Aqueos Corporation, a premier subsea services provider for the offshore oil and gas sectors of the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific West Coast, receives a prestigious award from national publication, EHS Today

This nationally recognized honor awards Aqueos Corporation for being one of "America's Safest Companies". Aqueos was selected for this designation from over three hundred nominated companies from all over the United States, and is the only company in the diving industry to have ever earned this accreditation. Aqueos President and CEO, Ted Roche, states "Since our inception, we have focused our efforts towards being the safest company in our industry."

Roche further commented, "It is an honor that Aqueos is the only company in the diving industry to have ever received this award. This recognition validates the commitment of our employees towards zero-incidents and to continuous improvement."

Aqueos Corporation, with offices in Broussard, LA and Ventura, CA, provides marine construction and specialty subsea services including a complete range of commercial diving, remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and vessel-related services primarily to the offshore oil and gas markets.

Statoil has announced that Peter Hutton (photo) has been appointed senior vice president CFO investor relations and will report to chief financial officer Torgrim Reitan.

Hutton is currently director of oil and gas research in RBC Capital Markets London, and has broad international experience from the oil and gas industry. He has spent 12 years in the oil and gas industry and 16 years within the financial industry.

Hutton holds a master of arts degree in modern history from the University of Oxford, UK and a diploma in international politics and the Middle East from Birkbeck College, UK. He will take on the role from 1 January 2015.

"Peter has extensive insight into the oil and gas industry and the financial markets. He has consistently been ranked as one of the best equity analysts and has a broad network across companies and institutions. I look forward to his contribution to Statoil and to have him as a part of my team," says Reitan.

BMT Group Ltd (BMT), the leading international design, engineering and risk management consultancy, has announced the appointment of Ray McGlynn (photo) as Sales Manager for Offshore Oil and Gas.

Ray will be responsible for European and African regional sales support and assisting Louise Ledgard, Offshore Oil and Gas Business Development Lead in supporting the co-ordination of ocean engineering sales across the BMT Group.

Ray has extensive experience within the oil and gas industry including marketing and sales activities, strategic planning and business development, as well as extensive project management skills; from initial tendering through to project completion.

BMT Group's Energy and Environment Director, Ralph Rayner commented "We are delighted that Ray has joined our offshore oil and gas team. His business acumen and engineering experience will be invaluable as we seek to further develop the scope of services to our clients in the offshore oil and gas sector."

Athens Group, a leading provider of independent, 3rd-party technology assurance and inspection services for oil and gas drilling and production assets, continues on pace for a record-breaking year of 70% growth. This growth can be attributed to the increased value rig owners and operators place on the systems-based quality assurance services provided by Athens Group, which measurably improve the safety and reliability of drilling and production assets.

The company's growth is also being fueled by its BOP and Rig Inspection services, which utilize comprehensive and automatically generated inspection checklists based on a proprietary database of international standards and regulations, in addition to increased demand for its industry-leading 3rd-party Hardware in the Loop (HIL) Verification services.

The company recently relocated its Houston operations to a larger office space in the Energy Corridor on South Dairy Ashford Street and launched a new website to showcase its expanded suite of quality assurance and inspection services at www.athensgroup.com. Athens Group has also extended its service delivery presence beyond Europe, Asia, and Africa into the Middle East and Latin America.

Former RAF aircrew, Colin Griffiths (photo), is joining OPITO International as managing director to lead the roll-out of common safety training standards across the global oil and gas industry.

Mr. Griffiths will take up his new appointment, based in Dubai, at the end of October 2014, replacing out-going managing director Ian Laing who is retiring after seven years in the role.

Funded by industry, for industry, OPITO has a proven track-record in responding to the global oil and gas industry's training needs. Having successfully designed and monitored safety training standards in the North Sea for many years, OPITO created an international organizational structure to support its global roll-out of safety standards and workforce development. Today around 250,000 people in 40 countries are training to those standards every year, helping improve safety and competency in oil and gas.

