Industry veteran Bragg established Vantage after holding senior posts at Ensco and Pride International — he was Pride’s chief executive from 1999 to 2005.

A little more than a year after setting up Vantage, the company had to contend with the drastic downturn in the rig market after the global ­financial meltdown and plunge in commodity prices during the ­second half of 2008.

Vantage