Pride International, Inc. (Pride) is an offshore drilling contractor operating, as of February 02, 2009, a fleet of 44 rigs, consisting of two deepwater drillships, 12 semisubmersible rigs, 27 jackups and three managed deepwater drilling rigs. The Company has four ultra-deepwater drillships under construction. Its customers include integrated oil and natural gas companies, state-owned national oil companies and independent oil and natural gas companies. Pride’s operations are conducted in oil and natural gas basins, including South America, the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. It provides contract drilling services to oil and natural gas exploration and production companies through the use of mobile offshore drilling rigs in United States and international waters. Pride provides the rigs and drilling crews and is responsible for the payment of operating and maintenance expenses.