direct/ Aker Kvaerner (NO) - Aker Kvaerner acquires drilling technology company

1 August 2007 - Aker Kvaerner has signed an agreement for acquisition of 50 percent of the shares in the German company Wirth Maschinen- und Bohrgeräte-Fabrik GmbH ("Wirth") with an option to buy the remaining shares within the next years.

Wirth is a quality supplier of drilling equipment such as mud pumps, drawworks and components for top drives. In addition the company provides tunnel and foundation boring machines for infrastructure projects and products for the mining and processing industries.

Wirth has been a key supplier for the Aker Kvaerner subsidiary Aker Kvaerner MH for more than 20 years and Wirth´s products have been included in many of the complete drilling packages recently awarded to Aker Kvaerner MH.

"Wirth technology complements Aker Kvaerner´s technology portfolio and enables us to offer our own complete drilling packages. It also provides an excellent foundation for further technology development", says Mads Andersen, executive vice president in Aker Kvaerner.

Wirth is a privately held company headquartered in Erkelenz, Germany, and currently employs 480 people. In addition to the operations in Erkelenz, Wirth has subsidiaries and joint ventures in the US, China, Italy and Ukraine. Wirth´s products are shipped to global markets. The company´s revenue in 2006 amounted to 140 million Euros and has a strong order backlog, competence and technology base for further technology of drilling equipment.

For the last 110 years, Wirth has been successfully developing, manufacturing and selling drilling equipment and systems. The company provides cutting-edge technical solutions for a wide variety of requirements.

Mads Andersen says, "Being a technology leader is a core part of our strategy and is a key differentiator for us in our effort to be a preferred business partner. We focus on developing safe and environmentally friendly technologies that add value to our clients operations"

ENDS

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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

For further information, please contact:

Media:
Siw Anett Enerud, Communications manager, Aker Kvaerner Products & Technologies. Tel: +47 22 94 71 92, Mob: +47 95 19 34 15

Investor relations:
Lasse Torkildsen, VP Investor Relations, Aker Kvaerner. Tel: +47 67 51 30 39

Suppliers:
For further information about sourcing and potential subcontracts for this project, please contact Bjørn E. Klepsvik, SVP Aker Kvaerner Products & Technologies. Tel.: +47 22 51 63

Career opportunities:
Visit http://www.akerkvaerner.com/Internet/CareerCentre

AKER KVÆRNER ASA, through its subsidiaries and affiliates ("Aker Kvaerner"), is a leading global provider of engineering and construction services, technology products and integrated solutions. The business within Aker Kvaerner comprises several industries, including Oil & Gas, Refining & Chemicals, Mining & Metals and Power Generation. The Aker Kvaerner group is organised in a number of separate legal entities. Aker Kvaerner is used as the common brand/trademark for most of these entities.

The parent company in the group is Aker Kværner ASA. Aker Kvaerner has aggregated annual revenues of approximately NOK 50 billion and employs approximately 23 000 people in about 30 countries.

Aker Kvaerner is part of Aker (www.akerasa.com), a group of premier companies with a focus on energy, maritime and marine-resources industries. The Aker companies share a common set of values and long traditions of industrial innovation. As an industrial owner with a 40.1 per cent holding in Aker Kvaerner, Aker ASA takes an active role in the development of its holdings.

This press release may include forward-looking information or statements and is subject to our disclaimer, see our web-pages www.akerkvaerner.com

The announcement distributed by Hugin directnews.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

This release was published on openPR.