Seadrill Limited ("Seadrill") announces that it has entered into a 50:50 joint venture with Empresa de Serviços e Sondagens de Angola Ltda, an affiliate of Sonangol E.P. ("Sonangol"). The new joint venture, Sonadrill, will operate four drillships, focusing on opportunities in Angolan waters.

Each of the joint venture parties will bareboat two drillships into Sonadrill. The Seadrill drillships will be from our existing owned or managed fleet. The Sonangol drillships, Libongos and Quenguela, both 7th generation high spec ultra deepwater drillships, are currently under construction at DSME shipyard in Korea and expected to be delivered in the first half of 2019. Seadrill will manage the delivery and mobilization to Angolan waters under a separate Commissioning and Mobilization Agreement with Sonangol.

Seadrill will manage and operate the four drillships on behalf of Sonadrill which will have an initial term of 5 years.

Anton Dibowitz, CEO, commented: "We are excited to have been selected by Sonangol to manage their newbuild drillships and to partner with them in pursuing opportunities in this important deepwater basin. Sonadrill will give us the opportunity to gain incremental access to a market that is expected to show significant growth over the next years, further strengthen our relationship with key customers and provides an attractive opportunity to continue expanding our fleet of premium ultra-deepwater rigs."

About Seadrill

Seadrill is a leading offshore deepwater drilling company, aiming to be our customers' most important partner in making oil and gas available in a safe and cost-effective manner.

The company operates a versatile fleet of 69 units that comprises drillships, jack-up rigs, semi-submersible rigs and tender rigs for operations in shallow to ultra-deepwater areas in harsh and benign environments.

About Sonangol

Sonangol — Sociedade Nacional de Combustíveis de Angola, E.P. — is the sole concessionaire for exploration of oil and gas exploration on the subsoil an​d continental shelf of Angola, and is responsible for the exploration, production, manufacturing, transportation and marketing of hydrocarbons in Angola. We operate in an efficient safe and transparent manner, and are committed to environmental protection. Our purpose is to promote the harmonious development of the country and reinforce sustainable use of hydrocarbon resources.