Sumitomo Metals Awarded Commemorative Gift of Appreciation by Keppel FELS, World's Largest Off-Shore Drilling Rig Builder

Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. (Sumitomo Metals) has been awarded a commemorative gift of appreciation by Keppel FELS (head office: Singapore), the world's largest oil and gas offshore drilling rig builder. The commemorative gift is a mark of appreciation for the relationship of trust which has been nurtured for more than 20 years in steel plate business,.

Keppel FELS holds an approximately 50 percent share of the global off-shore rig building market. Off-shore rigs are the marine structures used for extracting submarine oil and natural gas, and many high-grade steel plates are used to build them. Sumitomo Metals has been supplying high-grade steel plates to Keppel FELS for over 20 years, and has thereby built a relationship of trust with the company. In recent years, Keppel FELS included semi-submerged rigs* for the deep sea in its business line. Sumitomo Metals has been highly appraised for its prompt manufacturing and supply of high-end steel plates for these semi-submerged rigs, based on a shipping classification standard requested by Keppel FELS.

Sumitomo Metals has gained the trust of customers in the energy field for its wide product offering, delivery track record, and high quality of steel plates used for marine structures, LNG tanks, line pipes, and other infrastructure. Sumitomo Metals will continue to develop and supply products which anticipate customers' needs in the energy field and accelerate distinctiveness in product offering.

Outline of Keppel FELS
(1)Company Name: Keppel FELS Limited
(2)CEO: Mr. Choo Chiau Beng
(3)Business: Construction, repair and conversion of off-shore oil and natural gas drilling rigs
(4)Head Office: Singapore
(5)Capital: 463,987 thousand Singapore dollars (approximately 36 billion yen)

* Semi-submerged rig: A type of rig which floats on the water and is used for digging works in deep sea waters. It differs from the type of rig which is fixed to the seabed and used for digging in comparatively shallow waters.

The commemorative gift of the model of the rig awarded by Keppel FELS