Award-winning subsea installation contractor, Bibby Offshore, is proud to announce a successful first quarter of the year for its recently opened Newcastle office.

With existing premises in Aberdeen and Liverpool, Bibby Offshore is expanding its presence across the UK. Since its opening in November 2013, the Newcastle office has employed 23 skilled personnel, with a further ten to be recruited in the coming months. The 4724sqft office, located in Gateshead Quays on the River Tyne, will provide Bibby Offshore with an excellent hub in the region both now and as it increases staff numbers and service offerings in the future.

The team in Newcastle is supporting North Sea UKCS projects, equipped with a multi disciplined project management team. However, it is anticipated that following on from the success of the company's Liverpool office there will be opportunities to utilise the team's skills further afield as the fast growing company rolls out its services overseas.

Shawn Bulgen, Project Director, (photo) said: "Our expansion into the north east of England is in response to the industry-wide skills shortage. For a number of years skilled engineering professionals have been commuting to Aberdeen based oil and gas companies on a weekly basis. Our expansion into Newcastle will make us well placed to attract talent from the strong engineering tradition in the region."

Since its inception ten years ago, Bibby Offshore has experienced unprecedented growth. It now employs more than 1,200 people onshore and offshore with offices in Aberdeen, Liverpool, Singapore, Houston and Trinidad. The company now has an international fleet of eight subsea support vessels and 15 Remote Operating Vehicles (ROV), which will continue to increase to meet demand. The company has an extensive backlog of committed work and its Newcastle office offers clients a dedicated and self-sufficient project management team in the local area, in partnership with locally based technology manufacturers.

Following the successful delivery of a fast-tracked Inspection, Repair and Maintenance (IRM) project in Tunisia, that came in on schedule and under budget; the team in Newcastle is currently working on a number of projects for prestigious local and international clients that include IRM, riser and umbilical installations, decommissioning and an annual IRM contract for a Danish company.

To launch the new office, an event inviting local businesses, friends and colleagues is planned for this evening [Tuesday 20th May] at the premises, followed by a drinks reception and networking event nearby. A brief presentation will be given by Howard Woodcock, Bibby Offshore Chief Executive, and Shawn Bulgen, Bibby Offshore Project Director.

In May 2013, Bibby Offshore relocated to its new multimillion pound, purpose built headquarters in Westhill, Aberdeen, and recently opened additional new 50,000sqft storage, workshop, warehouse, office space, a yard and maintenance facilities called 'The Hangar'. Bibby Offshore's sustained growth and success was acknowledged in February this year when it won the Company of the Year award at the 2014 Subsea Expo Awards, which recognises excellence in overall company performance in the subsea sector based on developments to date, as well as plans for future success and growth, both within the UK and internationally.

Core Grouting Services, an Acteon company, is a new addition to Acteon’s operating company portfolio. Core is a specialist provider of grouting services for foundations on oil and gas platforms and offshore wind farms. Core’s grouting capability allows Acteon to offer its clients a complete suite of offshore foundation installation services – from drilling, driving and lifting to grouting.

Attendees at Core Grouting office opening: Left to right in photo: Ivan Harnett, Core Grouting Services; Gerard Flaherty, Irish Development Authority; Simon Coveney, Irish Minister for Agriculture Food & Marine; Bernhard Bruggaier, Acteon; Ray O’ Connor, Irish Development Authority.

Bernhard Bruggaier, executive vice president of operations at Acteon, said, “The offshore grouting market has historically been dominated by a small number of companies, and yet there has been significant growth in the sector over the last few years. Core will give clients a genuine new choice of grouting contractor with best-in-class equipment and a motivated and experienced team.”

John Paul O’Sullivan, engineering manager, and Colin Barrett, equipment manager, will drive the company’s growth from its recently opened global headquarters in Cork, Ireland. 

