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
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