MMS Honors Finalists in Annual SAFE Competition

Only the best of the best become national finalists in the much-anticipated Safety Awards for Excellence (SAFE) annual competition sponsored by the Minerals Management Service.

Presented annually to Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas operators and contractors who achieve excellence in safety and pollution prevention, the National SAFE awards recognize outstanding performance by the offshore industry.

"This year's finalists have demonstrated that offshore energy can be produced safely and cleanly" said Randall Luthi, Director of the MMS. "Offshore operators face enormous technical, safety and pollution prevention challenges. MMS salutes and applauds the efforts of these companies. They work diligently to secure America's energy resources while raising the standard of safety and pollution prevention."

Established in 1983, the SAFE Awards recognize and honor companies that make concerted efforts to train and motivate their employees to conduct offshore operations in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.

Each year, OCS oil and gas operators from within high and moderate activity categories as well as drilling and production contractors are selected as finalists for the award. A company in the high activity category produces at least 10 million barrels of oil equivalent per year and operates a minimum of 1,000 in-service components during the year. A moderate activity company produces at least one million barrels of oil equivalent per year and operates a minimum of 100 in-service components during the year. MMS selects one winner from each category.

The 2008 SAFE categories include High OCS Activity, Moderate OCS Activity, Drilling Contractor and Production Contractor.

The finalists in the High OCS Activity category are Anadarko Petroleum, Chevron USA, El Paso Production and Shell Exploration & Production.

The finalists in the Moderate OCS Activity category are Apex Oil and Gas, LLOG Exploration, Noble Energy, Prime Offshore and Seneca Resources.

The finalists in the Drilling Contractor category are Helmerich & Payne, Noble Drilling and Transocean.

The finalists in the Production Contractor category are Baker Energy, C&D Production Specialist, Danos & Curole Marine Contractors and Island Operating.

All finalists mentioned above are listed in alphabetical order.

SAFE winners will be announced at an awards luncheon to be held on Thursday, April 10, 2008, at the Hilton Americas Houston Hotel. Registration information is available by contacting Debbie O'Brien at 703-787-1579.