PACD

Pacific Drilling S.a.

A builder and operator of high-specification drillships for ultra-deepwater oil and gas exploration, Pacific Drilling drilled in places like the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, and Nigeria. Founded in 2006 and built "from scratch" rather than buying existing rigs, the company named its vessels after winds, such as the Sharav. Rival Noble Corporation acquired it in 2021, folding the fleet into its own and renaming several ships after Noble veterans.