Atwood Oceanics Announces Contract for the Atwood Aurora

ATWOOD OCEANICS, INC., announced today that one of its subsidiaries has been awarded a drilling services contract by GLENCORE EXPLORATION CAMEROON LTD for the jack-up rig Atwood Aurora. The contract for three wells with a minimum total duration of 200 days will be performed in Cameroon at a dayrate of approximately $155,000. Contract commencement is expected in February 2013 in direct continuation of the two well contract with Bowleven PLC. With the award of this contract, the firm contractual commitment for the Atwood Aurora is expected to extend to August 2013. Atwood Oceanics, Inc. is an international offshore drilling contractor engaged in the drilling and completion of exploratory and developmental oil and gas wells. The company currently owns 11 mobile offshore drilling units operating in the United States Gulf of Mexico, South America, the Mediterranean Sea, West Africa, southeast Asia and Australia, and is constructing two ultra-deepwater drillships and three high-specification jackups for deliveries in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The company was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Atwood Oceanics, Inc. common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "ATW."