Seabulk Earns ISM Certification

Seabulk International, Inc. announced that its U.S.-based offshore energy support subsidiary, Seabulk Offshore, Ltd. (SOL), has been certified by the American Bureau of Shipping to be in compliance with the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (International Safety Management (ISM) Code). The Document of Compliance certification is valid for five years with an annual audit. SOL, with primary offices in Houston, Texas; Lafayette and Amelia, La., services oil and gas exploration facilities primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, operating a fleet of 60 vessels including anchor-handling tug supply vessels, supply vessels and crew boats. SOL is part of the worldwide Seabulk Offshore group of companies, the world's third largest operator of oilfield support vessels, with a total fleet of 142 workboats in nearly all of the world's major offshore markets. Seabulk International's president and chief executive officer, Gerhard E. Kurz, commented, "ISM certification is an internationally recognized standard of excellence requiring tremendous dedication, hard work and discipline. As certification is voluntary for Seabulk Offshore's domestic operations, SOL's accomplishment demonstrates its total commitment to providing quality service to our domestic offshore customers, while enhancing personnel safety and operating in an environmentally responsible manner. In fact, the ISM Code provides a vehicle for maintaining the highest safety standards throughout our Company." Parent company Seabulk International, Inc. also maintains ISM Code certification along with subsidiaries Seabulk Offshore International (Dubai, United Arab Emirates); Seabulk Offshore S.A. (Nyon, Switzerland); and Seabulk Tankers, Inc. (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), which operates a modern fleet of 10 U.S.-flag Jones Act petroleum and chemical product carriers. Two other subsidiaries -- Seabulk Towing, with 31 vessels in seven southeastern U.S. ports and the Gulf of Mexico, and Sun State Marine Services, a Florida shipyard and inland tug and barge operation -- are certified under the American Waterways Operators' Responsible Carrier Program, an ISM Code equivalent safety management system for the towing industry. During the fourth quarter, two Seabulk tankers, the Seabulk America and the Seabulk Magnachem, reached milestones in the Company's commitment to safety, quality and environmental protection, becoming the first Seabulk vessels to receive their five-year recertification to the ISM Code and the ISO 9002 standard of excellence.