Among the top 10 companies at Sale 261 (based on the number of high bids) are household names Shell, Chevron/Hess, Oxy/Anadarko, and bp, and international majors Equinor (Norway) and Woodside (Australia).
Lesser known companies have also become important deepwater players including two, Red Willow (owned by the Southern Ute tribe) and Houston Energy, that cracked the top 10 bidders list. Other emerging deepwater companies, Ridgewood, CSL Expl, Westlawn, Alta Mar, and CL&F were also active sale 261 participants. All of these companies bid in partnership with other independents.
| Company | 257 | 259 | 261 |
| Red Willow | 5 | 13 | 25 |
| Houston Energy | 5 | 9 | 18 |
| Ridgewood | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| CSL Expl | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Westlawn | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Alta Mar | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| CL&F | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 