Topaz COO awarded Friendship Order in Azerbaijan

17 October 2011

Mr. Roy William Vickers Donaldson, Chief Operating Officer of Topaz Energy and Marine’s Topaz Marine division, has been awarded the FRIENDSHIP ORDER of Azerbaijan by Decree of the President for merits in development of the country’s oil industry.

On the recent occasion of Azerbaijan’s Oilman’s Day, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev decorated three foreign civilians with the high honor of “Dostlug” or Friendship Order for their contributions, among them Mr. Donaldson. The petroleum industry in Azerbaijan produces an estimated 1 million barrels of oil per day.

Topaz Energy and Marine is strategically positioned in the region to supply offshore support vessel operations to the oil producing Caspian countries of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. The company’s Topaz Marine division has been active in the Caspian for more than a decade. Mr. Donaldson joined BUE Caspian in 2004 followed by Topaz Energy and Marine, with the company’s acquisition of BUE in 2005. During 2005-2007 Roy served as General Manager of the company’s BUE Caspian unit, and in 2008 Roy was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Topaz Marine.

Stephen Thomas, CEO of Topaz Energy and Marine, commented on the distinction saying, “Roy has earned this prestigious award on personal merit. In doing so he has brought great honour and recognition to our company, in particular to BUE Caspian and Topaz Marine.”

In 2009, Roy was elected Chairman of the International Marine Contractors Association for its Middle East and India section, having served the Offshore and Marine industry for 43 years.

Topaz Energy and Marine

Topaz Energy and Marine is a leading oilfield services company providing marine and engineering solutions to the global energy industry with primary focus on MENA and the Caspian Sea. Headquartered in Dubai and with more than 35 years of experience in the Middle East, Topaz operates a fleet of approximately 100 offshore support vessels and provides energy and marine engineering services. Topaz is a wholly owned subsidiary of Renaissance Services SAOG, a publicly traded company on the Muscat Securities Market, Oman.