Brian Taylor of the drilling contractor KCA Deutag said he believed 10 of his crew were on board.

BBC: 'No hope' of helicopter survivors

Transocean, the world's largest offshore drilling contractor, said its top priority is safety.

CNN: Rig survivors: BP ordered shortcut on day of blast

Overlooked is the world's largest land drilling contractor, NABORS INDUSTRIES (68, NBR) .

FORBES: Drilling for Dollars

Based in Bermuda, SeaDrill Limited is an offshore drilling contractor providing worldwide offshore drilling services to the oil and gas industry.

FORBES: SeaDrill Pumping Out Fat Dividends

Jim Noe, general counsel of shallow-water drilling contractor Hercules Offshore defended shallow-water drilling, saying such projects tap relatively low-pressure reservoirs, making blowouts less likely.

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The following technologies were outlined in Drilling Contractor, the official magazine of the International Association of Drilling Contractors, so take the rosy enthusiasm with a grain of salt.

FORBES: Can No-Water Fracking Quiet Critics?

After plaintiffs' attorneys rested their case Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier ruled there was no evidence that BP's drilling fluids contractor M-I LLC made any decision that led to the blowout of BP's Macondo well.

NPR: Claims Against BP Contractors Dismissed At Trial

Houston contractor Parker Drilling (nyse: PKD - news - people ) has had its share of woes since building Sunkar, a barge designed to drill in the icy, shallow waters of the Caspian.

FORBES: Power Putsch

"BP is working with regulators and the industry to ensure that the lessons learned from Macondo lead to improvements in operations and contractor services in deepwater drilling, " Sholars said.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS