GlobalSantaFe is one of the world's largest international drilling contractors, devoting the majority of its business to offshore drilling projects.

GlobalSantaFe has a modern, diversified fleet of 57 mobile offshore drilling rigs, including 45 jackup rigs; eight third-generation semi-submersible rigs; one fourth-generation, ultra-deepwater semisubmersible rig; and three dynamically positioned, ultra-deepwater drillships.
GlobalSantaFe is constructing two state-of-the-art newbuild semisubmersibles.
The company is a partner in Caspian Drilling Company, which operates two semisubmersible drilling units in the Caspian Sea.
All of these rigs were designed for international operations and are currently deployed in most of the significant offshore rig markets in the world, including the US Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, the North Sea, South America, the Middle East/Mediterranean and Southeast Asia.
GlobalSantaFe's offshore rigs consist of a suite of drilling equipment mounted on a hull or offshore platform.
The drilling equipment comprises a derrick or mast, hoisting equipment, a rotary system, well control equipment, systems for storing, treating and pumping drilling fluids, and a power plant.
The offshore rigs generally include living quarters, cranes, heliports and storage areas. The specifications of the drilling equipment determine the drilling capabilities of the rig, and the design of the rig and its hull determines the offshore regions in which it can operate.
The jackup rigs are preferred in shallower water depths because their elevating legs, which extend from the rig's hull to the sea bottom, provide a stable drilling platform.
The company's semisubmersible rigs, capable of drilling in maximum water depths of 1,200 feet to 5,750 feet, are best suited for deepwater drilling and in harsh environments such as the North Sea.
The drillships are preferred for deepwater exploration in moderate environments and remote areas, where their mobility and large load-carrying capability are an advantage.