Maersk Drilling

The origins of Maersk Drilling can be traced to the Danish Underground Consortium (“DUC”), established in 1962 among Maersk, Shell, and Gulf to exploit the resources in a defined area of the Danish part of the North Sea. By 1972, DUC produced first oil in the Danish part of the North Sea, and later that year, the Maersk Storm Drilling Company was established in a joint venture with Dearborn-Storm Drilling Company and underpinned by two semi-submersibles named Zephyr I and Zephyr II. These rigs were owned by Maersk Drilling but operated by Storm Drilling. The following provides an overview of some of Maersk Drilling’s key periods and corresponding milestones since its inception: