HOUSTON and ABERDEEN, Scotland, May 1 /PRNewswire/ --

- Leader in swellable elastomer expands into important new markets of North, South and Central America

Swellfix B.V., a leader in swellable elastomers for zonal isolation, announced today it has expanded its product and service offerings into the important new markets of North, South and Central America.

With its global base in Aberdeen, Scotland and its Americas headquarters in Houston, Swellfix provides a range of zonal isolation products and services, including cement assurance and other cost-effective swellable elastomer applications for the oil and gas industry. The overall global zonal isolation market is estimated at nearly US$4 billion.

Swellfix's extensive product offerings include both water- and oil-activated swellable elastomers. When these elastomers come into contact with the appropriate liquid, they swell to seal the available space. The Swellfix solution is ideal for simple and effective zonal isolation or for situations where cement may fail in the well.

Since its first commercial application in mid-2002, Swellfix has been building its presence in the major oil-producing regions of the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia. Continuing its expansion strategy, Swellfix is now focusing its attention on the important Americas market.

"Over the past year, we have been laying the ground work to extend our reach into the Western Hemisphere -- increasing capacity, adding experienced employees and expanding our presence," said John Dewar, CEO of Swellfix B.V. "Heading up our efforts in the Americas is seasoned industry leader Steve Batchelor, a key addition to the Swellfix family.

"Steve has been instrumental in building out our Americas strategy, and is well-known and regarded in the energy services industry," said Dewar. "Swellfix now has a complete global presence, with full-staffed offices in every major oil-producing region."

"Simply put, Swellfix is engineering risks, costs and complexity out of the traditional well construction and production process," said Steve Batchelor, president and chief commercial officer of Swellfix, Inc. "Companies can realize considerable savings per well using Swellfix technology. Factoring in a significant reduction in risk and a dramatic increase in drilling and production efficiencies, the cost savings become profound."

Batchelor concluded, "We are excited about our opportunities in the Americas markets, and have hit the ground running with a highly skilled team with deep industry knowledge. Having already received a high level of product acceptance in the Americas just by word of mouth, we look forward to showcasing our products and services to the rest of the energy services industry."

High-resolution images available upon request -- Dewar Batchelor Logo

Additional animation of Swellfix's technology is available on its Web site http://www.swellfix.com.

About SWELLFIX

SWELLFIX is a global leader in swellable elastomers -- a dynamic, yet simple solution for zonal isolation and inflow control in horizontal and vertical wells. The Company assists its customers significantly improve their production efficiency -- increasing output and decreasing water intrusion. With more than 5,000 installations to date -- under a broad range of land and sea environments and no reported failures -- SWELLFIX near failsafe reliability makes it the natural choice for zonal isolation. Simple, efficient, reliable -- SWELLFIX. For more information, please visit http://www.swellfix.com.

Media contacts: Tim Hanson Garron Lees +1-713-462-8347 +44-(0)-7905-982-607 thanson@adventfirm.com garron.lees@swellfix.com

Web site: http://www.swellfix.com

Tim Hanson, +1-713-462-8347, thanson@adventfirm.com, for SWELLFIX; or Garron Lees of SWELLFIX, +44-(0)-7905-982-607, garron.lees@swellfix.com