CapRock Signs Long-term Agreement with Atwood Oceanics for Global Rig Communications

Leading drilling contractor selects CapRock VSAT services onboard offshore fleet

HOUSTON, TEXAS - March 24, 2010

CapRock Communications (http://www.caprock.com), a global provider of satellite communications to remote environments, today announced a multi-year agreement with Atwood Oceanics to provide VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) connectivity to its global fleet of offshore assets. As a premier international offshore drilling and completions contractor, Atwood requires reliable communications to deliver premium drilling services to its exploration and production clients.

With CapRock’s turnkey VSAT solution – including equipment, installation, satellite service and 24/7 network monitoring and support – onboard Atwood’s entire fleet, crews have access to the same, dependable service regardless of which rig they occupy.

“By consolidating our fleet under one communications provider, our remote personnel will experience a consistent, reliable solution whether they are on assignment in the Gulf of Mexico or off the coast of Australia,” said Atwood Oceanics IT Director Tim Osburn. “We are confident that CapRock has designed the best communication solution to support our worldwide operations.”

Under the terms of agreement, CapRock will deploy stabilized antenna platforms across Atwood’s geographically dispersed fleet, consisting of five semi-submersibles (including one tender assist rig), three jack-ups and one submersible all located throughout the Gulf of Mexico, Europe, Africa and Asia. CapRock will provide the offshore rigs, plus two new build semi-submersibles presently under construction in Singapore and a regional office located in Equatorial Guinea, with voice and data service and access to Atwood’s corporate network so that remote personnel can utilize business applications, as well as other data and document management systems required to maintain business operations. A portion of the bandwidth will be provisioned on every drilling rig to support Atwood’s crew amenities program, which includes wireless access points, Internet access and SafePass, CapRock’s Web content-filtering solution.

Additionally, a fixed VSAT terminal will be installed at Atwood’s Houston, Texas headquarters which will allow for beta testing of new Atwood software and applications in a controlled environment before deploying to all drilling rigs.

“In working hand-in-hand with Atwood on the development of its communication solution, we clearly understand how tough it can be to keep drilling rigs across the globe connected with corporate offices and with each other, but that’s the core of CapRock’s capabilities,” said CapRock CEO Peter Shaper. “Our solution is highly reliable and delivered in a way that allows our customers to focus on their drilling operations without having to worry about the status of communications.”

CapRock will leverage its self-owned and -operated global infrastructure to deliver always-on satellite service as well as its regional support centers – located in Perth, Australia; Aberdeen, Scotland; Jakarta, Indonesia; Houston, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana – to support equipment installations and field service. The Atwood agreement represents the latest of several global drilling fleet deals CapRock has been awarded.

About CapRock Communications

With nearly three decades of experience, CapRock Communications is a premier global satellite communications provider for the energy, maritime, government, engineering and construction andmining industries as well as for disaster recovery services. The Company utilizes the latest field-proven satellite technologies to deliver highly reliable managed communication services including broadband Internet, voice over IP, secure networking and real-time video to the world's harshest and most remote locations. CapRock delivers on its promise to be the market's reliability leader by leveraging "best of breed" partnerships, technical expertise and a robust global infrastructure that includes four self-owned and operated teleports and eleven regional support centers across the U.S., Central and South America, Europe, West Africa and Asia Pacific. More information about CapRock is available at www.caprock.com.

About Atwood Oceanics

Atwood Oceanics, Inc., its international operating subsidiary, Atwood Oceanics Pacific Limited (AOPL) and related subsidiaries are engaged in the business of international offshore drilling of exploratory and developmental oil and gas wells, and related support services.

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