Joining OPITO from Talisman Sinopec in Aberdeen, where he was operations superintendent responsible for day-to-day operations of two North Sea assets, Mr Griffiths will lead OPITO International's drive for the adoption of common global safety training standards.

Having trained as an electrical engineer with British Steel, Mr. Griffiths spent eight years front line flying with the RAF where he was responsible for conducting electronic surveillance as a member of the Nimrod crew, which carried out search and rescue and anti-terrorist missions. He entered the oil and gas industry in 1990 as an engineering contractor for Shell, moving into projects and operations before joining Talisman Sinopec in 2012.

Commenting on his new role, Mr. Griffiths said: "The success of the oil and gas industry is on achieving the right balance between optimizing production and ensuring the safety of our people. Safety therefore features in everything we do. Wherever we are in the world, we need to set standards in training and competency before we send people offshore or into other hazardous environments. I am passionate about and totally motivated by getting the safety piece right which is why I am both privileged and excited to be taking up this international role with OPITO – the standard-bearer for our industry."

Mr. Griffiths believes there are significant parallels between the RAF and the oil and gas industry. He said: "The Nimrod was the workhorse of the RAF; it had performed with distinction in every major conflict since 1969 with the assumption that it would always be a safe platform, but in 2006 over Afghanistan we lost an aircraft and its entire crew, not through enemy action but due to a poorly constructed safety case and organizational failings. This was a tragedy for those involved, their families and the RAF. Having known every member of that crew, I am fully aware of the impact it has on everyone, in the same way that those affected by recent offshore fatal incidents, whether it be on-board platforms or helicopters, suffered and continue to suffer.

"Ageing offshore assets and creeping complacency in oil and gas can have catastrophic repercussions. Too often people are focused on the task rather than on the safety which is what causes accidents. OPITO aims to make sure that every oil and gas worker anywhere in the world is totally focused on safety with the right training and competence to carry out the task."

Group chief executive of OPITO, David Doig, said: "OPITO's proven track record internationally is in safe hands with Colin. His passion for the challenges ahead of us as we seek to embed the OPITO standards framework in every oil and gas province around the world, will ensure we continue to effectively engage with employers, government and regulators and deliver high-value long-term change in relation to safety."

The Board of Directors met on Wednesday and paid homage to Chairman and CEO Christophe de Margerie, who died tragically in an airplane accident in Moscow on the night of October 20-21, 2014.

After joining the Group in 1974, Christophe de Margerie was appointed to the Executive Committee in 1999, then named CEO of Total on February 14, 2007, and Chairman and CEO on May 21, 2010. He dedicated his brilliant career to the development of the Group, enabling its glowing success in the oil and gas sector and more recently in solar energy. The exceptional human and professional qualities that Christophe de Margerie exhibited during his time at Total were largely responsible for the success of the Group.

Following the recommendations of the Governance & Ethics Committee which met today, the Board of Directors made two unanimous decisions:

It named Thierry Desmarest Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Desmarest is currently a member of the Board and Honorary Chairman of the Board.

It named Patrick Pouyanné Chief Executive Officer and President of the Executive Committee. Until today, he was President of Refining & Chemicals and a member of the Executive Committee. After holding several important executive positions in the Upstream segment in France and internationally over the past fourteen years, Patrick Pouyanné successfully managed the transformation of the Refining & Chemicals segment.

Thierry Desmarest's role as Chairman of the Board of Directors will conclude at the end of 2015 in accordance with the age limits stipulated in the Group's bylaws. The positions of Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer will then be recombined.

Following the designation by the Central Works Council of a Board member to represent employee shareholders, which is scheduled for November 4, 2014, the Group's Board of Directors will consist of fourteen members, including one employee shareholder representative.

