BUSINESS BRIEFS

Red Spider Technology has appointedMike Salter as chairman. Salter previously was COO of Aberdeen-based Abbot Group Plc.

Crowley Maritime Corp. has namedTommy Thompson as director of maintenance and repair. Thompson will oversee domestic M&R and support the company’s newbuild program.

Petrohawk Energy Corp. has announced the retirement ofWilliam Hahne and the appointment of Richard Stoneburner as COO. Stoneburner, a 30-year veteran of the oil and gas industry, is a founder of Petrohawk.

Energy Corp. has hiredK. Earl Reynolds as VP of strategic planning. Reynolds previously was VP and general manager of Devon’s International Division. Joseph P. Ash will replace Reynolds as VP and general manger of the International Division.

Tidewater has electedJames C. Day to its board of directors for a term expiring in July 2008. Day is the retired chairman of the board and former CEO of Noble Corp.

Pantheon Resources Plc. has appointedJohn Walmsley as non-executive director of the company. Walmsley previously served as chief executive of Hardy Oil and Gas and managing director of finance and business development at Enterprise Oil Plc.

Schilling Robotics has hiredChristopher Legg and Adrian DeGroot as project managers.

Legg joins Schilling from Canyon Offshore Inc. where he directed offshore production and construction projects.

SBM Atlantia Inc. has appointedFernando Frimm as senior VP of sales and marketing. Frimm will lead the company’s commercial efforts in North and South America.

American Electric Technologies has namedChris Zimmer as VP of electrical construction and services. The company also has named Glenn Guy as VP of E&I and Dean Cooper as VP of construction. Guy will be responsible for the marine, water/wastewater, and industrial markets. Cooper will be responsible for land drilling, production, pipeline, and alternative energy markets.

James R. Clark, president and COO of Baker Hughes, has announced his retirement. Chad C. Deaton, the company’s current chairman and COO, will assume Clark’s role effective Jan. 31, 2008.

CapRock Communications has appointedDouglas Tutt as president of global energy markets. Tutt previously served as managing director of CapRock’s South American operations.

Devon Energy has electedDavid A. Hager to its board of directors. His term as a Devon director expires in 2008.

Dominion Gas has appointedMaurice McBride as chairman, Bryan Park as finance director, and Wendy Lee as regional manager of Southeast Asia.

Swiber Holdings Ltd. has appointedRonald L. Schakosky as VP for the company’s floating production systems business. Schakosky will spearhead the company’s future regional operations and also support regional expansion, strategic alliances, and activities in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East markets.

Petrobras has namedTheodore M. Helms as interim executive manager of investor relations, replacing Raul Campos. Helms will be responsible for improving the transparency of the company and its communication with investors. He also will initiate shareholder relations projects in Brazil and abroad.

Brinker Technology has appointedFrancis Neill as its first managing director. Neill will steer the company’s growth strategy alongside Bernie Anson who continues as chairman of the company.

Steven A. Manz, senior VP of planning and corporate development of Hercules Offshore, has resigned.

Swellfix has appointedArie Vliegenthart as COO. He will combine his current position of VP for Europe and Russia with the new remit. Vliegenthart will oversee Swellfix’s operations in Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and the Americas from the company’s Aberdeen headquarters.

Senergy has appointedMichael Byrne as a principal formation damage consultant.

Petrofac has appointedWilliam Dunnett as executive VP of energy developments.

Cecilie Ditlev-Simonsen has resigned as executive VP at Hydro.

ConocoPhillips has namedStephen R. Brand as senior VP of technology.

Companies

EnCana Corp. has agreed to sell its remaining interests in Brazil for approximately $165 million in cash, before closing adjustments. Under the agreement, Videocon Industries Ltd. and Bharat PetroResources Ltd. will purchase all of the shares in EnCana Brasil Petróleo Limitada.

FMC Technologies has opened a subsea customer support center adjacent to the company’s existing subsea facilities in northwest Houston. The complex will house dedicated project teams and a 24/7 rapid-response command center to support ongoing offshore installation, intervention, and de-completion services.

Germanischer Lloyd has acquired Advantica Holding from National Grid Plc.

ATR Group has acquired Bridon International’s business in Baku, Azerbaijan. Over the next 12 months, ATR plans to invest $2 million in the Baku business, which is a distributor of wire rope and lifting equipment and also provides lifting gear testing, management, and certification services.

Petrofac Training has consolidated its businesses under a single brand. Safety training provider RGIT Montrose and emergency response and crisis management specialist Rubicon Response will be known as Petrofac Training.

Hardide Coatings has secured approved supplier status and new business from Weatherford for its Hardide-T, tungsten carbide-based component coating. The coating is being used for corrosion resistance by Weatherford in a number of downhole drilling and completion applications in harsh environments.

TWMA has acquired Bergen-based Soilcare AS for $6 million.

Schilling Robotics will supply Allseas Group SA with three ultra heavy-duty ROV systems in late 2008. Allseas will use the systems to perform survey support, pipeline touchdown monitoring, and construction support tasks.

Schlumberger has acquired the data quality management company InnerLogix.

Cameron has purchased eighty 80-gal stainless steel piston accumulators from Parker for use on subsea BOPs.

Wescorp Energy Inc. has agreed to buy Strategic Decisions Sciences USA Inc. (SDS), a Houston-based engineering firm. The transaction will be structured as a merger of SDS into Wescorp.

Lloyd’s Register Asia has opened a training center in Shanghai. According to the company, the center was created to provide a center of learning where working surveyors and auditors can share technical knowledge with China’s shipbuilders, owners, and maritime students through seminars, lectures, and training courses.

