EXPORT SUCCESS FOR TAMESIDE COMPANY ON CASPIAN PIPELINE Around 50,000 cable glands from, Ashton-based, Hawke International are in use on the newly commissioned $3 billion Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline bringing oil from the landlocked Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean and on to world markets. Key systems will rely on Hawke cable glands for safe cable termination. This equipment provides the electrical connections to the critical systems for control, instrumentation and power at pumping stations and isolation points along the length of the pipe which travels 1768 kilometres from Azerbaijan, through Georgia and on through Turkey. Hawke have provided a complete range of cable glands for all cable diameters, from the smallest wiring for instrumentation to the largest power cables. Climate extremes characterise this region. The cable glands are therefore built and certified to maintain seal integrity over a temperature range of -60 to +80 which exceed the actual installed temperature requirements of -40 to +40 Centegrade. Subject to intense international competition, the business - worth around £300,000 - was won on Hawke's technical ability and reputation with key pipeline stakeholders. The company has already supplied cable glands to the value of over £1.2 million to the Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC), consortium developing the Azeri-Chirag-deepwater Gunashli (ACG) field in the Caspian Sea. BP, for whom Hawke is a preferred supplier, is the largest investor in the region, with major interests in both the field development and pipeline companies. Commenting on the achievement, Hawke's development director, Phil O'Connor explained, "Experts predict the oil and gas reserves of the Caspian Sea to be equal to the North Sea, or the Gulf of Mexico. We are pleased to be involved as the first phase of the production and distribution infrastructure comes live. Further development will present new technical and logistical challenges and we are confident that we can meet and exceed the requirement of our clients." The ACG oilfield has recoverable reserves of 5.4 billion barrels (equal to 730 million tonnes). The consortium developing the fields is Azerbaijan International Operating Company, led by BP in partnership with the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), Unocal, Inpex and six other international energy companies. The BTC (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan) pipeline is a partnership also led by BP and involves SOCAR and nine other international oil companies. A five-year technical and commercial appraisal preceded the start of construction early in 2003 of the 1768 kilometre pipeline. The first oil export from Ceyhan marine terminal in Turkey - the terminus of the BTC pipeline - is expected in the second half of 2005. More information: Phil O'Connor, Hawke International, Tel. +44 (0)161 830 6698 Fax. +44 (0)161 830 6648 phil.oconnor@ehawke.com Web: www.ehawke.com Colour separation, advertising and other commercial enquiries: Gill Bancroft, Hawke International, Tel. +44 (0)161 830 6698 Fax. +44 (0)161 830 6648 E-mail: gill.bancroft@ehawke.com High/low resolution images are on the web at www.ainsmag.co.uk/ha218/4021ha1a.htm August 25, 2005