Thierry Desmarest

About Thierry Desmarest
A graduate of the École Polytechnique and an Engineer of the French Corps des Mines, Mr. Desmarest served as Director of Mines and Geology in New Caledonia, then as technical advisor at the Offices of the Minister of Industry and the Minister of Economy. He joined TOTAL in 1981, where he held various management positions, then served as President of Exploration & Production until 1995. He served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Total from May 1995 until February 2007, and then as Chairman of the Board of Total until May 21, 2010. He was appointed Honorary Chairman and remains a director of Total and Chairman of the Total Foundation.
Director of TOTAL S.A. since 1995. 
Last renewal: May 17, 2013 until 2016.
Chairman of the Governance & Ethics Committee, member of the
Compensation Committee and the Strategic Committee. 
The Honorary Chairman performs representation missions of the Group at a high level in accordance with the decision of the Board of Directors on May 21, 2010.

Patrick Pouyanné

About Patrick Pouyanné
A graduate of École Polytechnique and an Engineer of the French Corps des Mines. From 1989 to 1996, he held various positions in the French Industry Ministry and in ministerial offices, including Environment and Industry Technical Advisor to the Prime Minister from 1993 to 1995 and Chief of Staff to the Information Technology and Space Minister from 1995 to 1996. He joined Total in January 1997, as Chief Administrative Officer of Total E&P Angola and became Group Representative in Qatar and CEO of Total E&P Qatar in 1999.
In August 2002, he was named Senior Vice President, Finance, Economics and Information Systems in Exploration & Production. In January 2006, he became Senior Vice President, Strategy, Business Development and R&D in Exploration & Production. Patrick Pouyanné has been a member of Total's Management Committee since May 2006. In March 2011, he was appointed Senior Vice President, Chemicals and Senior Vice President, Petrochemicals. In January 2012, Patrick Pouyanné was appointed President, Refining & Chemicals and member of the Executive Committee.

Greene's Energy Group, LLC (GEG), a leading provider of integrated testing, rentals and specialty services, has named Robert Fraser(photo) as regional business development manager.

Based in Dubai, Fraser will be responsible for business development initiatives within the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and countries surrounding the Caspian Sea.

Fraser has more than 35 years¬¬ of experience in the oil and gas industry, specifically within pipeline and process pre-commissioning and commissioning. For more than 20 years, Robert has worked with major service companies in a variety senior management roles throughout the Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia.

"Robert brings extensive knowledge of the industry, its clients and its requirements in both developed and developing countries," said John Johnston, managing director of Asia Pacific & Middle East at GEG. "He will strengthen our team and our presence in these regions for the benefit of new business opportunities for Greene's Energy Group."

Unique Maritime Group (UMG), one of the world's leading integrated turnkey subsea and offshore solutions provider has recently held its annual strategic board meeting in Dubai, UAE from the 8th to 10th of October. At the meeting, the Group has formally announced the joining of a new member to its family – Steve MacMillan (photo) as the Global Project Director for its Diving Division and the Global QHSE Director. He will be based at UMG's head office in Sharjah, UAE.

Steve's main responsibilities will focus on managing and coordinating large and complex Diving related projects through all phases of design, permitting and construction. He will also provide leadership for the regional site project management teams by managing, coordinating and developing UMG staff. Steve will also be responsible for developing and driving the companies QHSE culture in his role as Director of QHSE.

Steve started his early career in the Diving industry in 1981 as an air diver, working out of Singapore. He then rapidly progressed on to becoming a saturation diver and onwards as a Saturation supervisor. In 1995, Steve joined McDermott as an operations manager and ultimately became the Director of International Diving for McDermott as well as Director of HSES for the Subsea Group. Steve's focus on Health & Safety has always been at the forefront of his leadership style.

Steve has played an active role in the Diving Industry; he is currently the IMCA Far East Chairman, the IMCA Diving Division Chairman and a Vice Chairman on the OGP Diving Industry Workgroup.

