Swire Pacific Offshore Launches Latest D Class Vessel, Pacific Duchess ; Fleet to Expand from 80 to 100 by End 2015

Fleet to Expand from 80 to 100 by End 2015

Shipowner and operator, Swire Pacific Offshore Operations (Pte) Ltd (SPO) celebrates the latest addition to its existing D Class fleet with the launch and naming of Pacific Duchess.

The ceremony was held in the late evening of 20 August 2013, Tuesday at Singapore Technologies Marine (ST Marine) shipyard in Singapore. Graced by Lady Sponsor, Ms Lilian van IJzendoorn, the event was attended by over 80 staff and family members of SPO and ST Marine, many of whom have been actively involved in the project since its inception.

Pacific Duchess is scheduled to be delivered in early 2014. This is the fourth of a series of six D Class vessels under contract from ST Marine for SPO. Please refer to Appendix A for the Fact Sheet of Pacific Duchess.

"The launch and naming ceremony of Pacific Duchess is another milestone for SPO as we continue to develop our deepwater anchor handling capability. Once delivered, Pacific Duchess will join her sister vessels in our modern fleet of fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly offshore support vessels, Pacific Defiance, Pacific Diligence, Pacific Dolphin, to serve the needs of our customers across the world," says Managing Director, Mr Neil Glenn.

The D Class vessels are well-equipped with advanced technical capabilities to support the latest generation of semi-submersible rigs operating in harsh deep water environments. Built to clean-class SPS 2008 and ice notations, these Havyard-designed vessels are designed to be fuel-efficient, to reduce environmental impact in whichever roles they are deployed to perform and to enhance safety during demanding deck anchor handling operations. They possess large capacity 500 MT RRM Brattvagg winches, latest dynamic positioning technology, enhanced station keeping with independent drop down azimuth thrusters, anchor recovery frame (ARF) and travelling cranes. The vessels also have ample cargo capacity and deck space for a wide range of other offshore applications.

SPO aims to have eight D Class vessels in its fleet by the end of 2014. Vessels in the series delivered to date include Pacific Defiance (February 2013), Pacific Diligence (April 2013) and Pacific Dolphin (August 2013). Pacific Dove has been launched and is expected to be delivered in December 2013. The four remaining vessels in the series, Pacific Duchess, Pacific Discovery, Pacific Dispatch and Pacific Dragon will be delivered in 2014.

About Swire Pacific Offshore (SPO)

Swire Pacific Offshore Operations (Pte) Ltd is a leading service provider to the offshore oil and gas industry with a network that spans the globe. Over the years, SPO has become a trusted name in the oil and gas industry and built a good reputation for its operational excellence.

Headquartered in Singapore since 1975, SPO is a fully owned subsidiary of Swire Pacific Limited. In line with its vision, "Excellence in Marine Services", SPO prides itself on striving for excellence in every operation, every time, everywhere, Strong emphasis is placed on health, safety, the environment and sustainable development.

Today, SPO owns and operates a diverse fleet of more than 80 offshore support vessels, including anchor handling tug supply vessels, platform supply vessels, ice-breaking supply vessels, anchor handling tugs, seismic survey vessels, wind-farm installation vessels, accommodation vessels and multi-purpose offshore vessels. SPO has projected to expand its fleet to more than 100 vessels by end 2015. SPO and its subsidiaries operate vessels in every major oil exploration region outside of North America and cover a wide global footprint that spans across continents. Its regional offices can be found in Angola, Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Brunei, Cameroon, Denmark, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, The Philippines, Russia, Scotland and the United Arab Emirates.

For more details, visit http://www.swire.com.sg/.