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Impairments
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Impairments  
Impairments

Note 5—Impairments

 

Assets held and used—During the three months ended March 31, 2015, we identified indicators that the asset groups in our contract drilling services reporting unit may not be recoverable.  Such indicators included a reduction in the number of new contract opportunities, recent low dayrate fixtures and contract terminations.  Our Deepwater Floater asset group, in particular, has seen further declines in projected dayrates and utilization partly caused by more technologically advanced drilling units aggressively competing with less capable drilling units.  As a result of our testing, we determined that the carrying amount of the Deepwater Floater asset group was impaired.  In the three months ended March 31, 2015, we recognized a loss of $507 million ($481 million, or $1.34 per diluted share, net of tax) associated with the impairment of these long-lived assets.  We measured the fair value of the asset group by applying a combination of income and cost approaches, using projected discounted cash flows and estimates of the exchange price that would be received for the assets in the principal or most advantageous market for the assets in an orderly transaction between market participants as of the measurement date.  Our estimate of fair value required us to use significant unobservable inputs, representative of a Level 3 fair value measurement, including assumptions related to the future performance of our contract drilling services reporting unit, such as future commodity prices, projected demand for our services, rig availability and dayrates.  If we experience increasingly unfavorable changes to actual or anticipated dayrates or other impairment indicators, or if we are unable to secure new or extended contracts for our active units or the reactivation of any of our stacked units, we may be required to recognize additional losses in future periods as a result of impairments of the carrying amount of one or more of our asset groups.

 

Assets held for sale—In the three months ended March 31, 2015, we recognized an aggregate loss of $429 million ($393 million, or $1.07 per diluted share, net of tax), associated with the impairment of the Ultra-Deepwater Floater Deepwater Expedition, the Deepwater Floaters Sedco 707 and Transocean Rather and the Midwater Floaters GSF Aleutian Key, GSF Arctic III and Transocean Legend, along with related equipment, which were classified as assets held for sale at the time of impairment.  We measured the impairment of the drilling units and related equipment as the amount by which the carrying amount exceeded the estimated fair value less costs to sell.  We estimated the fair value of the assets using significant other observable inputs, representative of Level 2 fair value measurements, including indicative market values for the drilling units and related equipment to be sold for scrap value.

 

In the three months ended March 31, 2014, we recognized an aggregate loss of $65 million ($0.19 per diluted share), which had no tax effect, associated with the impairment of the Midwater Floater Sedneth 701 and the High-Specification Jackup GSF Magellan, along with related equipment, which were classified as assets held for sale at the time of impairment.  We measured the impairments of the drilling units and related equipment as the amount by which the carrying amount exceeded the estimated fair value less costs to sell.  We estimated the fair value of the assets using significant other observable inputs, representative of Level 2 fair value measurements, including indicative market values for comparable drilling units or a binding sale and purchase agreement for the drilling units and related equipment.

 

If we commit to plans to sell additional rigs for scrap value, we may be required to recognize additional losses in future periods associated with the impairment of such assets.  See Note 18—Subsequent Events.