Pacific Drilling Raises $46 Million in IPO

LUXEMBOURG--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pacific Drilling S.A. (NYSE:PACD - News) (NOTC:PDSA) (“Pacific Drilling” or the “Company”) announced that yesterday it closed its previously announced initial public offering of shares of common stock at a price of $8.25 per share. Pacific Drilling sold a total of 6,000,000 shares, resulting in net proceeds of approximately $46 million after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions. The underwriters have been granted a 30-day over-allotment option to purchase up to an additional 900,000 common shares.
Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank Securities acted as joint book-running managers for the offering. DnB NOR Markets, Howard Weil Incorporated, Pareto Securities AS and Simmons & Company International acted as co-managers.
This offering was made solely by means of a prospectus, copies of which may be obtained by contacting: Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, telephone 1-866-718-1649 or by emailing prospectus@morganstanley.com or Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Prospectus Department, Harborside Financial Center, 100 Plaza One, Jersey City, NJ 07311-3988, telephone 1-800-503-4611 or by emailing prospectus.cpdg@db.com.
A registration statement relating to this offering was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on November 10, 2011. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About Pacific Drilling
Pacific Drilling is an international ultra-deepwater offshore drilling company. Pacific Drilling’s fleet consists of six ultra-deepwater drillships. The Company currently operates three recently delivered drillships, expects delivery of its fourth drillship by end of 2011, and has two additional drillships on order at Samsung to be delivered in 2013.

Contact:

Pacific Drilling S.A.
Amy Roddy, Director, Investor Relations, 1-832-255-0502
Investor@pacificdrilling.com

Horizon Lines hit by third quarter losses.

Here's a follow up to an article from IFW talking about Horizon.

Source: IFW

Kizzi Nkwocha | Tue, 8 Nov 2011

Company hopes refinancing and exit from the trans-Pacific market will 

bring stability

 

Horizon Lines, the US’s busiest domestic ocean shipping company, sustained considerable losses of $126.5 million from continuing operations in the third quarter, the company has revealed.









The huge losses compared with a $8.2 million net profit a year earlier. In a defiant statement issued yesterday Horizon said it expects its recent refinancing and exit from the trans-Pacific market to stabilize future results despite “challenging” economic conditions.

Last month , as the US’s largest shipping line announced its decision to discontinue its Five Star Express (FSX) transpacific container shipping service between the US west coast, Guam and China, President and CEO Stephen Fraser said: “Our decision to exit this highly volatile market will allow Horizon to focus on our core domestic ocean shipping services, and provide the opportunity to produce a more profitable and stable financial performance over time.”

The results, announced yesterday included a $117.5 million goodwill impairment charge stemming mainly from the shutdown of the trans-Pacific service and deteriorating earnings.
Horizon said the amount of the goodwill impairment is an estimate that may be adjusted during the fourth quarter.

The company said it expects the shutdown of the trans-Pacific service to produce a pretax restructuring charge of $105 million to $110 million in the fourth quarter, following negative adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of approximately $43.7 million for the year’s first nine months.

Horizon launched the trans-Pacific service last December after Maersk Line did not renew a take-or-pay agreement for eastbound capacity on the backhaul of Horizon’s service from the U.S. mainland to Guam. Horizon is laying up the service’s five chartered ships, each with capacities of 2,824 20-foot-equivalent units, and seeking to subcharter them.

Earlier this year Horizon Lines completed a complicated $650 million financial restructure that saved the shipping line from bankruptcy and will left bondholders with most of the company’s stock.

The carrier had struggled to straighten its finances since pleading guilty last March to price-fixing in the Puerto Rico trade.

Horizon operates between the US mainland and Puerto Rico, Alaska, Hawaii and Guam, and between China and the US west coast.

What If Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Happened In Cuban Waters?

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)–Several U.S. companies are asking the Obama administration for permission to respond to potential oil spills in Cuban waters, a top offshore drilling regulator said Wednesday, hoping to overcome embargo restrictions that currently limit their ability to do so.

