DryShips Announces Proposed Private Offering of
Senior Unsecured Bonds by Ocean Rig UDW Inc.

Athens, Greece - April 4, 2011

DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS) (the “Company” or “DryShips”), a global provider of marine transportation services for drybulk and petroleum cargoes and off-shore contract drilling oil services, announced today that its majority-owned subsidiary Ocean Rig UDW Inc. (“Ocean Rig”), announced today that it intends to offer through a private placement, subject to market and other conditions, approximately $500 million of Senior Unsecured Bonds due 2016 (the “Bonds”). The offering will be made to Norwegian professional investors and eligible counterparties as defined in the Norwegian Securities Trading Regulation 10-2 to 10-4, to non-United States persons in offshore transactions in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and in a concurrent private placement in the United States only to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act.

The proceeds of the offering are expected to be used to finance Ocean Rig’s newbuilding drillships program and general corporate purposes.

The Bonds have not been registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to or for the benefit of U.S. persons unless so registered except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable securities laws in other jurisdictions.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the Bonds, nor shall there be any sale of the Bonds in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful. Any offer of the Bonds will be made only by means of a private placement memorandum.

In the European Economic Area, with respect to any Member State that has implemented Directive 2003/71/EC (together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State, the “Prospectus Directive”) the information in respect of the Bonds offering is only addressed to and is only directed at qualified investors in that Member State within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive.

About DryShips
DryShips Inc., based in Greece, is an owner of drybulk carriers and tankers that operate worldwide. Through its majority owned subsidiary, Ocean Rig UDW, Inc., DryShips owns and operates 6 offshore ultra deepwater drilling units, comprising of 2 ultra deepwater semisubmersible drilling rigs and 4 ultra deepwater drillships, 2 of which remain to be delivered to the company during 2011. As of the day of this release, DryShips owns a fleet of 38 drybulk carriers (including newbuildings), comprising 7 Capesize, 29 Panamax and 2 Supramax, with a combined deadweight tonnage of over 3.4 million tons, and 12 tankers (including newbuildings), comprising 6 Suezmax and 6 Aframax, with a combined deadweight tonnage of over 1.6 million tons.

DryShips’ common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market where it trades under the symbol “DRYS.”

DryShips Inc.