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board of directors has authorized a significant expansion of the compa- ny's Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) fleet. Seven new Hydra Magnum and Quantum work-class vehicles will be manufactured at Oceaneering's Morgan City, La., facility for delivery between January and July. The units are being built to meet increased mar- ket demand for ROVs around the world, specifically for use in water depths greater than 1,000 ft. (304.8 m) of seawater (FSW) and in severe weather conditions, such as those encountered west of Shetlands and in the North Sea. Hydra ROVs are high-thrust, high-payload, cage-deployed vehi- cles designed to accommodate a variety of sensor and work pack- ages for performing a wide range of underwater intervention tasks that support oil and gas drilling, and construction and production activities. The new vehicles are 75- and 100-hp units capable of operating in 6,000 FSW or more, and are being manufactured using the latest technology in advanced control systems for high perfor- mance, optimum adaptability and maximum reliability. Jay Collins, executive vice pres- ident of Oilfield Marine Services, stated, "The expansion of our fleet underscores the company's com- mitment to maintain a worldwide leadership position in providing deepwater work-class ROVs to the oil and gas industry. Last year we provided ROV services on 33 per- cent of the wells drilled in 1,000 FSW or more, and we supported 45 percent of the wells drilled in 3,000 FSW or more. Developing oil and gas fields in deepwater and harsh environments places greater de- mands on ROVs for carrying out intricate underwater intervention tasks with a high degree of relia- bility. Hydra vehicles are specifi- cally designed to perform this work." For more information on Oceaneering Circle 98 on Reader Service Card XTRA International Opens Milan Office XTRA International, the marine container leasing division of XTRA Corporation headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., has opened a full- service office in Milan, Italy. The new office services Italy, Croatia, Slovenia (formerly part of Yugo- slavia), Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and Malta, and marks the opening of XTRA's 13th branch location. The new Milan office is headed by Area Director Maurizio Gru- melli, who has worked as XTRA's agent in Italy since 1989. Mr. Grumelli has more than 25 years of field experience in container leasing and insurance brokerage, specializing in the shipping indus- try. XTRA International was created in mid-1995 when XTRA Corpora- tion acquired the assets of Matson Leasing. XTRA International cur- rently operates offices in Asia, Europe, Australia and North and South America. For more information on XTRA International Circle 99 on Reader Service Card Tidewater Adds New Barges Onto Upgrades List Continuing a $30 million equip- ment expansion program intro- duced last summer, Tidewater recently announced that it would add one grain barge and one dou- ble-hulled liquid barge to its fleet, as well as spend $4 million for a terminal modernization program at its East Pasco, Wash., petroleum terminal. The two additional barges, each the fourth in a series of new acqui- sitions of their type, will be built at Zidell Marine of Portland, Ore. Three grain barges are being built by Sundial Marine in Troutdale, Ore. "The grain barges will increase Tidewater's capacity to move over 500,000 more tons per year, while the four new liquid vessels will be Circle 225 on Reader Service Card That's because it takes mere than just software to guarantee success. Buying off-the-shelf software is easy - getting an integrated fleet management system up and running is more difficult. Look inside our box and find over 25 years of marine systems leadership and experience provid- ing turn-key solutions. In addition to software, MMS covers every facet of system implementation, including: Database Development & Marine Engineering Services, Computer Hardware, Networking, Training, Technical Support and Full Integration with your Existing Systems. Call us today for an information packet our competition would rather you not see. MMS MARINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, INC. More than just software PHONE: U.S. + 1.203.327.6404 FAX: U.S. + 1.203.967.2927 Open a box of MMS software. You'll be surprised by what you find. MMS Fleet Manager Series Data Communications • Fleetwide E-mail • Paperless Forms • Equipment Management • Inventory Control • Weather Reporting • Planned/Predictive Maintenance • Consumables • Requisitioning • Purchasing • Bar Coding •Vessel Reporting • Personnel/Payroll • Cargo Loading 24 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News