Noble Corporation Announces Results of Shareholder Vote

ZUG, Switzerland, April 26, 2013 /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 26, 2013, in Zug, Switzerland. At the meeting, shareholders approved the following proposals:

• The reelection of Michael A. Cawley and Gordon T. Hall and election of Ashley Almanza as directors for three-year terms that will expire in 2016.
• Approval of the 2012 Annual Report, the consolidated financial statements for fiscal year 2012 and the statutory financial statements for fiscal year 2012.
• Approval of the release and allocation of CHF 524,624,771.44 from the Company's capital contribution reserve to a special reserve account (the "Dividend Reserve"), a dividend in the amount of USD 1.00 per share to be distributed out of the Dividend Reserve and paid in four installments of USD 0.25 per share in August 2013, November 2013, February 2014 and May 2014 (in each case subject to the availability of a sufficient amount in the Dividend Reserve), provided that the Board of Directors shall have the authority to accelerate the payment of any installment or portions thereof in its sole discretion at any time prior to payment of the final Installment, 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 2013 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 2012.  
• An advisory vote to approve the compensation of the Company's named executive officers.
• Extension of the Board's authority to issue up to 133,075,000 shares until April 25, 2015.

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 March 11, 2013.

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 drillships and six high-specification jackup drilling rigs currently under construction), located worldwide, including in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Alaska, Mexico, Brazil, the North Sea, the Mediterranean, West Africa, the Middle East, India and Australia. 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