On this occasion, Harry Gandhi, CEO @ Unique Maritime Group commented, "We @ UMG are profoundly delighted to have Steve on board. Steve brings with him a wide array of experience, energy and knowledge of the diving industry. This move will further bring in significant amount of positive changes in UMG's diving division. We would now look at undertaking new, challenging and complex projects for customers across the globe. We also look forward to further develop the QHSE culture at all our offices under Steve's apt guidance."

Steve MacMillan affirmed, "I am very excited to take up my new role at Unique Maritime Group as it is a renowned name in the diving sector for offering world-class products and services to customers globally. I look forward to value add and contribute to the company's overall growth and strategic plans and achieve its objectives successfully."

Unique Maritime Group offers a wide range of diving equipments, some of these include commercial diving equipment, saturation diving systems, decompression chambers, daughter craft systems, breathing air compressors and Hyperbaric Rescue Facility.

Hoover Container Solutions Pty Ltd (Hoover), a subsidiary of Hoover Group Inc., has moved to a larger and newly renovated facility in Perth, Western Australia (WA) to accommodate its expansion in the region. The new distribution and service center allows Hoover to provide expanded services in WA while handling all intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), ISO tanks and offshore equipment destined for oil and gas platforms, mining sites, islands and supply bases north of Perth.

The site sits on more than an acre in the Marine Support Complex in Henderson, WA, a suburb of Perth. It is approved as a washing facility by the Department of Agriculture and is completely funded for approval by the Environmental Protection Agency. The facility plans to commence operations by late fall and will have the capability to launder to National Australian Standard - Class Six (NAS 6).

The complex hosts two large wash bays and workshop that have in-ground sump pits and underground storage tanks. A concrete hard stand has numerous ground tanks that capture all rain water that will later be used for the rinsing of tanks.

"Our new location allows us to efficiently and safely clean tanks in Western Australia, which helps us to better serve our customers," said Paul Lewis, president and chief operating officer of Hoover. "We are eager to expand into Western Australia, and this new location is a reflection of that desire."

In the future, the facility will also provide re-certification, repairs and maintenance at a National Australian Testing Authorities (NATA) certified level.

ExxonMobil and its employees and retirees in Northern Virginia raised more than $2.4 million for charitable organizations and local charities in the Northern Virginia area during the 2014 Employees' Favorite Charities campaign.

Employees and retirees contributed to nearly 600 charities that provide a wide range of local health and human services to residents in Fairfax, Northern Virginia and the Washington, D.C. capital region.

"ExxonMobil has a long history of supporting community groups and educational organizations in Northern Virginia through financial contributions and thousands of hours volunteered by employees and retirees," said Alan Kelly, president, ExxonMobil Fuels, Lubricants & Specialties Marketing Company. "The campaign is powered by the generosity of our employees and retirees as a way to give back where we live and work."

Since 2002, ExxonMobil and its employees and retirees in Fairfax have provided more than $29.6 million and 410,664 volunteer hours in support of nearly 6,250 charitable organizations in the area.

BG Group announced on Wednesday the appointment of Helge Lund (photo) as Chief Executive and as an Executive Director with effect from March 2, 2015.

Helge is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Statoil, a $77 billion1 international energy company, operating in 36 countries. Over the past 10 years, Helge has led the transformation of the business into one of the world's leading oil and gas companies. His decision to step down from Statoil to join BG Group was announced on October 15, 2014.

Prior to his 10 years as CEO of Statoil, Helge served as the CEO of Aker Kvaerner, an industrial conglomerate with operations in oil & gas and shipbuilding. He previously also served in the roles of Deputy CEO and Chief Financial Officer at the pharmaceutical division of Hafslund Nycomed, an industrial conglomerate.

Andrew Gould, Chairman of BG Group, commented: 
"Helge's track record speaks for itself. He has built a world-class exploration and production portfolio at Statoil, and the company is now widely admired for its technical expertise, financial performance and strong, values-based culture. Helge is ideally suited to lead BG Group in the next phase of its growth, and to accelerate the creation and delivery of value for our shareholders, while delivering the Group's business plans. The Board and I are delighted to have secured his appointment."

