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ATWOOD OCEANICS, INC., commenced operations in 1970. We had our first public offering in 1972 and since 1997 our common stock has been traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ATW. In 2007, FORBES recognized Atwood Oceanics as one of Americas 200 Best Small Companies. In 2008, our company was ranked No. 8 in FORTUNEs 100 Fastest-Growing U.S. Companies.
Through the years, our drilling operations have been carried out in most of the major offshore exploration areas of the world, including the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Black Sea, Australia, East and West Africa, Southeast Asia, China, Far East, Papua New Guinea, India, Mediterranean Sea, Central and South America and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Currently, we support our operations from offices in Houston, Australia, Malaysia, Egypt, Thailand, Malta, West Africa, India, Singapore, Indonesia and the United Kingdom.
Currently, the Atwood Group's fleet consists of nine active, wholly-owned drilling units, which include three semisubmersibles capable of drilling in up to 5,000 feet of water, one semisubmersible capable of drilling in up to 2,000 feet of water, one 400 feet cantilever jack-up, one 350 feet cantilever jack-up, one 300 feet cantilever jack-up, one semisubmersible self-erecting tender-assist rig, and one submersible. Currently, eight of the nine active drilling units are owned and operated by Atwood Oceanics Pacific Limited (AOPL) (a Cayman Islands wholly-owned subsidiary of Atwood Oceanics, Inc.) or one of its subsidiaries. AOPL is in the process of constructing two deepwater semisubmersible drilling units, which are expected to be delivered in 2011 and 2012, respectively. The semisubmersible drilling unit ATWOOD OSPREY, scheduled for delivery in 2011, will be conventionally moored for up to 6,000 feet with its own mooring equipment and 8,200 feet with pre-laid mooring equipment. The semisubmersible drilling unit scheduled for delivery in 2012 will be dynamically positioned to drill in water depths up to 10,000 feet.
Since the Atwood Group's inception in the early 1970s, the majority of our drilling units have operated outside of the United States. AOPL has historically served as the Atwood Group's main entity for marketing, negotiating and performing drilling contracts outside of the United States. Being primarily international in scope, the Atwood Group is able to recruit and develop quality employees from all over the globe. Since 1996, the Atwood Group has spent approximately $400 million in upgrading seven of our active offshore mobile drilling units. The ATWOOD HUNTER and ATWOOD EAGLE (both owned and operated by AOPL) were both upgraded to 5,000 feet water depth capability in 2001 and 2002, respectively. The ATWOOD FALCON was upgraded to 5,000 feet water depth capability at the end of 2006. Construction of the KFELS MOD-V, Enhanced B-Class, jack-up drilling unit, the ATWOOD BEACON (owned and operated by AOPL) was completed on schedule and commenced operations in early August 2003. In April 2009, the ATWOOD AURORA, a LeTourneau SUPER 116E Design Independent Leg Cantilever Jack-Up, became the Atwood Group's ninth active mobile offshore drilling unit.
The Atwood Group constantly monitors industry trends and is receptive to innovations and advancements brought about by our customer's requirements for safe, efficient and reliable drilling and completion capabilities. Safety is of utmost importance to us, and our safety management system a top priority. Our safety management system has played a key role in the Atwood Group's record for consistently providing quality, safe drilling performance.