Ivan Harnett, managing director at Core, said, “At Core, we differentiate ourselves on the quality of our service offering. John and Colin have experience on more than 50 offshore projects, and with the strength of their expertise we can work closely with other Acteon group companies to help clients get their projects completed more efficiently and safely than ever before.” 

Core expects to grow to approximately 50 employees by the end of 2015 as the company extends its project range and expands its capabilities. The new enterprise in Cork was officially opened by Simon Coveney T.D., Irish Minister for Agriculture Food & Marine.

Bruggaier commented, “We selected Cork as the location in which to launch and base the business because of the availability of excellent quality engineers and technicians locally to support the company’s growth. Core will continue to recruit talent from the construction trades and will train a workforce for deployment on offshore construction projects.”

InterMoor, an Acteon company, is finalizing a joint venture agreement with Century Energy Services Ltd (Century) in Nigeria. This will be a locally registered company and fully compliant with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Bill, 2010. For InterMoor, securing a joint venture with an experienced and established partner like Century will ensure an effective local engagement with the Nigerian oil and gas market.

InterMoor has been working in West Africa for 10 years with bases in Luanda and Malongo in Angola. The company also has extensive experience with rig moves and mooring campaigns in Angola and Equatorial Guinea.

Philipp Stratmann, InterMoor's global development manager, said, "Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa. Expanding in Nigeria is a strategic move for us while we continue to focus on international growth and new ways to address our clients' needs. The joint venture will ensure compliance with Nigerian local content laws and enable us to participate in the increasing number of offshore projects being conducted in the region."

Derrick Douglas, InterMoor's new business development manager in Nigeria, and Osas Uwaifo, Century's managing director for the joint venture, will manage the InterMoor offices in Lagos. Douglas brings 10 years of experience with Shell Nigeria to the job and holds an MBA from Cranfield School of Management in the UK. Uwaifo is a petroleum engineer with more than 13 years' experience in business development and contract management in the oil and gas industry. She is currently in charge of business development and commercial activities for Century Group and has a BEng degree in petroleum engineering.

InterMoor currently has three permanent staff based in Lagos, including a local operations and a local commercial manager. It also offers shore-based support through its partner at Kidney Island and through the planned yard at the Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL).

VIKING is ready with all the answers to a new hot topic for offshore infrastructure owners and operators at its stand at OTC 2014. The topic is single-source safety equipment servicing – and judging by industry reactions, VIKING seems to have uncovered – and solved – a significant hassle for its offshore customers.

Although its safety management offering, called the VIKING Offshore Safety Agreement, was released only last year, marine and fire safety equipment leader VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has already had a number of significant wins. Among these is a newly inked, multi-year servicing contract signed with Norwegian-based oil and gas giant Statoil for the maintenance of marine safety equipment on board 36 platforms in the North Sea.

Statoil's portfolio of marine safety equipment for its oil and gas activities is typical of similar-sized industry players. The company's rigs have been built at various times and were equipped with the best of what was available at the time of construction. Over the years, many of the products have been updated, but rarely or never as a complete installation upgrade. What's more, Statoil's platforms are designed for a variety of purposes and environments and can require, therefore, slightly different types and specifications of equipment.

The result is a mix of brands, models and vintages that demands significant time and resources to maintain. The challenges aren't Statoil's alone, but present a correspondingly difficult set of challenges for its suppliers, who are required to maintain spare parts inventories, accurate delivery times and consistent quality levels. The delivery logistics of it all are complicated, too. Unlike safety servicing for passenger or cargo ships, which can be carried out when the vessel is in port, offshore platform owners are often forced to choose between buying or renting a temporary set of liferafts to replace equipment being serviced, or to consider reducing onboard personnel for days while vital safety equipment is being maintained on shore.