Helge Lund, incoming Chief Executive of BG Group said:
"BG Group is a Company with a strong set of assets and opportunities. I look forward to joining this organisation and working with BG's people to develop the Company's full potential."

Ahead of this appointment, the BG Group Board undertook an extensive global search, led by Andrew Gould. In light of that process, the Board has concluded that it is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders to secure the appointment of Helge as Chief Executive given his strong track record, skills and experience.

The Board has approved a remuneration package that is competitive in the international oil and gas industry. The package includes a conditional allocation of shares, along with salary, bonus, pension and long-term incentive awards.

The conditional allocation of shares is outside the Company's remuneration policy approved by shareholders at its Annual General Meeting in 2014. As such, it requires separate approval by shareholders. A specially convened general meeting will take place before the end of the year.

Andrew Gould commented further:
"BG Group has excellent prospects. We will have strong production growth and cash generation over the coming years from our projects in Brazil and Australia. To make the most of this potential, we need to build on our strengths in exploration and LNG and also become a world-class operator. The Company needs a proven leader from the oil and gas industry to deliver the exceptional opportunities available to it. We will be consulting with our shareholders and we are confident that they will be supportive."

Listing Rule 9.6.13
In accordance with paragraph 9.6.13 of the Listing Rules, BG Group confirms that, other than as set out in this announcement, there are no disclosures to be made.

The Louisiana Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense office, recently honored Danos with the Pro Patria Award in recognition of the company's extraordinary support of employees who serve in the Louisiana National Guard and Reserve.

The annual Pro Patria Award is the highest honor bestowed by a state ESGR committee to a civilian employer. According to Louisiana ESGR Vice Chair Larry Jones, the committee selected Danos to receive the Pro Patria Award because of the company's leadership practices, including adopting personnel policies that make it easier for employees to participate in the National Guard and Reserves.

Each year, guard and reserve employees, have the opportunity to nominate their employer for the Freedom Award. Danos was a semi-finalist on a national level and one of only three employers recognized from Louisiana.

"I am so proud to receive this award on behalf of Danos," said Hank Danos, president. "What makes this award so special is that we were nominated by one of our employees – Doug Kunkle, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. I have tremendous respect for the men and women who serve in the armed forces, and Danos is honored to have veterans and reservists as part of our team."

In addition to the Pro Patria Award, Danos has also received the Department of Defense's Above and Beyond Award, Seven Seals Award, and was a finalist for the national Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their outstanding support of employees serving in the Guard and Reserve. In 2013, two Danos employees – Reed Pere, production services division manager, and Eric Danos, executive vice president –received the ESGR's Patriot Award.

Responsibilities now include Safety, Security, Health and Environment (SSHE)

Athens Group, a leading provider of independent, 3rd-party technology assurance and inspection services for oil and gas drilling and production assets, has expanded the role of the Chief Safety Officer, Don Shafer, to include not only safety, but also security, health and environment.

"The added emphasis on security is necessary because of Athens Group growth and the increased value rig owners and operators place on the systems-based quality assurance services we provide to improve the safety and reliability of their drilling and production assets," said Mike Haney, CEO. "Plus, as we extended our service delivery presence beyond Europe, Asia, and Africa into the Middle East and Latin America, we needed to expand our SSHE procedures," he concluded.

The increased hacking and malware being seen on oil and gas assets necessitated the emphasis on "Security." Athens Group's new BOP and Rig Inspection services include comprehensive security checklists. These inspections, along with 3rd-party Hardware in the Loop (HIL) Verification services require a company-wide focus on security.

Don Shafer, now the Chief Safety, Security, Health and Environment Officer, is an Athens Group co-founder and the company's first Technical Fellow.