Gateway Energy Corp. has acquired Gulfshore Midstream Pipelines Ltd. Gulfshore’s pipeline assets extend from the western and central Gulf of Mexico in water depths ranging from 50 to 650 ft (15-198 m). Gateway acquired the assets for $3.1 million in cash, 1.55 million shares of Gateway common stock, and the assumption of certain liabilities related to the assets estimated at $300,000.

EOC Ltd.will trade its shares on Oslo Børs ASA with the objective of using an international share offering to fund the establishment of a niche market for medium to deepwater projects.

Lundin Oil has spudded an exploration well on the Scolty and Banchory prospects in UK North Sea block 21/8. Well 21/8-3 is the second of three back-to-back wells on the UK shelf drilled by the jackup Santa Fe Galaxy II .

Cairn Energy is set to acquire Mediterranean exploration specialist medOil, via a $30.25-million offer from Cairn’s UK-based subsidiary, Capricorn Petroleum.

Venture Production has contracted Senergy in Aberdeen to provide technical personnel for UK North Sea work. The contract includes supply of specialists in subsurface, wells, and production technology evaluation.

Woodside Energy Ltd. has signed an agreement with PetroChina Co. Ltd. for the potential sale of 2-3 million metric tons per year of LNG for a period of 15-20 years from the Woodside-operated Browse LNG development.

Marine Subsea Group AS, Dunlaw Engineering Ltd., Atworth and its mother company EXSTO sas have entered into a sales and marketing agreement for the offshore market.

Energy Cranes has acquired the assets of Marine & Mainland Crane Services Inc. The company is not disclosing price but says the multi-million dollar acquisition is the largest in its history.

OAO Lukoil and Pertamina have agreed to jointly study several prospective blocks in the Republic of Indonesia. The agreement was signed in Jakarta as part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the country.

Egyptian Drilling Co. (EDC) has contracted SembCorp Marine Ppl Shipyard to build a Baker Marine Pacific Class 375 deep offshore jackup rig for $201 million. Construction will begin in the 3Q 2007 with delivery scheduled in Dec. 2009.

BG Group has contracted with HB Rentals for two high-specification living complexes for the Dolphin platform in Trinidad’s developing East Coast Marine Area production zone.

Halliburton has deployed its Armada sampling system to capture bottomhole samples of reservoir fluid for Oilexco North Sea Ltd.

Al Masaood Bergum and the Hertel Group have partnered to create AMBhertel, a joint venture to service the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries in the UAE and Qatar.

Siemens has agreed with Statoil to continue development of the ECO-II seal-less compressor, with a view to producing a subsea version for future use in the Åasgaard field in the Norwegian Sea, possibly in 2013.

Noble Denton Group has acquired Lowe Offshore International Ltd., doubling Noble’s operations in Houston, according to the company.

Titan Petrochemicals Group Ltd. has reached a definitive agreement to acquire a 100% interest in Titan Quanzhou Shipyard Ltd. for $170 million. Previously, the company held slightly more than 50% interest in the yard. Titan has an order book of 22 vessels worth approximately $210 million.

Oceanteam Power & Umbilical ASA has signed a heads of agreement to acquire 60% of a new subsea services company to be renamed Oceanteam Subsea Services Ltd. Oceanteam Subsea Services Ltd. will be a separate business unit within OPU focused on hydrographic survey, inspection/repair/maintenance, ROV intervention, integrity management, and geotechnics.

Origin Energy Resources Ltd. and the BassGas joint venturers have agreed to settle arbitration with Clough Ltd. in relation to the BassGas project.

Venture Production has made a cash/shares offer for UK independent Wham Energy. The offer values the company’s existing share capital at around $28.61 million.

RBG Ltd. has launched a new recruitment Website dedicated to the subsea sector of the oil and gas industry. The Website features permanent and contract vacancies in the subsea market, including positions in engineering, construction, marine, project management, and support.

CA Global has established a new recruitment service to support upstream and midstream oil and gas companies doing business in Africa.

Delta Wave Communications has established an exclusive marketing agreement with Trident Sensors for the distribution of its complete line of satellite products.

VetcoGray has received certifications from the American Petroleum Institute (API) for operations in Brazil. Among the certifications are ISO 9001 and API Q1, both related to the quality management system at VetcoGray’s Jandira manufacturing plant in São Paulo, Brazil. Also awarded were API 6A and API 17D certifications, which relate to product quality.

J. Ray McDermott SA has completed its acquisition of Secunda International Ltd.’s assets and shore-based operations for $260 million. Hardware in the deal includes 14 harsh-weather, multi-function vessels for subsea construction, pipe and cable laying, and dive support.

AMEC, MMC Oil, and Gas of Malaysia have formed a new private company called MMC AMEC Sdn. Bhd. MMC AMEC will operate in southeast Asia, specializing in large-scale, integrated deepwater facilities as well as internationally providing engineering and project management services both upstream and downstream.

The Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exposition (LAGCOE) is scheduled to kick off on Oct. 23, 2007 under the direction of officers David Shealy, Howard Wilson, and Larry LeMarie, and event coordinator Sally Ware.

LAGCOE is the longest-running event of its kind for the energy industry. Set for Oct. 23-25, 2007, at the Cajundome and Convention Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, the expo attracts an international audience of more than 16,000 petroleum industry attendees. Exhibitors scheduled at this year’s show include 335 oil and gas companies from the US, Canada, the UK, China, Peru, and Mexico.

For more information on LAGCOE 2007, visit its Web site atwww.LAGCOE.com.

Offshore is the official publication of the event.