The new VIKING Offshore Safety Agreement makes for significantly easier administration for Statoil's platforms and logistics staff. Previously, numerous emails and phone calls flowed between the various Statoil installations and a range of different safety equipment suppliers. And establishing and consolidating the various budgets at corporate level demanded many hours of work. VIKING now has full responsibility for its customer's liferafts and chute systems, and its offshore service planning department coordinates scheduled servicing, including coordination with supply vessel schedules.

Genesis has finalized the lease for office space in Covington, Louisiana, USA, and will shortly begin supplying engineering services to clients in the Greater New Orleans area. This new location is an integral part of Genesis' global growth strategy.

The New Orleans office will focus on providing both Capital Project (green and brownfield) and Operations support to Genesis' clients. The office will also include a facility for training and the company expects to begin offering regular technical training in areas such as subsea systems, flow assurance, risk, integrity management and GIS.

John Cambridge, Managing Director at Genesis, declared: "We are very excited about entering the New Orleans marketplace as it will enable new possibilities for the Genesis team to grow and expand and will also allow us to offer further opportunities to the local community.".

About Genesis

Genesis is a market-leading engineering company focused on providing engineering and technical services to the global upstream oil and gas industry. The company's services are utilized by oil and gas companies during planning and development phases of oil and gas projects and in the execution of subsea, onshore and offshore engineering projects. Its clientele includes super-majors and national oil companies, as well as small independents. Genesis develops innovative solutions for the E&P business, by leveraging on its core engineering and techno-economic skills. The company helps achieve world-class performance from its assets by providing expertise, novel methods and tools to realize its maximum potential.

Today, Genesis is a company with more than 1,500 engineers and offices in seventeen locations worldwide. Genesis is an ISO 9001: 2008, ISO 14001: 2004 and OHSAS 18001:
2007 certified company.

Hoover Container Solutions (“Hoover” or the “Company”), a subsidiary of Hoover Group, Inc., announced that Rod Branch has joined Hoover as Vice President of Human Resources. He will report directly to Paul Lewis, President of Hoover.

Branch’s responsibilities include talent acquisition, employee relations, organizational design, performance management, compensation planning and change management initiatives.

“With the amount of talented associates within our organization and throughout our industry, it is important to have strong human resource leadership,” says Lewis. “Rod’s expertise will ensure that our existing team is in top form and that all future Hoover hires are properly placed for future growth.”

Branch joins Hoover with 20 plus years of experience and a diverse background in both large and small organizations. He was most recently Vice President of Human Resources for PSC Industrial Services, a supplier of industrial cleaning and repair services for the refining, downstream, oil and gas and utilities industries.

He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum Engineering Technology from Oklahoma State University and was a production and drilling engineer for British Petroleum (BP) for 12 years in the Midcontinent Region. Branch served two years in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, for BP where he drilled directional wells from offshore gravel islands.  He was also a lobbyist for BP for two years before joining Enron Liquid Fuels as government affairs director, and later joined Enron’s HR team in 1995. He was HR director for The Coca-Cola Company over plant operations and R&D for six years.

JDR, a leading provider of technology connecting the offshore energy industry, is increasing its global footprint with the opening of a new service and maintenance facility in Brazil.

The JDR facility will be the latest addition to the bustling port city of Macaé when it opens for business in Q3 of 2014. The city is seen as an ideal location to build the company's local presence and reputation, with more than 80% of the oil produced by Brazil being linked through the port in some way.

JDR specialises in the design and production of steel and thermoplastic subsea production umbilicals subsea power cables and Intervention Workover Control Systems (IWOCS) as well as offering offshore and field services for the global oil and gas industry.

The Brazilian market is seen by JDR as being critical to the globalisation of the business, which commands a 70% market share in IWOCS in all markets outside of the South American country.

Andrew Norman, CEO of JDR, said: "The addition of a Brazilian facility is a significant step toward achieving our global growth strategy and a significant milestone in the company's development.