Company Also Announces Additional Executive Leadership Changes

Noble Energy, Inc(NYSE: NBL) announced that the Board of Directors has elected David L. Stover as President and Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Charles D. Davidson as CEO. Mr. Stover's election is consistent with the management succession plan disclosed in April of this year when it was announced that Mr. Davidson would be retiring on May 1, 2015. Mr. Stover has previously been serving as the Company's President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Davidson will continue to serve as the Company's Chairman until the 2015 Annual Meeting at which time he will be leaving the Board of Directors. The Board also announced that it intends to elect Mr. Stover as Chairman of the Board immediately following the 2015 Annual Meeting.

The Company also announced that Susan M. Cunningham has been elected Executive Vice President responsible for Noble Energy's global Exploration, New Ventures, Frontier, Environmental, Health, Safety, Regulatory and Business Innovation activities. In addition, Gary W. Willingham has been elected Executive Vice President responsible for Noble Energy's global Production, Drilling, Major Projects and Supply Chain activities. Both Ms. Cunningham and Mr. Willingham will report directly to Mr. Stover.

Harvey Gulf International Marine, LLC have announced its continued strategic business growth by establishing Harvey Gulf International Marine de Mexico S.A.P.I. de C.V. With a presence in Mexico, Harvey Gulf is now able to fully service the needs of its clients currently operating in the offshore oil and gas segment of Mexico, and position itself to fully service the needs of future clients that will enter the market. Recently approved changes in Mexican law allow foreign ownership in hydrocarbons which facilitates this growth.

Shane Guidry, CEO of Harvey Gulf International Marine, says "We recognize the growth potential in the Mexican market for our business. The establishment of Harvey Gulf International Marine de Mexico will allow us to fully deliver our services direct to our clients in Mexico. Harvey Gulf's professionalism, new generation of assets, superior performance and safer operations will provide our customers value and address their significant needs in Mexico. This is what Harvey Gulf has built its reputation on. We will grow our business by continuing our high standard of operational excellence through incident free operations and with the deployment of assets which will strategically position Harvey Gulf to support Mexican operations. The initial area of operation will primarily be in Ciudad del Carmen, Mexico; however we will be able to operate in any other port facility locations along the Mexican coast to support operations.

By establishing Harvey Gulf International Marine de Mexico, it shows our commitment and continued journey to become the dominant player in our field which specializes in providing Offshore Supply and Multi–Purpose Support Vessels for Deepwater Operations Worldwide"

In order to more effectively align and leverage CGG's strength in potential field and electromagnetic geophysical methods, effective January 1st, 2015, a Business Line named Multi-Physics will be established in the Acquisition Division. This Business Line will combine all of the current Airborne Business Line with the GravMag Solutions business that is presently in the Marine Business Line. The Multi-Physics Business Line will be led by Gregory Paleolog.

The distinct brand identities of GravMag Solutions and Airborne will be retained with each of these business units continuing to trade under these names. Emily Farquhar will continue to lead GravMag Solutions, now reporting to Greg, and the Airborne management structure and reporting relationships will be unaffected.

The term Multi-Physics is commonly used in both the scientific community and the marketplace to describe solutions derived from the integration of multiple physical parameter measurements or datasets. In CGG, the use of the descriptive term Multi-Physics will replace the informal term "Non-Seismics", previously used to describe alternative geophysical and remote sensing techniques. The two specialized teams also performing non-seismic techniques in Massy (General Geophysics) and Rio de Janeiro (Ground Geophysics Brasil) will remain in the Land Business Line due to their tight integration with the commercial and operational teams in Land. However, processes will be developed to ensure effective commercial coordination as we strive to increase the awareness and acceptance of a Multi-Physics solutions approach towards answering our customers' geological questions.

CGG has world-leading positions in the application of potential fields methods to oil & gas exploration and in the ability to provide geoscience solutions utilizing a combination of geological and geophysical techniques. The Multi-Physics Business Line will reinforce the market understanding of these capabilities and allow us to further develop in these areas by concentrating our similar resources and expertise.