Last checked at 
Shares in the drilling services company were up 8.3% at
Capital Drilling reported pretax profit for 2017 at
Revenue rose to
The average fleet size in 2017 was 93 drill rigs, down from 94 rigs in 2016, which helped push up the fleet utilisation rate to 53% from 45% and the average revenue per operating rig to
Capital Drilling will pay a final dividend of
"Capital Drilling saw a return to profitability in 2017 as the company continued to drive down costs, extend long-term contracts, as well as secure additional long term contracts in the
"Metals prices improved over 2017 and there was a strong increase in capital markets activity, which has translated into increased budgets from mining and exploration companies. The work done in 2016 in preparing and mobilising assets in preparation for the improving sector contributed to an outstanding increase in cash generation and profitability for the group," Boyton added.