"Our technologies have been at the heart of a number of significant subsea projects throughout the world and we believe that our expertise and our umbilical core competency lends itself to becoming a leading regional supplier of intervention and workover (IWOCS) products, production umbilicals and hydraulic flying leads (HFLs) that will be needed for pre-salt developments in Brazil.

"The country is home to the largest offshore, deepwater operation in the world, which is JDR's core expertise. Not only does this make it an attractive proposition, it is also the next logical step for us to service the growing global subsea sector."

Subsea projects are becoming increasingly important in the drive to access the world's remaining reserves – with many fields in more challenging environments than ever before. JDR's in-house engineering teams have been working with clients to ensure the infrastructure is designed and manufactured for each individual project.

Norman added: "Many of the challenges facing Brazil are similar to those we have overcome with clients in other parts of the world and as a result we feel confident that we can add real value to projects throughout the region."

BMT Group Ltd (BMT), the leading international maritime design, environmental and engineering consultancy, will showcase its portfolio of offshore technology support services on Booth #2441-E at this year's Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) exhibition, taking place next month in Houston, Texas. Building on more than twenty five years' experience, BMT supports the oil and gas industry in safe, reliable, cost effective and environmentally sound activities.

Providing products, services and solutions through all phases of offshore exploration, production and decommissioning, technical experts from a number of BMT's operating companies will be on hand to engage with visitors and discuss their specific challenges.

Dr Ralph Rayner, Sector Director for Energy and Environment at BMT Group Ltd explains: "The offshore oil and gas market continues to grow as major producers seek to explore and realize new production opportunities and this is driving demand for our products and services. We continue to invest time and money into better understanding the complex challenges our customers face, provide innovative solutions that draw on our specialist knowledge and expertise, and apply these efficiently, safely and cost effectively."

With an excellent track record in working with operators in the Gulf of Mexico, offshore West Africa, Brazil and Malaysia, BMT Scientific Marine Services will showcase its marine integrity monitoring solutions, including a subsea riser integrity monitoring system which incorporates an ROV-Serviceable Strain Sensor Assembly. The team will also be on hand to highlight the benefits of real-time maintenance. Jeffrey Lewis, Vice President of Client Support Services at BMT Scientific Marine Services explains: "A real-time maintenance plan can identify and flag potential system problems before reduced performance or instrument failure occurs. This approach will help to reduce potential operational down time and thus, preserve the life of high value, offshore assets."
With over 200 years of oceanographic experience, BMT ARGOSS will demonstrate its extensive capabilities in providing metocean design and operating criteria, as well as weather forecasting services to oil majors who have to often deal with extremely harsh conditions. Accurate forecasting delivered in real-time is a prerequisite to planning and carrying out day to day operations, allowing customers to reduce operational risk and possible downtime.

Accidental loss of containment offshore is one of the biggest safety concerns facing operators. Technical experts from BMT Fluid Mechanics will be available to discuss how their advanced computational modelling and experience in HSE can help designers minimise the risk of these events happening and maximise safety. BMT Fluid Mechanics also has expertise in the fields of offshore helideck safety and operate large in-house wind tunnel facilities for supplying wind and current loads of offshore structures to very short timescales.

Having now successfully completed four projects in the Gulf of Mexico, BMT's REMBRANDT vessel simulator for inshore tow simulation of floating production systems has demonstrated its value as an effective training tool for marine installation personnel and also for assessing the manoeuvring risks associated with collision and grounding. BMT staff will be available to discuss how REMBRANDT can add value and improve safety.

BMT Group Ltd, a leading international design, engineering and risk management consultancy, has announced that Mr Charles Packshaw has joined the Board of Directors as a non-executive Director.

Charles has thirty years' experience working with financial institutions in the City of London and is currently Head of UK Advisory at HSBC Bank, where he is responsible for advice to clients on strategy, acquisitions, capital structure, equity and debt financing and shareholder relationships. Prior to this, Charles was Managing Director of Lazard's Corporate Finance Division in London. He began his career working in the construction industry and is a Chartered Civil Engineer.

