Noble Corporation Announces Results Of Shareholder Vote

ZUG, Switzerland, April 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Noble Corporation (NYSE: NE) today announced the results of the annual general meeting of shareholders of Noble Corporation, a Swiss corporation (the "Company"), held on April 27, 2012, in Zug, Switzerland. At the meeting, shareholders approved the following proposals:

• A reduction of the maximum number of members of the Board of Directors from nine members to eight members.
• The reelection of Julie H. Edwards and David W. Williams to the Board of Directors for a three-year term that will expire in 2015. 
• Approval of the 2011 Annual Report, the consolidated financial statements for fiscal year 2011 and the statutory financial statements for fiscal year 2011.
• Approval of the release and allocation of CHF 266,962,521.84 from the Company's capital contribution reserve to a special reserve account (the "Dividend Reserve"), a dividend in the amount of USD 0.52 per share to be distributed out of the Dividend Reserve and paid in four installments of USD 0.13 per share in August 2012, November 2012, February 2013 and May 2013 (in each case subject to the availability of a sufficient amount in the Dividend Reserve) and  the automatic re-allocation to the capital contribution reserve of any amount of the Dividend Reserve remaining after payment of the final quarterly installment of the dividend.
• Ratification of the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2012 and election of PricewaterhouseCoopers AG as the Company's statutory auditor for a one-year term.
• The discharge of the members of the Board of Directors and the executive officers from personal liability for fiscal year 2011.
• The amendment and restatement of the 1991 Plan to increase the number of shares that can be issued under the 1991 Plan, and
• An advisory vote to approve the compensation of the Company's named executive officers.

For a complete description of the above matters, please refer to the Company's definitive proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 3, 2012.

About Noble Corporation

Noble is a leading offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry. Noble performs, through its subsidiaries, contract drilling services with a fleet of 79 offshore drilling units (including five ultra-deepwater rigs and six jackup drilling rigs currently under construction), located worldwide, including in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, Brazil, the North Sea, the Mediterranean, West Africa, the Middle East, India and the Asian Pacific. Noble's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "NE." Additional information on Noble Corporation is available on the Company's Web site at http://www.noblecorp.com.

This news release may contain "forward-looking statements" about the business, financial performance and prospects of the Company. Statements about the Company's or management's plans, intentions, expectations, beliefs, estimates, predictions, or similar expressions for the future, including any statements regarding the payment of any dividend or the timing and amount of such payment, are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. No assurance can be given that the outcomes of these forward-looking statements will be realized, and actual results could differ materially from those expressed as a result of various factors. A discussion of these factors, including risks and uncertainties, is set forth from time to time in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Noble Corporation