Equity Distribution Agreement, dated as of June 14, 2021, by and between Transocean Ltd. and Jefferies LLC
BB Comments to VE Draft 6-14-21
TRANSOCEAN LTD.
SHARES, PAR VALUE CHF 0.10 PER SHARE
EQUITY DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT
June 14, 2021
June 14, 2021
To Jefferies LLC
520 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Transocean Ltd., a company organized under the laws of Switzerland (the “Company”), proposes to sell through Jefferies LLC, as sales agent (the “Manager”), on the terms set forth in this equity distribution agreement (this “Agreement”), certain of its shares, par value CHF 0.10 per share (the “Shares”), having an aggregate gross sales price of up to $400,000,000. The Shares of the Company are generally referred to as the “Company Shares,” and the Company Shares to be outstanding after giving effect to the sales contemplated hereby are hereinafter referred to as the “Public Shares.”
The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-[_]), including a prospectus, relating to the securities (the “Shelf Securities”), including the Shares, to be issued from time to time by the Company. The registration statement as of its most recent effective date, including the information (if any) deemed to be part of the registration statement at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A or Rule 430B under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), is hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Statement”, and the related prospectus covering the Shelf Securities and filed as part of the Registration Statement, together with any amendments or supplements thereto as of the most recent effective date of the Registration Statement, is hereinafter referred to as the “Basic Prospectus”. “Prospectus Supplement” means the final prospectus supplement, relating to the Shares, filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act on or before the second business day after the date hereof, in the form furnished by the Company to the Manager in connection with the offering of the Shares. Except where the context otherwise requires, “Prospectus” means the Basic Prospectus, as supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement and the most recent Interim Prospectus Supplement (as defined in Section 6(c) below), if any. For purposes of this Agreement, “free writing prospectus” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act. “Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses” means the documents listed on Schedule I hereto or otherwise approved in writing by the Manager in accordance with Section 6(b), and “broadly available road show” means a “bona fide electronic road show” as defined in Rule 433(h)(5) under the Securities Act that has been made available without restriction to any person. As used herein, the terms “Registration Statement”, “Basic Prospectus”, “Prospectus Supplement”, “Interim Prospectus Supplement” and “Prospectus” shall include the documents, if any, incorporated by reference therein as of the date hereof. The terms “supplement”, “amendment” and “amend” as used herein with respect to the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement, any Interim
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Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus shall include all documents subsequently filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein (the “Incorporated Documents”).
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For purposes of this Agreement, “Environment” means ambient air, indoor air, surface water, groundwater, drinking water, soil, surface and subsurface strata, and natural resources such as wetlands, flora and fauna. “Environmental Laws” means the common law and all federal, state, local and foreign laws or regulations, ordinances, codes, orders, decrees, judgments and injunctions issued, promulgated or entered thereunder, relating to pollution or protection of the Environment or occupational health and workplace safety including, without limitation, those relating to (i) the Release or threatened Release of Materials of Environmental Concern; and (ii) the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, generation, treatment, storage, transport, handling or recycling of Materials of Environmental Concern. “Materials of Environmental Concern” means any substance, material, pollutant, contaminant, chemical, waste, compound, or constituent, in any form including, without limitation, petroleum and petroleum products, subject to regulation or which can give rise to liability under any Environmental Law. “Release” means any release, spill, emission, discharge, deposit, disposal, leaking, pumping, pouring, dumping, emptying, injection or leaching into the Environment, or into, from or through any building, structure or facility.
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● | the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majesty’s Treasury, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs or the Swiss Directorate of International Law or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor |
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● | located, organized or resident in a country or territory, or a national of a country or territory, that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, the Crimea region of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria). |
(ii) The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the sale of any Shares, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any of the Subsidiaries, joint venture partners or other Persons:
to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions; or
in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the offering, whether as initial purchaser, underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(iii) | For the past five years, the Company and the Subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions. |
(iv) | No action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of the Subsidiaries or its affiliates, nor any director, officer, or employee of the same, with respect to Sanctions is pending, or to the knowledge of the Company, threatened. |
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The Company and the Subsidiaries and their respective officers and directors are in compliance with the applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act,” which term, as used herein, includes the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder).
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The officer signing and delivering such certificate may rely upon his or her knowledge as to proceedings threatened.
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The opinion of counsel for the Company described in Section 5(c) and Section 5(d) above shall be rendered to the Manager at the request of the Company and shall so state therein.
