OSLO (Bloomberg) — Bermuda-based Seadrill Ltd., the Norwegian oil-rig owner set up by billionaire John Fredriksen, hopes to start paying a dividend again next year once financial markets stabilise, according to chief executive officer Alf Thorkildsen.

"Hopefully in 2009 we will again have a very good chance to pay dividends," Thorkildsen said in an interview after the company presented third-quarter results.

Seadrill decided not to issue a dividend in the third quarter, having paid 30 cents a share in September, the company said on Monday in its earnings statement. The decision was based on financial-market weakness and "interesting corporate opportunities" that may arise, it said.

Seadrill has 43 rigs, including 13 under construction, which it leases to oil producers such as Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Petroleo Brasileiro SA. About 83 percent of the company's $12.3 billion order backlog is for semi-submersible rigs and ships used for deep-water drilling, with jack-up rigs for shallow waters making up most of the remainder.

Oil companies are increasingly searching in deeper waters and harsher climates to replenish reserves, which has boosted daily rig-rental rates, benefiting Seadrill.

Acquisition opportunities in the company's main deepwater business would be "interesting", Thorkildsen said, adding that Seadrill would look at all markets, including jack-up rigs.

Seadrill would consider buying whole companies around the world as well as individual assets, he said. It may be "easier to evaluate" opportunities in Seadrill's main areas of expertise, namely Brazil and West Africa, he said.

The outlook for the deepwater floater market remains "sound" because of long-term demand for such projects, while the jack-up market looks "more uncertain" in the next one to two years, Seadrill said. That market is more affected by the slump in oil prices, Thorkildsen said.