Offshore Drilling Firm Emerges from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Pacific Drilling drillships - Credit: Rab Lawrence/Flickr under CC BY 2.0 license
Pacific Drilling drillships - Credit: Rab Lawrence/Flickr under CC BY 2.0 license

Offshore drilling firm Pacific Drilling has emerged from the Chapter 11 process, completing its balance-sheet restructuring and implementing the reorganization plan under the Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code confirmed by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas on December 21, 2020.

The company had in November 2020 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with the aim to eliminate $1.1 billion debt. It on December 31, 2020, said it had emerged from Chapter 11.

Under the restructuring and reorganization plan, all of its outstanding common shares were deemed to have no value and will receive no recovery. 

"In accordance with the restructuring transactions contemplated by the Plan, upon emergence, the Company has a new parent company, Pacific Drilling Company LLC , a Cayman Islands limited liability company (the “reorganized Company”), the equity of which is owned by former creditors of the Company and its debtor affiliates," Pacific Drilling said.

“We are pleased to reach completion of this process. Having now emerged from Chapter 11 with a fully de-levered balance sheet, we are well-positioned to continue to deliver world-class drilling services with our fleet of 6th and 7th generation drillships,” said Bernie G. Wolford , Chief Executive Officer of the reorganized Company.

"After emergence, the reorganized Company now operates with a substantially de-levered capital structure, due to the elimination of more than $1 billion of funded debt obligations pursuant to the Plan. The reorganized Company has approximately $100 million in cash on hand, and access to an undrawn $80 million senior secured delayed draw term loan exit facility, to support its ongoing operations," Pacific Drilling said.

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