 million is currently anticipated to be spent for sustaining capital, and approximately $25.0 million is anticipated to be reimbursed by our customers. Our current capital expenditure estimates are not inclusive of any potential merger capital outlay.

From time to time we consider possible projects that would require expenditures that are not included in our capital budget, and such unbudgeted expenditures could be significant. In addition, while liquidity and preservation of capital remains our top priority, we will continue to evaluate acquisitions of drilling units from time to time.

Pursuant to the Memorandum of Association of Noble Corporation, the share capital of Noble is $6,000 divided into 500,000,000 ordinary shares of a par value of $0.00001 each and 100,000,000 shares of a par value of $0.00001, each of such class or classes having the rights as the Board may determine from time to time.

In accordance with the Plan, all agreements, instruments and other documents evidencing, relating to or otherwise connected with any of Legacy Noble’s equity interests outstanding prior to the Effective Date, including all equity-based awards, were cancelled and all such equity interests have no further force or effect after the Effective Date. Pursuant to the Plan, the holders of Legacy Noble’s ordinary shares, par value $0.01 per share, outstanding prior to the Effective Date received their pro rata share of the Tranche 3 Warrants to acquire Ordinary Shares.

The payment of future dividends will depend on our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, future business prospects, contractual and indenture restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors; however, at this time, we do not expect to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future.

We have $75.0 million of long-term tax reserves for uncertain tax positions, including interest and penalties, which are included in “Other liabilities” due to the difficulty in making reasonably reliable estimates of the timing of cash settlements to taxing authorities. See Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Note 13— Income Taxes.”

At December 31, 2021, no long-term debt will be due in the next twelve months and $216.0 million will be due subsequent to 2022. See Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Note 8— Debt.”

At December 31, 2021, $12.2 million of pension obligations will be due in the next twelve months and the remainder of $128.2 million will be due subsequent to 2022. See Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Note 14— Employee Benefit Plans.”

For a description of our operating lease obligations, refer to Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, Note 12— Leases.

At December 31, 2021, we had other commitments that we are contractually obligated to fulfill with cash if the obligations are called. These obligations include letters of credit that guarantee our performance as it relates to our drilling contracts, tax and other obligations in various jurisdictions. These letters of credit obligations are not normally called, as we typically comply with the underlying performance requirement. At December 31, 2021, $9.4 million letters of credit and commercial commitments will be due in the next twelve months and the remainder of $5.7 million will be due subsequent to 2022.

The summarized financial information below reflects the combined accounts of the Guarantors and the non-consolidated accounts of Finco (collectively, the “Obligors”), for the dates and periods indicated. The financial information is presented on a combined basis and intercompany balances and transactions between entities in the Obligor group have been eliminated.

Summarized Balance Sheet Information:

Summarized Statement of Operations Information:

We are subject to numerous international, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment and of human health and safety. For a discussion of the most significant of these laws and regulations, see “Business—Governmental Regulations and Environmental Matters.”

Continuing political and social attention to the issue of global climate change has resulted in a broad range of proposed or promulgated laws focusing on greenhouse gas reduction. These proposed or promulgated laws apply or could apply in countries where we have interests or may have interests in the future. Laws in this field continue to evolve, and while it is not possible to accurately estimate either a timetable for implementation or our future compliance costs relating to implementation, such laws, if enacted, could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial condition. Climate change could also increase the frequency and severity of adverse weather conditions, including hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, winter storms and rough seas. If such effects were to occur, they could have an adverse impact on our operations. For a discussion of climate change, see “Business—Governmental Regulations and Environmental Matters—Climate Change.”

