Offshore staff

STAVANGER, Norway -- Stavanger-based wellbore technology company Ziebel AS has signed an agreement to merge with Houston-based upstream energy services company Knowledge Reservoir.

The merger is a move on the part of Ziebel toward the goal of rapidly growing into a substantial international upstream solutions provider delivering products and services for well bore optimization through reservoir and production solutions, the company says.

Ziebel's focus encompasses completions, downhole artificial lift, wellbore monitoring, well intervention, and flow assurance.

Knowledge Reservoir is the largest upstream resource supplier in Houston, with offices in London, Aberdeen, Muscat, and Kuala Lumpur.

This acquisition is Ziebel's fourth following on from UK companies iCalTech Ltd. and Axon Instruments Ltd., and US company Tubel Technologies Inc. which were acquired in 2006.

4/30/2007