Brunei Shell Agreement
Plexus Holdings Plc
06 June 2006
Plexus Holdings PLC / Index: AIM / Epic: POS / Sector:
6 June 2006
Plexus Holdings PLC ('Plexus' or 'the Company')
US$2.4 million Agreement with Brunei Shell Petroleum Sdn Bhd
Plexus Holdings PLC, the AIM listed oil and gas engineering services business,
has agreed with Brunei Shell Petroleum Sdn Bhd ('BSP'), to supply high pressure/
high temperature (HP/HT) rental exploration wellhead equipment, using the
Company's proprietary POS-GRIPTM technology, for a minimum of four wells. The
two year project, worth over US$2.4 million, including service and support
charges, commences in November 2006. The Directors believe that the initial
contract, which is subject to completion of relevant contract terms, should lead
to further orders both with Shell and in the region over the coming years.
This is the Company's first agreement for the supply of POS-GRIP equipment with
a Shell operating company, and is an important milestone in Plexus' declared
strategy of creating a new wellhead standard. The Directors believe that
Plexus' POS-GRIP technology was chosen in preference to existing systems due to
enhanced safety, time, and cost benefits, and that the quality of the project
and the technical grounds on which the equipment was selected will further raise
the profile of the POS-GRIP method.
The 15,000 psi gas service wellhead systems to be supplied to BSP are designed
for high temperature service. This type of technology, which is often needed on
deep, prolific production wells, fits into a sector of the market where Plexus
is currently particularly active. During the critical flow testing phase of
these wells, the system relies on proprietary POS-GRIP HG TM metal seals for
superior integrity.
The POS-GRIP method of engineering for wellheads and connectors involves
deforming one tubular member against another to effect gripping and sealing
within the elastic range, and has many advantages in dealing with the high
forces associated with the HP/HT oil and gas environments for which there is
increasing global demand due to the strong energy appetite and need to explore
for oil and gas in ever more challenging locations.
This development further reduces the Company's dependence on the North Sea and
will in the future help it avoid the ongoing impact of rig availability
constraints in the North Sea, whilst further opening up the global marketplace.
The winning of business in the last six months with the larger oil companies in
Egypt and now Brunei bodes well for the future, and gives the Board confidence
in the Company's ability to expand further a field and make progress in
potentially lucrative areas such as the Gulf of Mexico.
Plexus CEO Ben van Bilderbeek said: 'This is a key development for the Company
as it represents our first step into Asia, and is our first contract with Shell.
Importantly it provides an excellent 'shop window' within the Shell community
for POS-GRIP, and is further corroboration of the particular suitability of our
technology for the more unconventional and technically challenging applications.
POS-GRIP provides a number of key advantages which are particularly beneficial
in relation to this contract, including considerable time and cost savings and
enhanced safety having undergone tests far beyond the requirement of the most
stringent API standards.'
* * ENDS * *
Contacts:
Ben van Bilderbeek Plexus Holdings Plc Tel: 020 7589 8555
Graham Stevens Plexus Holdings Plc Tel: 020 7589 8555
Hugo de Salis St Brides Media & Finance Ltd Tel: 020 7242 4477
Notes:
The Plexus Group is an established oil and gas engineering, and service business
based in Aberdeen, with an office in London and a presence in Houston, Texas
through PDT. Plexus' primary has developed and patented a method of engineering
for oil and gas field wellheads and connectors, named POS GRIPTM, which involves
deforming one tubular member against another to effect gripping and sealing.
Plexus was admitted to trading on AIM in December 2005 when it raised
approximately £10m of new funds for the Company.
POS-GRIP wellhead systems have been used in more than 60 oil and gas wells to
date by international customers and end users including, ConocoPhillips, BHP
Billiton, Talisman Energy, Tullow Oil, Global Santa Fe, Gaz de France and
Wintershall. In February 2004, BP contracted to purchase POS-GRIP gas platform
production wellhead systems for the US$4.1 billion Shah Deniz development, one
of the major gas fields in the Caspian Sea. Between 2005 and the end of 2008,
the Directors estimate that this relationship has and will generate revenues in
excess of £6.5 million for the Group.
The Company's is aiming to accelerate the roll out of POS-GRIP technology as a
superior alternative to current wellhead technology. It has particular
advantages in High Pressure/High temperature (HP/HT) oil and gas environments
for which there is increasing demand throughout the world. The Company's
long-term goal is to develop POS-GRIP technology as the future industry standard
for wellhead design. This objective includes the distribution of POS-GRIP
technology through licensees to maximise market penetration. The Directors
believe that the Plexus Group can over time become a member of the 'first tier'
of global wellhead systems suppliers.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange RAR