In addition, increasing social attention to ESG matters and climate change has resulted in demands for action related to climate change and energy rebalancing matters, such as promoting the use of substitutes to fossil fuel products, encouraging the divestment of fossil fuel equities, and pressuring lenders and other financial services companies to limit or curtail activities with fossil fuel companies. Initiatives to incentivize a shift away from fossil fuels could reduce demand for hydrocarbons, thereby reducing demand for our services and causing a material adverse effect on our earnings, cash flows and financial condition. For further discussion of these risks, see Part I, Item 1A, “Risk

We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“US GAAP”), which require us to make estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from our estimates and assumptions and any such differences could be material to our consolidated financial statements. The following accounting policies involve critical accounting estimates because they are particularly dependent on estimates and assumptions made by Noble about matters that are inherently uncertain.

We evaluate our property and equipment and intangible assets for impairment whenever there are changes in facts that suggest that the value of the asset is not recoverable. An impairment loss is recognized when and to the extent that an asset's carrying value exceeds its estimated fair value. To the extent actual results do not meet our estimated assumptions for a given rig, piece of equipment or intangible customer contract, we may take an impairment loss in the future. In determining the fair value of the assets, we make significant assumptions and estimates regarding future market conditions. Typical assumptions used in our estimate include current market conditions, timing of future contract awards and expected operating dayrates, operating costs, utilization rates, discount rates, capital expenditures, market values, weighting of market values, reactivation costs, estimated economic useful lives and marketability of a unit.

During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, we recognized non-cash, before-tax impairment charges of $3.9 billion and $615.3 million, respectively, related to certain rigs and related capital spares. These impairments were driven by factors such as customer suspensions of drilling programs, contract cancellations, a further reduction in the number of new contract opportunities, capital spare equipment obsolescence, and our belief that a drilling unit is no longer marketable and is unlikely to return to service.

Impairment assessment inherently involves management judgments as to assumptions about expected future cash flows and the impact of market conditions on those assumptions. Due to the many variables inherent in this estimation, differences in assumptions may have a material effect on the results of our impairment analysis.

We estimate income taxes and file tax returns in each of the taxing jurisdictions in which we operate and are required to file a tax return. At the end of each year, an estimate for income taxes is recorded in the financial statements. Tax returns are generally filed in the subsequent year. A reconciliation of the estimate to the final tax return is done at that time, which will result in changes to the original estimate. We believe that our tax return positions are appropriately supported, but tax authorities can challenge certain of our tax positions.

We currently operate, and have in the past operated, in a number of countries throughout the world and our tax returns filed in those jurisdictions are subject to review and examination by tax authorities within those jurisdictions. We recognize uncertain tax positions that we believe have a greater than 50 percent likelihood of being sustained upon challenge by a tax authority. We cannot predict or provide assurance as to the ultimate outcome of any existing or future assessments. A change in judgment related to the expected ultimate resolution of uncertain tax positions will be recognized in earnings in the quarter of such change. We believe that our reserve for uncertain tax positions, including related interest and penalties, is adequate. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had $75.0 million of long-term tax reserves for unrecognized tax benefits, including interest and penalties, which are included in “Other liabilities”. The amounts ultimately paid upon resolution of audits could be materially different from the amounts previously included in our income tax expense and, therefore, could have a material impact on our tax provision, net income and cash flows.

Our gross deferred tax asset balance at year-end reflects the application of our income tax accounting policies and is based on management’s estimates, judgments and assumptions regarding realizability. If it is more likely than not that a portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized in a future period, the deferred tax assets will be reduced by a valuation allowance based on management’s estimates. In evaluating our ability to recover our deferred tax assets, in full or in part, we consider all available positive and negative evidence, including our past operating results, and our forecast of future earnings, future taxable income and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. The assumptions utilized in determining future taxable income require significant judgment. Although we believe our assumptions, judgments and estimates are reasonable, changes in tax laws or our interpretation of tax laws and the resolution of any tax audits could have a material impact our consolidated financial statements.

We maintain various levels of self-insured retention for certain losses including property damage, loss of hire, employment practices liability, employers’ liability and general liability, among others. We accrue for property damage and loss of hire charges on a per event basis.