Charles has worked with professional service businesses and with a broad range of industries including construction, house building, offshore, building materials, industrials and food.

He is a non-executive Director of Diploma PLC and a member of its Audit and Remuneration Committees. He has formerly been a non-executive Director of The Restaurant Group, where he was Chairman of the Audit Committee, and of Diagonal PLC and a trustee of the Lazard Directors Pension Scheme.

Commenting upon his appointment, Charles said: "I am delighted to be joining the Board of BMT, a company with a strong reputation for scientific and engineering excellence. I look forward to contributing to its future development and success."

Dr Neil Cross, Chairman of BMT Group, says: "We are very pleased to welcome Charles to the BMT Board. I am confident that BMT will benefit greatly from his wealth of experience in a broad range of financial affairs. In particular, we welcome his input as we focus on continued growth and development."

Diamond Petroleum Ventures LLC, a thermal unit provider based in Lafayette, Louisiana, has appointed Em Roosevelt as technical sales representative.

Roosevelt is responsible for direct sales and account management and will work toward expanding the company’s markets in the offshore oil and gas industry. He will also manage marketing and sales efforts aimed at bringing new technologies to commercialization.

Roosevelt joined Diamond Petroleum Ventures in December 2013 and has more than 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. In his previous position, Roosevelt led the development of services utilizing membrane nitrogen for reviving and sustaining production of offshore platforms. He has also held positions at Nitro-Lift Technologies and Tesco Corporation.

“Em is particularly experienced within the Gulf of Mexico area where our company's core operations are located,” said Rusty Lamb, Diamond Petroleum Ventures, CEO. “He has directed business development activities and brought new technologies to market throughout his career, and we are proud to have him as a member of our team.”

Roosevelt graduated Cum Laude with a degree in agribusiness management from Texas A&M University. 

Churchill Drilling Tools, the provider of reliable and easy to use drilling systems, is celebrating a successful first year for its dedicated service base in Houston, with a number of key milestones achieved.

Through its Houston base, the company has:

·       Completed successful projects for a number of super-majors in the region

·       Developed a range of excellent high performance case histories both on the Gulf of Mexico shelf and in deepwater

·       Generated a high demand for advanced drifting and circulating technologies in the Gulf

Churchill Drilling Tools recently announced the successful deployment of its dart activated DAV MX™ circulating valve at a record measured depth of 26,012ft in a development well off Louisiana. Enabling rapid and assured reamer bypass in a sidetrack operation, the application exploited the deepwater capability of the company’s Smart Dart™http://www.circsub.com/august20011/ to withstand both rapid delivery speeds and high temperature and pressure variations.

Using its multi-cycle capability, bypass deactivation was equally simple and assured as the assembly was pulled from hole. This proved the capability of the system to give the operator total control over both the fluid path directions and the drilling equipment whilst maintaining the well control flow-rate objectives set out in the program. 

The DAV MX™ is used globally across a range of drilling environments including deepwater, high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) and high-angle extended reach drilling. The Mechanical Extrusion system is significantly more reliable, faster and more cost effective than polymer extrusion, the process used for traditional ball-activated systems. The system’s previous record deployment exceeded 16,000ft in a well offshore UK.

The establishment of the Churchill Drilling Tools’ advanced technologies in the Gulf of Mexico has attracted significant interest from experts in the drilling field.

In April, Churchill Drilling Tools was delighted to announce the appointment Mark Elliott, one of the most experienced advisors on circulating tools in the region, as business development manager.

Mark, who has more than seven years’ experience in the sector, said: “Dart activation is a step forward in valve technology that will enable this product category to keep up with operator expectations for performance and reliability. I am excited to be involved with the roll-out of this technology, which is so clearly needed”.

Looking forward in 2014 and 2015, Churchill Drilling Tools is planning to roll-out some of its more recent new products in the region and there are also a number of exciting research and development projects nearing completion.