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With respect to Sections 6(m), 6(n) and 6(o) above, in lieu of delivering such an opinion or negative assurance letter for dates subsequent to the commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement such counsel may furnish the Manager with a letter to the effect that the Manager may rely on a prior opinion or negative assurance letter delivered under Section 6(m), Section 6(n) or Section 6(o) as the case may be, to the same extent as if it were dated the date of such letter (except that statements in such prior opinion shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended or supplemented as of such subsequent date).
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For purposes of this Section a “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k). “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b). “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable. “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
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[Signature page follows]
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Very truly yours, | ||
By: | /s/ Sandro Thoma | |
| Name: | Sandro Thoma |
| Title: | Corporate Secretary |
Accepted as of the date first written above | ||
By: | /s/Daniel Andersen | |
| Name: | Daniel Andersen |
| Title: | Managing Director |
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SCHEDULE I
Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses
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SCHEDULE II
Due Diligence Protocol
Set forth below are guidelines for use by the Company and the Manager in connection with the Manager’s continuous due diligence efforts in connection with the sale and distribution of the Shares pursuant to the Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company has agreed that no sales under the Agreement will be requested or made at any time the Company is, or could be deemed to be, in possession of material non-public information with respect to the Company.
1. | On or immediately prior to each Representation Date, in addition to the documents provided pursuant to Sections 6(l), (m), (n), (o) and (p) of the Agreement, the Manager expects to conduct a due diligence call with the appropriate business, financial and legal representatives of the Company. |
2. | On the date of or promptly after the Company’s management report becomes available for a given quarter (but no later than the last business day of the immediately succeeding quarter), the Manager expects to conduct a due diligence call with the appropriate business, financial, accounting and legal representatives of the Company and that the Company shall provide the certificate referred to in Section 5(b) of the Agreement. |
3. | In the event that the Company requests the Manager to sell on any one Trading Day an amount of Shares that would be equal to or greater than 15% of the average daily trading volume (calculated based on the most recent three completed Trading Days) of the Company Shares, the Manager expects to conduct a due diligence call with the appropriate business, financial, accounting and legal representatives of the Company and that the Company shall provide the certificate referred to in Section 5(b) of the Agreement. |
The foregoing is an expression of current intent only, and shall not in any manner limit the Manager’s rights under the Agreement, including the Manager’s right to require such additional due diligence procedures as the Manager may reasonably request pursuant to the Agreement.
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Exhibit A
[Jefferies LLC Letterhead]
[_______], 20[__]
[ ]
[ ]
Attention: [_______]
VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL
TRANSACTION CONFIRMATION
Dear [_______]:
This Confirmation sets forth the terms of the agreement of Jefferies LLC (the “Manager”) with Transocean Ltd. (the “Company”) relating to the sale of its shares, par value CHF 0.10 per share having an aggregate gross sales price of up to $[ ], pursuant to the Equity Distribution Agreement between the Company and the Manager, dated [_______], 20[__] (the “Agreement”). Unless otherwise defined below, capitalized terms defined in the Agreement shall have the same meanings when used herein.
By countersigning or otherwise indicating in writing the Company’s acceptance of this Confirmation (an “Acceptance”), the Company shall have agreed with the Manager to engage in the following transaction:
Aggregate Gross Price of Shares to be sold: | |
Minimum price at which Shares may be sold: | |
Date(s) on which Shares may be sold: | |
Compensation to Manager (if different than the Agreement): | |
The transaction set forth in this Confirmation will not be binding on the Company or the Manager unless and until the Company delivers its Acceptance; provided, however, that neither the Company nor the Manager will be bound by the terms of this Confirmation unless the Company delivers its Acceptance by [_] a.m./p.m. (New York time) on [the date hereof [_____], 20[__]].
The transaction, if it becomes binding on the parties, shall be subject to all of the representations, warranties, covenants and other terms and conditions of the Agreement, except to the extent amended or modified hereby, all of which are expressly incorporated
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herein by reference. Each of the representations and warranties set forth in the Agreement shall be deemed to have been made at and as of every Time of Sale, every Settlement Date and every Representation Date.
If the foregoing conforms to your understanding of our agreement, please so indicate your Acceptance by signing below.
Very truly yours, | ||
By: | | |
| Name: | |
| Title: | |
ACCEPTED as of the date | ||
By: | | |
| Name: | |
| Title: | |
[Note: The Company’s Acceptance may also be evidenced by a separate written acceptance referencing this Confirmation and delivered in accordance with the Agreement]
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EXHIBIT B
EXHIBIT C