Employment practices liability claims are accrued based on actual claims during the year. Maritime employer’s liability claims are generally estimated using actuarial determinations. General liability claims are estimated by our internal claims department by evaluating the facts and circumstances of each claim (including incurred but not reported claims) and making estimates based upon historical experience with similar claims. The amount of our loss reserves for personal injury and protection claims is based on an analysis performed by a third-party actuary which uses our historical loss patterns and trends as well as industry data to estimate the unpaid loss and allocated loss adjustment expense. Claim severity experienced in each year, ranging from minor incidents to permanent disability or injuries requiring extensive medical care, is a key driver of the variability around our reserve estimates. These estimates are further subject to uncertainty because the ultimate disposition of claims incurred is subject to the outcome of events which have not yet transpired. Accordingly, we may be required to increase or decrease our reserve levels. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, loss reserves for personal injury and protection claims totaled $14.8 million and $30.9 million, respectively, and such amounts are included in “Other liabilities” and “Liabilities subject compromise” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Accounting for employee benefit plans involves numerous assumptions and estimates. Discount rate and expected return on plan assets are two critical assumptions in measuring the cost and benefit obligation of the Company’s pension plans, which we evaluate when the plans are re-measured. Other assumptions include the healthcare cost trend rate and employee demographic factors such as retirement patterns, mortality, turnover and rate of compensation increase.

The discount rate enables us to state expected future cash payments for benefits as a present value on the measurement date. A lower discount rate increases the present value of benefit obligations and increases pension expense. The discount rates used to calculate the net present value of future benefit obligations for our US plans is based on the average of current rates earned on long-term bonds that receive a Moody’s rating of “Aa” or better. We have determined that the timing and amount of expected cash outflows on our plans reasonably match this index. For our non-US plan, the discount rate used to calculate the net present value of future benefit obligations is determined by using a yield curve of high quality bond portfolios with an average maturity approximating that of the liabilities. A one percentage point decrease in the assumed discount rate would increase total pension expense for 2022 by approximately $1.3 million and would increase the projected benefit obligation at December 31, 2021 by approximately $51.8 million. A one percentage point increase in the assumed discount rate would increase total pension expense and decrease the projected benefit obligation by approximately $0.7 million and $41.1 million, respectively.

To determine the expected long-term rate of return on the plan assets, we consider the current level of expected returns on risk free investments (primarily government bonds), the historical level of risk premium associated with the other asset classes in which the portfolio is invested and the expectations for future returns of each asset class. The expected return for each asset class was then weighted based on the target asset allocation to develop the expected long-term rate of return on assets for the portfolio.

Market risk is the potential for loss due to a change in the value of a financial instrument as a result of fluctuations currency exchange rates or equity prices, as further described below.

We are subject to market risk exposure related to changes in interest rates on borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility. Interest on borrowings under our Revolving Credit Facility is at an agreed upon percentage point spread over LIBOR, or a base rate stated in the agreements. Borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at LIBOR plus an applicable margin, which is currently the maximum contractual rate of 4.25%. On March 5, 2021, the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK issued an announcement on the future cessation or loss of representativeness for LIBOR benchmark settings currently published by ICE Benchmark Administration. The announcement confirmed that LIBOR will either cease to be provided by any administrator or will no longer be representative after December 31, 2021 for all non-USD LIBOR reference rates, and for certain short-term USD LIBOR references rates, and after June 30, 2023 for other reference rates. While the Revolving Credit Facility contains hardwired “fallback” provisions providing for an alternative reference rate upon the occurrence of certain events related to the phase-out of LIBOR, the alternative reference rate plus any associated spread adjustment may result in interest rates higher than LIBOR. As a result, our interest expense could increase on our floating rate debt.

At December 31, 2021, we had no borrowings outstanding under the Revolving Credit Facility and $8.8 million of performance letters of credit.

We maintain certain debt instruments at a fixed rate whose fair value will fluctuate based on changes in market expectations for interest rates and perceptions of our credit risk. The fair value of our total debt was $236.8 million December 31, 2021.

