DryShips to raise $500 million in Ocean Rig private placement

George Economou led DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ:DRYS) said today that its wholly-owned subsidiary Ocean Rig UDW Inc. plans to offer through a private placement approximately $500 million worth of shares of Ocean Rig common stock.

The net proceeds of the offering are expected to be used to finance the construction costs of the ultra deepwater newbuilding drillships under construction at Samsung, exercise options to build further ultra deepwater drillships and general corporate purposes.

Following this transaction Dryships Inc. will own approximately 78% to 80% of Ocean Rig UDW Inc.

The offering will be made to Norwegian professional investors and eligible counterparties as defined in the Norwegian Securities Trading Regulation 10-2 to 10-4, to non-United States persons in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and in a concurrent private placement in the United States only to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act. The offering is expected to close in December 2010.

The shares have not been registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to or for the benefit of U.S. persons unless so registered except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable securities laws in other jurisdictions.

The managers for this transaction are DnB Nor Markets, Fearnley Fonds ASA and Pareto Securities AS.

December 3, 2010