The companies’ requests coincide with a growing concern among oil-industry experts who say the U.S. embargo on Cuba could cripple the ability of spill-containment companies to respond to potential spills that start in Cuban waters but then move to U.S. shores.

Speaking at a congressional hearing Wednesday, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Director Michael Bromwich said several companies have asked the U.S. Commerce Department for licenses that would allow them to use subsea well containment systems and other types of equipment to respond to spills in Cuban waters.

Bromwich said he had “a high level of confidence” the Commerce Department would approve the licenses, in large part because it had already issued separate approvals for oil-spill containment systems and cleanup items. U.S. government agencies “are very much on alert, looking for the licenses [applications] as they come in and my understanding is that they’re giving them very rapid attention and they’re approving them as promptly as they can.”

The administration’s efforts are not without controversy. The chairman of the House Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee, Rep. Doug Lamborn (R., Colo.), said Wednesday that he is concerned “this administration will weaken the U.S. embargo on Cuba.”

Earlier in the week, the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking him to do more to prevent Cuba’s oil-drilling plans. “This scheme endangers U.S. security and environmental interests, and will enrich the Cuban regime,” Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R., Fla.), a Cuban-born American, said.

Many environmental and oil-industry experts have taken a different approach and have urged the administration to give broad flexibility to U.S. companies that are equipped to respond to spills.

They contend Cuba will pursue oil exploration, regardless of whether the U.S. disapproves, so the U.S. should simply prepare for possible accidents.

Cuba’s offshore drilling plans get under way in coming months when Spanish company Repsol YPF SA (REPYY, REP.MC) starts to conduct exploratory drilling off the country’s northern coast. Repsol is transporting a Chinese-built rig to be used for the exploration work.

Repsol has voluntarily agreed to allow U.S. officials to inspect the rig before it enters Cuban waters. The company has also agreed to comply with U.S. drilling standards.

-By Tennille Tracy, Dow Jones Newswires

How Significant is One Company?

It is not often that I write about a specific shipping company, however today I feel that this one is worth mentioning. There is more to this article than just one shipping company, there is a more important issue for people to think about. In a time where it is commonplace for companies to be "delisted" by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)  or the NASDAQ there is significance to the fact Horizon Lines was delisted from the NYSE.

What is it about Horizon that makes this so significant? The short answer is the Jones Act of 1920. Horizon lines is one of the largest Jones Act cargo carriers in business today. What the Jones Act does is restrict domestic cargo to U.S. manufactured, U.S. owned and U.S. crewed vessels for interstate cargo.

Horizon shares traded (at the time of writing this article) in the .24-.25 range, whereas in January, shares were trading at 52 week highs of 5.95. While I don’t believe this company is in serious trouble, its stock price has put its future in question.

If a foreign company were to come in and purchase this company, it would be one less Jones Act Carrier to become history. (Remember must be U.S. owned) This would mean, assets would be sold or moved and the remaining Jones Act Carriers would pick up the slack. Demand for shipping would go up, because there would be less supply. Prices would go up for shipping, and then eventually tacked on to the products each of us buys.

The government isn't helping either. Refer back to the blog article regarding the implementation of fuel usage fees on October 19, 2011. With the expansion of the definition of U.S. Waterways in the proposed fuel usage fees could in fact change the scope of the Jones Act.

The bottom lie is that if Horizon lines disappears from the list of Jones Act Carriers, it wouldn’t be the end of the shipping industry within the United States. However, there are many overlapping factors that get overlooked. If the operating costs are increased for carriers, companies that are struggling could be forced out of business. Because of the economic crisis, our elected officials are scratching their heads trying to uncover more funding. A fuel usage fee, or expansion of areas covered could give the government more funds to resolve the debt crisis. When a congressman, or senator or even the president says "this will provide millions if not billions" I submit that they have not researched the overarching effect to companies like Horizon who are struggling to come back from the last crisis caused by inappropriate legislation.

I'm thinking about this stuff, are you?

K.Swanson