Basis of Presentation and Nature of Operations

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation and Nature of Operations

Basis of Presentation and Nature of Operations

The financial statements included in this Form 10-Q are presented in United States (U.S.) dollars and include the accounts of Rowan Companies plc ("Rowan plc") and its subsidiaries, all of which are wholly owned.  Intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.  Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms “Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” are used to refer to Rowan plc and its consolidated subsidiaries.

The financial statements included in this Form 10-Q have been prepared without audit in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (US GAAP) for interim financial information and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Certain information and notes have been condensed or omitted as permitted by those rules and regulations.  Management believes the accompanying financial statements contain all adjustments, which are of a normal recurring nature unless otherwise noted, necessary for a fair statement of the results for the interim periods presented.  The Company’s results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the full year.  These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013.

We are a global provider of offshore oil and gas contract drilling services utilizing a fleet of 30 self-elevating mobile offshore “jack-up” drilling units and four ultra-deepwater drillships, two of which are currently under construction.  Historically, our primary focus has been on high-specification and premium jack-up rigs, which our customers use for exploratory and development drilling and associated drilling services.  In 2009, we began executing a new strategic plan that included divesting non-core assets and investing in ultra-deepwater assets, with a goal of balancing earnings from jack-ups and deepwater rigs over the long term. In 2011 and 2012, we entered into contracts for the construction of four ultra-deepwater drillships. In January 2014, we took delivery of the first of these drillships, the Rowan Renaissance, which commenced drilling operations under a three-year contract offshore West Africa in April 2014. The Rowan Resolute was delivered in late July 2014 and commenced operations under a three-year contract in the United States Gulf of Mexico (US GOM) on October 16, 2014. The Rowan Reliance is scheduled for delivery in mid November 2014 and expected to commence operations under a three-year contract in the US GOM in late February 2015. The Rowan Relentless is scheduled for delivery in late March 2015 and expected to commence operations under a two-year contract in the US GOM in the third quarter of 2015.

The Company conducts offshore drilling operations in various markets throughout the world including the United Kingdom (U.K.) and Norwegian sectors of the North Sea, the Middle East, the US GOM, Southeast Asia, West and North Africa and Trinidad.

The financial information as of December 31, 2013, presented in this report does not constitute the Company's statutory accounts for that year within the meaning of the U.K. Companies Act 2006 (the "Companies Act").  Statutory accounts as required by the Companies Act for the year ended December 31, 2013, have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies in the U.K. The auditors reported on those accounts; their report was unqualified, did not draw attention to any matters by way of emphasis and did not contain a statement under Sections 498(2) or (3) of the Companies Act.

New Accounting Standards– In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which sets forth a global standard for revenue recognition and replaces most existing industry-specific guidance. We will be required to adopt the new standard in annual and interim reports for periods beginning January 1, 2017. We are currently evaluating the potential effect of the new guidance.