Pacific Drilling Receives Approval of First Day Motions

PACIFIC DRILLING S.A. (OTCPink: PACDQ) ("Pacific Drilling” or the "Company”) today announced that the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York has granted the relief requested by the Company in certain first day motions related to ordinary course business activities, subject to certain modifications at the request of the Court, the United States Trustee and stakeholders. The approved motions give us the authority to, among other things, continue to pay employee wages and benefits without interruption, to utilize our current cash management system, and to pay certain foreign and critical vendors for goods and services provided prior to the petition date. All vendors will be paid in full and in cash on normal payment terms for all goods and services provided on or after the petition date.

Paul Reese, Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Drilling, said, "With these approvals, the Company will continue normal operations as we implement a comprehensive financial restructuring under the protection of Chapter 11. Importantly, I would like to thank our employees, customers and vendors for working constructively with us during this important period for the Company.”

Additional details can be found on the Company’s website, www.pacificdrilling.com/restructuring or via the Company’s restructuring information line at: +1 866-396-3566 (Toll Free) or +1 646-795-6175 (International Number).

About Pacific Drilling

With its best-in-class drillships and highly experienced team, Pacific Drilling is committed to becoming the industry’s preferred high-specification, floating-rig drilling contractor. Pacific Drilling’s fleet of seven drillships represents one of the youngest and most technologically advanced fleets in the world. For more information about Pacific Drilling, including our current Fleet Status, please visit our website at www.pacificdrilling.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements and information contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and are generally identifiable by the use of words such as "believe,” "estimate,” "expect,” "forecast,” "ability to,” "plan,” "potential,” "projected,” "target,” "would,” or other similar words, which are generally not historical in nature.

Forward-looking statements express current expectations or forecasts of possible future results or events, including future financial and operational performance; revenue efficiency levels; market outlook; forecasts of trends; future client contract opportunities; contract dayrates; our business strategies and plans and objectives of management; estimated duration of client contracts; backlog; expected capital expenditures; projected costs and savings; the potential impact of our Chapter 11 proceedings on our future operations and ability to finance our business; and our ability to emerge from our Chapter 11 proceedings and continue as a going concern.

Although the Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable and made in good faith, these statements are not guarantees and actual future results may differ materially due to a variety of factors. These statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations include: the global oil and gas market and its impact on demand for our services; the offshore drilling market, including reduced capital expenditures by our clients; changes in worldwide oil and gas supply and demand; rig availability and supply and demand for high-specification drillships and other drilling rigs competing with our fleet; costs related to stacking of rigs; our ability to enter into and negotiate favorable terms for new drilling contracts or extensions; our substantial level of indebtedness; possible cancellation, renegotiation, termination or suspension of drilling contracts as a result of mechanical difficulties, performance, market changes or other reasons; our ability to continue as a going concern in the long term, including our ability to confirm a plan of reorganization that restructures our debt obligations to address our liquidity issues and allows emergence from our Chapter 11 proceedings; our ability to obtain Bankruptcy Court approval with respect to motions or other requests made to the Bankruptcy Court in our Chapter 11 proceedings, including maintaining strategic control as debtor-in-possession; our ability to negotiate, develop, confirm and consummate a plan of reorganization; the effects of our Chapter 11 proceedings on our operations and agreements, including our relationships with employees, regulatory authorities, customers, suppliers, banks and other financing sources, insurance companies and other third parties; the effects of our Chapter 11 proceedings on our Company and on the interests of various constituents, including holders of our common shares and debt instruments; Bankruptcy Court rulings in our Chapter 11 proceedings as well as the outcome of all other pending litigation and arbitration and the outcome of our Chapter 11 proceedings in general; the length of time that we will operate under Chapter 11 protection and the continued availability of operating capital during the pendency of the proceedings; risks associated with third-party motions in our Chapter 11 proceedings, which may interfere with our ability to confirm and consummate a plan of reorganization and restructuring generally; increased advisory costs to execute a plan of reorganization; our ability to access adequate debtor-in-possession financing or use cash collateral; the potential adverse effects of our Chapter 11 proceedings on our liquidity, results of operations, or business prospects; increased administrative and legal costs related to our Chapter 11 proceedings and other litigation and the inherent risks involved in a bankruptcy process; the cost, availability and access to capital and financial markets, including the ability to secure new financing after emerging from our Chapter 11 proceedings; and the other risk factors described in our 2016 Annual Report and our Current Reports on Form 6-K. These documents are available through our website at www.pacificdrilling.com or through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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