Although we are a Cayman Islands company, we define foreign currency as any non-US denominated currency. Our functional currency is the US Dollar. However, outside the United States, a portion of our expenses are incurred in local currencies. Therefore, when the US Dollar weakens (strengthens) in relation to the currencies of the countries in which we operate, our expenses reported in US Dollars will increase (decrease).

We are exposed to risks on future cash flows to the extent that local currency expenses exceed revenues denominated in local currency that are other than the functional currency. To help manage this potential risk, we periodically enter into derivative instruments to manage our exposure to fluctuations in currency exchange rates, and we may conduct hedging activities in future periods to mitigate such exposure. These contracts are primarily accounted for as cash flow hedges, with the effective portion of changes in the fair value of the hedge recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and in “Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)” (“AOCI”). Amounts recorded in AOCI are reclassified into earnings in the same period or periods that the hedged item is recognized in earnings. The ineffective portion of changes in the fair value of the hedged item is recorded directly to earnings. We have documented policies and procedures to monitor and control the use of derivative instruments. We do not engage in derivative transactions for speculative or trading purposes, nor are we a party to leveraged derivatives.

Several of our regional shorebases have a significant amount of their cash operating expenses payable in local currencies. To limit the potential risk of currency fluctuations, we periodically enter into forward contracts, which have historically settled monthly in the operations’ respective local currencies. All of these contracts had a maturity of less than 12 months. During the period from February 6 through December 31, 2021, the period from January 1 through February 5, 2021 and the year ended December 31, 2020, we did not enter into any forward contracts. During the period from February 6 through December 31, 2021, the period from January 1 through February 5, 2021 and the year ended December 31, 2020, we had no outstanding derivative contracts. Based on current projections, a 10% increase in the average exchange rates of all foreign currencies would hypothetically increase our future estimated operating expenses by approximately $8.5 million.

We have a US noncontributory defined benefit pension plan that covers certain salaried employees and a US noncontributory defined benefit pension plan that covers certain hourly employees, whose initial date of employment is prior to August 1, 2004 (collectively referred to as our “qualified US plans”). These plans are governed by the Noble Drilling Employees’ Retirement Trust. The benefits from these plans are based primarily on years of service and, for the salaried plan, employees’ compensation near retirement. These plans are designed to qualify under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), and our funding policy is consistent with funding requirements of ERISA and other applicable laws and regulations. We make cash contributions, or utilize credits available to us, for the qualified US plans when required. The benefit amount that can be covered by the qualified US plans is limited under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. Therefore, we maintain an unfunded, nonqualified excess benefit plan designed to maintain benefits for specified employees at the formula level in the qualified salary US plan. We refer to the qualified US plans and the excess benefit plan collectively as the “US plans.”

In addition to the US plans, Noble Drilling (Land Support) Limited, an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Noble, maintains a pension plan that covers all of its salaried, non-union employees, whose most recent date of employment is prior to April 1, 2014 (referred to as our “non-US plan”). Benefits are based on credited service and employees’ compensation, as defined by the non-US plan.

The Company’s pension plan assets are exposed to the market prices of debt and equity securities. Changes to the pension plan asset values can impact the Company’s pension expense, funded status and future minimum funding requirements. The Company aims to reduce risk through asset diversification and by investing in long duration fixed-income securities that have a duration similar to that of its pension liabilities. At December 31, 2021, the value of the investments in the pension funds was $305.3 million, and a hypothetical 10.0% percent decrease in the value of the investments in the fund would have reduced the value of the fund by approximately $30.5 million. A significant decline in the value of pension assets could require Noble to increase funding of its pension plans in future periods, which could adversely affect cash flows in those periods. In addition, a decline in the fair value of these plan assets, in the absence of additional cash contributions to the plans by Noble, could increase the amount of pension cost required to be recorded in future periods by Noble.

The following financial statements are filed in this Item 8: