CANYON

Cal Dive Agrees to Acquire Robotics Company

Cal Dive International, Inc. announced that it has agreed to acquire 85 percent of Canyon Offshore, Inc., a supplier of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and robotics to the offshore construction and telecommunications industries. Cal Dive would purchase the remaining 15 percent at a price to be determined by Canyon's performance during the years 2002 through 2004. The purchase price from $66 million $74 million is four to five times expected Canyon EBITDA. The acquisition, which is subject to the customary Hart Scott Rodino filing, is expected to close before year-end. Owen Kratz, chairman and chief executive officer of Cal Dive, said, "Acquiring Canyon will be a vertical integration which flows from the CDI policy of directly controlling all aspects on the critical path of significant projects. As marine construction support in the Gulf of Mexico moves to deeper and deeper waters, ROV systems will play an increasingly important role." John S. Edwards, chief executive officer of Canyon, stated, "CDI was our first customer when Canyon began operations in early 1997 and we have enjoyed the status of an Alliance Partner ever since. CDI seeks this strategic investment to secure key remote systems capabilities so critical to their future in deepwater construction and well intervention operations. Canyon's submarine cable burial business provides a platform for international operations and revenue diversification

BP Vietnam Awards PTSC/Canyon Two-Year Vessel / ROV Contract

PTSC Production Services and Canyon Offshore have entered into a two-year contract with BP Vietnam to provide a DP Vessel, Remotely Operated Vehicles, Survey and Positioning, and engineering solutions to support BP’s operations offshore Vietnam. Under the terms of the contract Canyon Offshore in conjunction with Petroleum Technical Services Company (PTSC), a division of Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation, will mobilize Scorpion 25

Trico Marine Takes Delivery on New Platform Supply Vessel

Trico Marine Services, Inc., has taken delivery on the Northern Canyon, a 279-ft. UT 745 design platform supply vessel (PSV). The state-of-the-art vessel is designed to serve deepwater markets worldwide. Built in Norway, the Northern Canyon is equipped with a DP2 (dynamic positioning) system and is among the largest, most technologically advanced PSVs available in the industry. The vessel, which will be deployed initially in the North Sea

Williams Commissions New Offshore Platform

A unit of Williams has announced that it has commissioned a new production handling platform in federal waters approximately 60 miles south of Mobile Bay, Ala. Gas production from approximately 35,000 acres of federal leases is dedicated to the platform. Construction of Williams' Canyon Station -- a fixed-leg platform in 300 feet of water in East Main Pass Block 261 -- was completed on schedule at the end of June. The jacket was installed in October 2001

Kvaerner Makes Preliminary Agreement

Kvaerner reaches preliminary agreement with Canyon Ranch to build two luxury cruise ships, worth $397 million. Kvaerner, announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the health resort company Canyon Ranch, of Tucson, Ariz., to build two luxury spa/health resort cruise ships. The two passenger vessels, each of about, 37,000 gross tons, are to be built by Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Finland, and are due for delivery in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

Deep-water Drilling Strategic Alliance Formed

Gardline Geosciences & Canyon Offshore strategic alliance to provide deep-water seabed drilling service to offshore SI market. Eric Zon, Managing Director of Gardline Geosciences stated ‘this agreement is a perfect synergy to enable Gardline to offer full geotechnical services in the deep water market and to add enhanced operational performance in extreme shallow water-environments.  The technology strengthens Gardline Geosciences and its sister company Asian Geos

BHP Billiton Sets Gulf Drilling Record

Houston-based BHP Billiton Petroleum reported two company-operated drilling vessels set new benchmarks for deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico recently. While working on a development well on the Shenzi oil and gas field, the GSF C.R. Luigs achieved a record low average of 1.52 days per 1,000 feet from spud to total depth. The well was drilled to a total depth of about 29,600 feet in only 33 days, while operating in water depths of nearly 4,300 feet in Green Canyon Block 654.

Cunard Honored with Award

By Jack Auerbach Cunard Line was named 'World's Leading Cruise Line', at the 10th Annual World Travel Awards dinner. Alicia Oliphant, Regional Sales Manager for Cunard, is shown here accepting the award from television star, Jesse Martin. Cunard was named for the prestigious award in a poll made up of travel agents from around the world. Attended by 400 top dignitaries and leaders in the travel industry, the World Travel Awards gala was held at New York's Plaza Hotel

Ocean Deep Viewing Online Courtesy of NOAA

NOAA releases new online views of Earth's ocean floor NOAA has made sea floor maps and other data on the world’s coasts, continental shelves and deep ocean available for easy viewing online. Anyone with Internet access can now explore undersea features and obtain detailed depictions of the sea floor and coasts, including deep canyons, ripples, landslides and likely fish habitat. The new online data viewer compiles sea floor data from the near shore to the deep blue

Survey Ship Discovers Red Sea 'Grand Canyon'

Naval survey ship 'HMS Enterprise' nets stunning images of a Grand Canyon-style ocean floor hidden deep under the Red Sea. Discovering the 250 metre deep canyon after leaving the Egyptian port of Safaga the ship used her sophisticated EM1002 Multibeam echo sounder to create the 3D images, allowing the ocean floor to be seen for the first time. Commanding Officer of HMS Enterprise, Commander Derek Rae, said: “These features could be the result of ancient rivers scouring through the