22 February, 2015, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia: Topaz Marine KSA Co. Ltd., a full subsidiary of leading international offshore support vessel owner Topaz Energy and Marine, and the Faculty of Maritime Studies of the King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah have joined forces in order to boost the Kingdom's future potential in the maritime offshore industry.

Topaz Marine is the first and currently only Offshore Support Vessel business in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to sign a letter of intent with the King Abdul Aziz University. The Company has been working with cadets from the university during their 'sea-training' period since the beginning of 2015. This training period, which is a mandatory requirement for all cadets in a Bachelor of Science program, allows them to operate as officers onboard sea going vessels. The King Abdul Aziz University is fully accredited by the Kingdom's Ministry of Transport, which ensures that all maritime training programs meet the standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

At the same time, Topaz Marine has started intensive training programs for its Saudi seafarers at the University in order to have them certified in accordance with the highest standards of the international maritime industry.

René Kofod-Olsen, CEO of Topaz Energy and Marine said:

"We are convinced that with our expertise in the industry and our partnership with King Abdul Aziz University, we are able to offer our Saudi seafarers a unique and professional training and development program, so that they are prepared to take full advantage of future career opportunities in the offshore maritime industry. Through the recruitment, education and training of enthusiastic Saudi youth according to world-class standards, Topaz is proud to be able to contribute significantly to the development of Saudi Arabia's maritime potential.

Topaz Marine is highly committed to this program and has initiated 'Maritime Introduction Week' for young Saudis to introduce them to life at sea onboard our vessels."

The certificates and subsequent licenses to work onboard a ship issued by the University will be acknowledged internationally, resulting in job security for Saudi seafarers both at home and abroad. Following the Maritime Introduction Week, graduates can elect for Topaz Marine to train them professionally in close cooperation with the University and then enroll as professional seafarers onboard vessels in the Topaz fleet. To cement this partnership, a letter of intent was signed in December last year in Jeddah during the certification ceremony of the first batch of Topaz's Saudi trainees.

About Topaz Energy and Marine and Topaz Marine KSA Co. Ltd.
Topaz Energy and Marine is a leading offshore support vessel company providing marine solutions to the global energy industry with primary focus on the Caspian, Middle East, West Africa and Subsea operations in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Headquartered in Dubai with 40 years of experience in the Middle East, Topaz operates a fleet of more than 95 offshore support vessels of an average age of 7 years. Topaz is a subsidiary of Renaissance Services SAOG, a publicly traded company on the Muscat Securities Market, Oman.

Based out of its offices in Al Khobar, Topaz Marine KSA Co. Ltd. oversees Topaz's interests and fleet in Saudi Arabia. Topaz has a total of 22 vessels, composed of AHTVs, PSVs and Crew Boats in its MENA fleet, five of which are deployed on medium-term contracts with an oil major in the Kingdom.

For commercial inquiries, please contact:
Willem de Vries, Country Manager
Topaz Marine KSA Co. Ltd.
Tel: +966 55 999 0685
Email: willem.devries@topaz-marine.com

For media inquiries, please contact:
FTI Consulting, Dubai
John Hobday, Jon Earl
Tel: +971 4 437 2100
Email: topaz@fticonsulting.com

FTI Consulting, London
Ben Brewerton, George Parker
Tel: +44 203 727 1000
Email: topaz@fticonsulting.com

© Press Release 2015