Daniel Gibbs

Shares of North Atlantic Drilling have been pummeled recently due to fears of an offshore drilling industry slowdown. However, there is no fundamental reason for fear as North Atlantic Drilling has its revenues guaranteed by contract.

Diamond Offshore announced earnings results that challenge Wall Street's consistent assertion that the offshore industry is suffering. Meanwhile, the company does have some near-term issues that it needs to resolve; but if it succeeds investors could be well rewarded.

Several Wall Street firms have downgraded various offshore drillers in recent weeks due to fears of an industry downturn. However, not all companies will see their revenues and cash flows affected by this, despite what analysts say. This may be presenting a buying opportunity while the blood is in the streets.

Offshore drilling giant Noble Corp. has suffered from a stock sell-off in recent weeks that makes its dividend look quite appealing. This, combined with the company's near-term growth prospects, makes the stock look appetizing at these levels.

On April 15, Ensco ordered two rigs which will be delivered in the middle of 2016. These rigs will grow Ensco's revenue and cash flow over its current levels once they are delivered.

Vantage Drilling is a very rapidly growing offshore drilling company that is being heavily weighed down by the markets due to perceptions about the risk of its debt. But, it may not be as bad as it appears, and that could offer the potential for high returns.

Total has announced that it will start on its project to develop the massive Kaombo project in Angola. Bringing this field online will significantly increase the company's production in the African nation.

Demand for lithium is set to soar going forward as electric cars and other electric gadgets continue to increase in popularity. One way to play it is by investing in lithium producers.

Statoil's success in a recent test well at one of the largest fields ever found on the Norwegian Continental Shelf could be a boon to the company going forward.

Dividend-paying stocks provide an excellent way to generate income from a stock portfolio. What better way of generating income is there than holding high-yielding stocks of large, stable companies that produce something that everybody needs every day?

Offshore drilling contractor Pacific Drilling plans to initiate a dividend in 2015 that would make the company one of the highest yielders on the NYSE. The company can easily afford this dividend and will deliver very high growth even with it, proving that high dividend yields and growth are not mutually exclusive.

BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust is one of the highest-yielding investments available on the public exchanges. However, it may not make sense to buy due to its comparably high price and limited remaining life.

Pacific Drilling's stock price has not been affected by the weakness in the offshore drilling industry at all. However, the company may be more exposed to the market weakness than Wall Street seems to think.

LINN Energy is a very high-yielding upstream MLP that may struggle to maintain its distribution this year. However, the risk of this is baked into the price at this level and so the company offers an excellent opportunity to get in and collect some money to help pay the rapidly increasing cost of gassing up your car.

Shares of offshore drilling contractor Ensco have taken a significant beating lately due to the turmoil in the offshore drilling industry. However, Ensco itself is unlikely to be affected by this turmoil. This may present an opportunity for a savvy investor to buy shares of this very high-yielding stock at a cheap price.

Total is a very stable oil and gas company with forward growth prospects and a very strong dividend yield that may be appealing to individuals looking for income.

Norwegian oil giant Statoil has been aggressively expanding its operations lately in order to grow outside of Norway. Here are just two ways that the company is doing this.

Several politicians in Europe have proposed importing natural gas from North America to lessen their countries' dependence on Russian natural gas. Golar LNG is well-positioned to profit off of this as one of the biggest shippers of natural gas.

Vanguard Natural Resources announced record adjusted EBITDA and production in 2013. But, the best could be yet to come for this high-yielding production company.

Shares of offshore drilling contractors have sold off in the past few months due to concerns about market weakness. But, not all drillers are created equal, and some are unlikely to be affected by any short-term market weakness. This creates a buying opportunity for savvy investors.