Stolt Offshore Sells Drill-Support ROV Business

Stolt Offshore S.A. has signed Heads of Agreement with Oceaneering International Inc. for the sale of its ROV drill support business, consisting of a fleet of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV's) and their ancillaries, together with related contracts and employees. The transaction, which has a value of approximately $50 million before minority interests, is subject to due diligence. Tom Ehret, Chief Executive Officer of Stolt Offshore S.A., said, "This sale is part of our programme of disposals of non-core assets and businesses. It includes drill support ROV's and contracts in place in the North Sea, The Americas, and West Africa. Stolt Offshore will continue to be a major operator of ROV's in relation to our offshore construction business. We are happy to see our ROV drill support employees and assets going to a market leader in this segment."