Transocean (RIG 1.03%) maintains the top spot in the offshore drilling market with more rigs than its closest competitors, Ensco (ESV +0.00%) and Noble (NE +0.00%), and appears well on its way to holding this spot for years to come. With a laser-like focus on ultra-deepwater and high-specification jack-up rigs; a $30 billion backlog; and a reliable customer base, Transocean's future is as bright as one could hope for in this oil and gas services space. In the video below, Fool energy analyst Taylor Muckerman takes an in-depth look at these players.
1 Offshore Driller's Bright Future
By Taylor Muckerman and Joel South – Dec 17, 2012 at 12:00PM
NYSE: RIG
Transocean
Market Cap
$4.3B
Today's Change
(-1.03%) $0.04
Current Price
$3.86
Price as of November 6, 2025 at 10:41 AM ET
Transocean has a great fleet, a huge backlog of future contracts, and is shifting further into more profitable deepwater drilling.
About the Author
Taylor Muckerman was lead energy & materials analyst for fool.com from 2012-2013. He is now Head of Retention for Motley Fool Canada.