BARDEX EQUIPS NORTH SEA PLATFORMS
WITH RIG SKIDDING SYSTEMS

GOLETA, California, U.S.A., March 1, 2002

Bardex Corporation is preparing to ship the last system in the company's recent flurry of orders for hydraulic rig skidding systems, all of which are destined for operation in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.

The latest shipment is to Aker Stord AS of Kristiansand, Norway for use on the Norsk Hydro AS Grane platform in the Norwegian Sea. The rig skidding system consists of one 300 Te push/pull capacity hydraulic Gripper Jack assembly and one 400 Te push/pull capacity hydraulic Gripper Jack assembly for East/West skidding, two 650 Te push/pull capacity hydraulic Gripper Jack assemblies for North/South skidding, and a Control Console assembly.

Included in the recent Bardex shipments was a skidding and locking system for BP Amoco's new Vahall field platform water injection project, a rig skidding system for Statoil's Kvitebjørn field development platform, and a rig skidding system for the Esso Norge AS Ringhorne drilling platform, all located in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea.

Bardex is the inventor of the combined hydraulic friction lock/double acting jacking cylinder assembly(known as the "Gripper Jack") which is used around the world to skid heavy loads. The company has over 250 rig skidding systems, including over 80 in the North Sea/Norwegian Sea, installed worldwide which utilize the technology.

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