Statements contain ed in this Fleet Status Report regarding the status of developments in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, our estimated rig availability, contract duration, future rig rates and cost adjustments, customers or contract status (including executory contracts and letters of intent) are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Such forward-looki ng statements include references to the status of our U.S. Gulf of Mexico contracts in general and potential force majeure in particular, future rig rates, cost adjustments, utilization, rig enhancement projections, shipyard construction or work completion, and other contract or letter of intent commitments, including new rig commitments, contract terms, the period of time and number of rigs that will be in a shipyard for repairs, maintenance, enhancement or construction and scheduled delivery dates for new rigs.
Numerous factors c ould cause actual rig, customer and contract status to differ materially from those contemplated in the forward-looking statements, including: any regulatory, judicial or legislative activity that may impact our U.S. Gulf of Mexico operations or that may adversely affect our existing drilling contracts for ENSCO 8500 Series® rigs or our U.S. Gulf of Mexico jackup rigs, such as a determination of a force majeure event; the impact of the Macondo well incident, and the government and industry response thereto, upon future deepwater and other offshore drilling operations in general, and, in particular, any new actual or defacto moratorium or suspension of drilling operations or delays in processing drilling permits; legislative or regulatory action impacting rig equipment, pollution liability or other matters relating to U.S. or global offshore drilling activities; industry conditions and competition, including changes in rig supply and demand or new technology; prices of oil and n atural gas, and their impact upon future levels of drilling activity and expenditures; declines in drilling activity, which may cause us to idle or stack additional rigs; excess rig availability or increased supply resulting from delivery of newbuild drilling rigs or reactivation of stacked rigs or a slowdown in offshore drilling; concentration of our fleet in premium jackups; concentration of our deepwater rigs in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, cyclical nature of the industry; worldwide expenditures for oil and natural gas drilling; operational risks, including unplanned downtime due to drilling moratoria or suspensions, regulatory, legislative or permitting requirements, rig or equipment failure, damage or repair in general and hazards created by severe storms and hurricanes in particular; changes in the dates our rigs will enter a shipyard, be delivered, return to service or enter service; risks inherent to shipyard rig construction, repair or enhancement, including risks associated with concentration of our ENSCO 8500 Series® and jackup rig construction contracts in a single shipyard in Singapore, unexpected delays in equipment delivery and engineering, equipment or design issues following shipyard delivery; changes in the commencement dates of new contracts; renegotiation, nullification, cancellation or breach of contracts or letters of intent with customers or other parties, including failure to negotiate definitive contracts following announcements or receipt of letters of intent; risks associated with mediation, arbitration or litigation in general; risks associated with offshore rig operations or rig relocations; availability of transport vessels to relocate rigs; self-imposed or regulatory limitations on drilling locations during hurricane season; impact of current and future government laws and regulations and interpretations, modifications or repeal thereof, affecting the oil and gas industry in general and our equipment and operations in particular, including environmental liabil ity, financial responsibility, insurance requirements or taxation; our ability to attract and retain skilled personnel; governmental action and political and economic uncertainties, including expropriation, nationalization, confiscation or deprivation of our assets; terrorism or military action impacting our operations, assets or financial performance.
The factors identi fied above are believed to be important factors (but not necessarily all of the important factors) that could cause actual rig, customer and contract status to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement made by us. Other factors not discussed herein could also have material adverse effects on us such as other risks as described from time to time as Risk Factors and otherwise in the Company’s SEC filings. Copies of such SEC filings may be obtained at no charge by contacting our Investor Relations Department at 214-397-3045 or by referring to the Investor Relations section of our website at www.enscoplc.com.
All forward-l ooking statements included in this Fleet Status Report are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. All information in this report is as of the date posted. The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement, to conform the statement to actual results, reflect changes in the Company's expectations or otherwise update any forward-looking statement (or its associated cautionary language), whether as a result of new information or future events.