 “Although present in the region for a number of years, the establishment of our own service base in Houston has given our business a real boost. All the operators In the Gulf of Mexico are pushing into new performance areas which makes it an exciting place for Churchill to be focused,” said Churchill Drilling Tools’ managing director Andy Churchill. “It gives us a great opportunity to track what the leading operators are doing and to come up with innovative drilling tools that will assist them.”

Jee Ltd, a leading independent multi-discipline subsea engineering and training firm, has been awarded a contract in support of a US$14,000M seven-year development. The contract, with a major offshore pipelay and subsea construction company, is as a result of recent oil field operations in Canada.

Jee will fulfil the detailed design scope of the company's engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract for the subsea pipelines, as part of the offshore loading system (OLS) for the development.

Jee will provide engineering services, including detailed design and stress analysis on three 24-inch offshore loading lines, which will be installed in 90m of water, as part of a piggable loop.

The scope of work includes Jee engineers reviewing survey information to define and finalise multiple pipeline routes and reviewing all pipeline FEED documentation. In addition the contract involves Jee executing operational stress analysis and pipeline walking analysis, as well as performing any necessary engineering for extra protection of the pipelines to mitigate damage or external disturbance.

Michael Green (photo), business development manager at Jee said: "This contract is a direct result of Jee's engineering capabilities, as well as the quality of our work. With a history of expertise in subsea design, we are looking forward to working on the project, as well as continuing to expand our subsea projects within this developing region."

Engineering and project management will begin immediately from Jee's offices in London and Tonbridge as well as work in the client company's offices.

Fueled by continuously increasing demand for complete integrated underwater system solutions, MacArtney has opted to significantly bolster its North American system sales focus. Spearheaded by the hiring of experienced sales and business development professional, Shannon Lewis, as System Sales Manager, and appointment of long-standing MacArtney ocean science expert, Andrew Ziegwied, as Vice President of Ocean Science and System Sales, MacArtney is well-equipped to handle even more projects and complex system challenges in the future.

ROV winches and business development
As part of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) operations in Houston, TX, Shannon Lewis is set to leverage her 16 year track record of team leadership, sales and business development to take MacArtney system sales to the next level. Recently, MacArtney has seen significant growth in sales of its complete systems, hereunder especially, winch and handling systems for ROV, subsea and scientific applications. Drawing on the experience, skills and extensive network forged during her time as Business Development Manager at Forum Energy Technologies and Business Development Executive at Deep Down, Shannon is dedicated to bringing even more growth to this and other key MacArtney system markets.

"As a former MacArtney customer, I am profoundly honored to join the team, the innovative technology, the vision and to be part of it all", says Shannon and continues: "I've seen a lot of companies - vendors, startups and partners - MacArtney is truly one of a kind and I am both blessed and excited to have the opportunity to be a part of the company's continued success and leadership, as we continue to grow and improve at a shockingly fast pace."

Ocean science growth
Another MacArtney market characterised by solid growth is related to the design, integration and delivery of system solutions for ocean science institutes, research vessels and general oceanographic applications. In response to this development, MacArtney has expanded the role of Andrew Ziegwied, who is set to support all North American sales offices and coordinate the team's efforts in the design of innovative, turnkey system solutions tailored to specific application requirements. Building on nearly 7 years as System Sales Manager, Andrew holds extensive experience with underwater technology and integrated systems. According to MacArtney Inc. President, Lars Hansen, Andrew will play a key role in implementing MacArtney's vision and overall systems focus in all markets of its North American operations.

Andrew, operating out of Portland, OR, will direct system sales and post sale customer support for existing clients in the ocean science segment and play an active role in developing the ocean science market in North America. "With my expanded role, I can help establish strategic business partnerships with vendors and improve collaborations across the growing organisation in support of systems sales", says Andrew and continues: "There is much work to be done here and many exciting opportunities to explore."

Beyond his experience with MacArtney, Andrew is a University of Washington School of Oceanography graduate. His background includes field work and project management with Evans-Hamilton, Inc. and application engineering with CTD manufacturer Sea-Bird Electronics, Inc.

Through water technology and survey company, Nautronix, has been awarded a 5 year frame contract - based on a non-exclusive agreement - by SURF and subsea contractor Ceona with an initial 1 year call-off for the supply of survey services to support their new build DP3 subsea construction vessel, the Polar Onyx.

The contract includes the initial survey support and mobilization of the vessel in Europe before the vessel commences a minimum of 1 year's work in Brazil as a PLSV for Petrobras. Nautronix will supply personnel and equipment to provide survey services on the vessel.

Sam Hanton, Director of Survey for Nautronix, says 'Since our Survey division was launched in 2012, we've seen significant growth and gained an excellent track record in ROV construction survey support. The award of this contract by Ceona is a significant step in our development, and recognises our commitment and ability to provide a high quality survey service.'

FMC Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: FTI) announces that it will be recognized at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) next week with the presentation of two Spotlight on New Technology Awards. The awards, which honor innovative technologies that significantly impact offshore exploration and production, are in recognition of FMC Technologies' ISOL-8 Pump and Offshore Loading Arm Footless.

"We are honored to again be recognized by OTC with these prestigious awards," said John Gremp, FMC Technologies' Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "The Spotlight on New Technology Awards highlight the important role that innovation and technology play in our industry. The two technologies recognized by these awards are examples of how advancements are solving the complex challenges our industry faces."

The ISOL-8 Pump, developed by FMC Technologies Schilling Robotics, enables secondary intervention for blowout preventers (BOPs) in compliance with API Standard 53. The ISOL-8 Pump is tightly integrated with FMC Technologies' UHD III Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), and uniquely meets the 45 second requirement for closing BOP shear rams.

The Offshore Loading Arm Footless (OLAF) has been developed for liquefied natural gas (LNG) transfer between large floating LNG (FLNG) vessels and conventional LNG carriers. The OLAF design is able to accommodate the large elevation differences between the FLNG deck, where it is based, and the LNG carrier piping connection at a lower level. OLAF features an advanced targeting system for connection assistance and a Constant Position Monitoring System, SIL3, to manage emergency disconnection.

The awards will be presented during a ceremony at 3:30 p.m. CDT on Monday, May 5 in the Rotunda area of the Reliant Center Lobby B in Houston, Texas.

As previously announced, Rowan Companies plc ("Rowan" or the "Company") (NYSE: RDC) confirmed today that on April 25, 2014, Dr. Thomas P. Burke was elected as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. In addition, Mr. H.E. Lentz retired as the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. W. Matt Ralls was appointed as the Executive Chairman of the Board and Sir Graham Hearne was appointed as the new Lead Director of the Board.

Mr. Ralls commented, "The Company could not be in better hands with Tom as Chief Executive Officer. He has proven his leadership skills, first as CEO of our manufacturing subsidiary and more recently as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company. Tom's keen business sense, in-depth knowledge of our company and industry, and clear vision for the future will serve the Company well in the years to come. I look forward to watching Rowan flourish under Tom's strong leadership."

Dr. Burke, age 46, most recently served as President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company. He became Chief Operating Officer in July 2011 and was promoted to President in March 2013. Dr. Burke initially joined the Company in December 2009 to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer of LeTourneau Technologies, Inc. and served in such capacity until the sale of LeTourneau in June 2011. Prior to such time, he was employed by Complete Production Services, an oilfield services company, as a Division President from 2006 to 2009, and as Vice President Corporate Development from 2004 to 2006. Before joining Complete, Dr. Burke held various positions at Schlumberger and McKinsey & Company. He holds a DPhil (PhD) in Engineering Science from Trinity College, Oxford and an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School.

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