ARO is a 50/50 unconsolidated joint venture between the Company and Saudi Aramco that owns and operates jackup drilling rigs in Saudi Arabia. As of December 31, 2024, ARO owned nine jackup rigs, had ordered one newbuild jackup rig and leased seven rigs from us through bareboat charter arrangements (the "Lease Agreements") whereby substantially all operating costs are incurred by ARO. At December 31, 2024, the leased rigs were primarily operating under three-year drilling contracts, or related extensions, with Saudi Aramco. The nine rigs owned by ARO are currently operating under contracts with Saudi Aramco, each with a minimum aggregate contract term of 15 years, provided that the rigs meet the technical and operational requirements of Saudi Aramco.

The shareholder agreement governing the joint venture (the "Shareholder Agreement") specifies that ARO shall purchase 20 newbuild jackup rigs over an approximate 10-year period. The first two newbuild jackups were ordered in January 2020, the first of which, Kingdom 1, was delivered and commenced operations in the fourth quarter of 2023, and the second, Kingdom 2, was delivered in the second quarter of 2024 and commenced operations in the third quarter of 2024. In October 2024, ARO ordered the third newbuild jackup, Kingdom 3. ARO is expected to commit to order one additional newbuild jackup in the near term. In connection with these plans, we have a potential obligation to fund ARO for newbuild jackup rigs. See “Note 11 - Commitments and Contingencies" for additional information.

The joint venture partners agreed in the Shareholder Agreement that Saudi Aramco, as a customer, will provide drilling contracts to ARO in connection with the acquisition of the newbuild rigs. The initial contracts provided by Saudi Aramco for each of the newbuild rigs will be for an eight-year term. The day rate for the initial contracts for each newbuild rig is determined using a pricing mechanism that targets a six-year payback period for construction costs on an EBITDA basis. The initial eight-year contracts will be followed by a minimum of another eight years of term, re-priced in three-year intervals based on a market pricing mechanism.

The operating revenues of ARO presented below reflect revenues earned under drilling contracts with Saudi Aramco for the ARO-owned jackup rigs as well as the rigs leased from us. Contract drilling expense is inclusive of the bareboat charter fees for the rigs leased from us. See additional discussion below regarding these related-party transactions.


	Years Ended December 31,
	2024		2023		2022
Revenues	$	512.5	$	496.6	$	459.5
Operating expenses
Contract drilling (exclusive of depreciation)	367.7		365.9		341.8
Loss on impairment (1)	28.4		—		—
Depreciation	89.2		65.9		63.4
General and administrative	23.7		22.2		18.7
Operating income	3.5		42.6		35.6
Other expense, net	55.5		31.8		11.1
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	(4.8)		8.3		3.8
Net income (loss)	$	(47.2)	$	2.5	$	20.7

(1)In connection with Saudi Arabia’s announcement to limit oil production capacity and Saudi Aramco's suspension of certain drilling contracts, the VALARIS 143, VALARIS 147 and VALARIS 148 contracts were suspended and subsequently terminated during the year ended December 31, 2024. Pursuant to the requirements of the contracts, ARO had capitalized certain costs to maintain and upgrade these rigs, which were determined to be impaired due to the contract suspensions and subsequent terminations. As a result, ARO recorded a pre-tax, non-cash loss on impairment of $28.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2024. See "Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" for more information about the contract terminations.


	December 31,
	2024		2023
Cash and cash equivalents	$	50.0	$	92.9
Other current assets	127.7		184.0
Non-current assets	1,291.1		1,081.0
Total assets	$	1,468.8	$	1,357.9

Current liabilities	$	146.6	$	136.0
Non-current liabilities	1,202.7		1,056.8
Total liabilities	$	1,349.3	$	1,192.8

We account for our interest in ARO using the equity method of accounting and only recognize our portion of ARO's net income (loss), adjusted for basis differences as discussed below, which is included in Equity in earnings (losses) of ARO in our Consolidated Statements of Operations. ARO is a variable interest entity; however, we are not the primary beneficiary and therefore do not consolidate ARO. Judgments regarding our level of influence over ARO included considering key factors such as each partner's ownership interest, representation on the board of managers of ARO and ability to direct activities that most significantly impact ARO's economic performance, including the ability to influence policy-making decisions. Our investment in ARO would be assessed for impairment if there are changes in facts and circumstances that indicate a loss in value may have occurred. If a loss were deemed to have occurred and this loss was determined to be other than temporary, the carrying value of our investment would be written down to fair value and an impairment recorded.

Our equity method investment in ARO was recorded at its estimated fair value in fresh start accounting upon emergence from bankruptcy in 2021. We computed the difference between the fair value of ARO's net assets and the carrying value of those net assets in ARO's GAAP financial statements ("basis differences") at that date. These basis differences primarily related to ARO's long-lived assets and the recognition of intangible assets associated with certain of ARO's drilling contracts that were determined to have favorable terms relative to market terms as of the measurement date.

Basis differences are amortized over the remaining life of the assets or liabilities to which they relate and are recognized as an adjustment to the Equity in earnings (losses) of ARO in our Consolidated Statements of Operations. The amortization of those basis differences is combined with our 50% interest in ARO's net income (loss). A reconciliation of those components is presented below (in millions):

(2)The per day bareboat charter amount in the Lease Agreements is subject to adjustment based on actual performance of the respective rig and therefore, the corresponding contract liabilities are subject to adjustment during the lease term. Upon completion of the lease term, such amounts become a payable to or a receivable from ARO. As a result of the Net Settlement Agreement, as defined below, a portion of our accounts payable to ARO was reduced by $50.7 million in June 2024.

During 2017 and 2018, the Company contributed assets to ARO in exchange for a 10-year shareholder note receivable due from ARO (the "Notes Receivable from ARO"), which as amended in December 2023, bear interest based on a one-year term SOFR, set as of the end of the year prior to the year applicable, plus 2.10%. The Notes Receivable from ARO were adjusted to the estimated fair value in fresh start accounting in 2021 and the resulting discount to the principal amount is being amortized using the effective interest method to interest income over the remaining terms of the notes.

Under the Shareholder Agreement, a contract liability is created when amounts that the Company bills in accordance with its Lease Agreements are in excess of lease revenues earned. These contract liabilities are required to be settled in cash. In June 2024, the Company and ARO executed a net settlement agreement (the “Net Settlement Agreement”) whereby $50.7 million of accounts payable due to ARO, which related to lease revenue adjustments resulting from the actual performance of rigs leased to ARO between 2018 and early 2023, was net settled against a portion of the Notes Receivable from ARO retroactive to January 1, 2024. As a result of the Net Settlement Agreement, the aggregate principal balance of the Notes Receivable from ARO was reduced by $50.7 million and we recognized non-cash interest income of $13.9 million related to the discount attributable to the partial settlement in 2024.

(1)Represents the amortization of the discount on the Notes Receivable from ARO using the effective interest method to interest income over the term of the notes. In 2024, we recognized non-cash interest income of $13.9 million related to the discount attributable to the Net Settlement Agreement. In 2022, we recognized non-cash interest income of $14.8 million attributable to a $40.0 million early principal repayment of the Notes Receivable from ARO received in September 2022.

The following table summarizes the total assets and liabilities as reflected in our Consolidated Balance Sheets as well as our maximum exposure to loss related to ARO (in millions). Our maximum exposure to loss is limited to (1) our equity investment in ARO; (2) the carrying amount of our Notes Receivable from ARO; and (3) other receivables and contract assets from ARO, partially offset by contract liabilities as well as payables to ARO.