Kawasaki, Japan, Feb 10, 2010 - (ACN Newswire) - Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. and the University of Toronto today announced their joint development of a new processing method for transceiver chips used in gigabit-class(1) high-speed data transmission over wirelines. The new technology employs digital circuitry to replace previously-required structures that used analog circuits. While analog processing require circuits that are adapted to the specifications of a signal being transmitted, such as transmission distance and amplitude, this new digital approach can perform these optimizations automatically, so that a single circuit could be used to accommodate a wide range of various wireline communications. Compared to conventional processing methods, this new digital-processing method makes it possible to shorten development periods by approximately half. It is anticipated that this new technology in the future could be applied to a variety of wireline communication applications, including 10 Gbps high-speed Ethernet in datacenters.
Details of this technology were presented at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference 2010 (ISSCC 2010) being held in San Francisco from February 7-11. (Presentation number: 8.7)
Background and Technological Challenges
File size data volumes for large photographic, audio, and video files are becoming increasingly larger, thus requiring a significant amount of bandwidth to transmit, leading to demand for ever-faster wireline data communications. Conventional transceiver chips rely on analog circuitry which needs to be optimized to accommodate specifications of the signal being transmitted - such as transmission distance and amplitude - and therefore require multiple transceiver chips to be designed in order to accommodate for various applications.
With a growing diversity of devices featuring high-speed data transmission, the need to optimize an existing technology for every new type of device or model has become a bottleneck in the development process. Efforts to develop transceiver chips within short development periods that can accommodate the wide range of different devices have been proven challenging.
Newly-developed Technology
Fujitsu Laboratories and the University of Toronto have developed a digital circuit-based transceiver chip. Featuring digital circuitry, the new transceiver chip can automatically optimize itself for a variety of high-speed communications circuits, thus significantly reducing development periods by approximately half compared with conventional methods.
This technology detects variations in the delay on the time axis of the input signal, caused during data transmission, and based on that can automatically adjust the timing it uses for judging whether an incoming signal is a 0 or 1 (Figure 1). Since variations in data transmissions increase along with faster transmission speeds, this new technology is essential for accurate data exchange. This is the world's first technology to achieve Gbps-class speeds without the use of analog circuitry elements, while offering fully-digital timing adjustments for signal-determination.
Results
As a world's first, by using digital circuitry-based high-speed transceiver technology, Fujitsu Laboratories and the University of Toronto's new technology makes it possible to reduce the design and development period for a gigabit-class transceiver chip by approximately one-half (1/2) compared with conventional methods. This suggests that transceiver chips for a wide range of communications devices could be offered in a timely manner.
Future Developments
Fujitsu Laboratories and the University of Toronto will continue with development of this technology to optimize the digital signal processing, to further reduce the transceiver's power consumption.
Glossary and Notes
1 Gigabit-class/Gigabits-per-second (Gbps):Gigabits-per-second (Gbps) expresses data rate and indicates how many gigabits can be transferred per second. 10 Gbps is 10 billion bits-per-second (10 billion bps) = 10,000 megabits-per-second (10,000 Mbps), and indicates that 10 billion bits of data can be transferred per second.
About University of Toronto
Established in 1827, the University of Toronto is Canada's largest university, recognized as a global leader in research and teaching. U of T's distinguished faculty, institutional record of groundbreaking scholarship and wealth of innovative academic opportunities continually attract outstanding students and academics from around the world. U of T is committed to providing a learning experience that benefits from both a scale almost unparalleled in North America and from the close-knit learning communities made possible through its college system and academic divisions. Located in and around Toronto, one of the world's most diverse regions, U of T's vibrant academic life is defined by a unique degree of cultural diversity in its learning community. The University is sustained environmentally by three green campuses, where renowned heritage buildings stand beside award-winning innovations in architectural design.
For more information: http://www.utoronto.ca/
About Fujitsu Ltd
Fujitsu is a leading provider of IT-based business solutions for the global marketplace. With approximately 160,000 employees supporting customers in 70 countries, Fujitsu combines a worldwide corps of systems and services experts with highly reliable computing and communications products and advanced microelectronics to deliver added value to customers. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.6 trillion yen (US$47 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. For more information, please visit www.fujitsu.com.
Contact: Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. Design Solutions Lab. Platform Technologies Lab. Tel: +81-44-754-2635 E-mail:hsio_adc_pr@ml.labs.fujitsu.com University of Toronto Prof. Ali Sheikholeslami Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering Tel: +1(416)978-1681 E-mail:ali@eecg.utoronto.ca Address: 10 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G4
Copyright 2010 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved.
Kawasaki, Japan, Feb 10, 2010 - (ACN Newswire) - Fujitsu Laboratories Limited and the University of Toronto today announced that they have jointly developed the world's first high-reliability read-method for use with spin-torque-transfer (STT) MRAM(1) that is insusceptible to erroneous writes. STT MRAM is regarded as a potential future form of non-volatile memory(2) that could be used as an alternative to flash memory. NOR flash memory that is embedded in microcontrollers widely used in mobile phones and other electronic devices is expected to reach the limits of its feasible miniaturization in the near future, which has led to the search for an alternative low-power non-volatile memory that will allow continued necessary miniaturization. By resolving one of the major obstacles to using STT MRAM, Fujitsu and the University of Toronto's new read-method marks a major step towards the practical implementation of STT MRAM as a necessary replacement for flash memory, in view of future requirements that will be necessary for compact and low-power electronic devices.
Details of this technology were presented at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference 2010 (ISSCC 2010) being held in San Francisco from February 7-11. (Presentation number: 14.1)
Background
Many electronic devices such as mobile phones or PDAs use microcontrollers with embedded flash memory, which allows onboard software to be rewritten. However, NOR flash memory used in such microcontrollers is nearing the physical limits of its miniaturization, which has led to research on various types of memory that could replace NOR flash memory.
STT MRAM, which uses magnetic materials as the memory storage element, is gaining attention as an emerging potential candidate to replace flash memory, as STT MRAM meets the needs for speed, low power consumption, and miniaturization that would make it a good candidate to replace flash memory.
Technological Challenges
STT MRAM uses memory storage elements that take advantage of the effect in which a current that is passed through a magnetic material - such as a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ)(3) - reverses its direction of magnetization (Figure 1). Passing a current through the MTJ causes its direction of magnetization to switch between a parallel or anti-parallel state, which has the effect of switching between low resistance and high resistance. Because this can be used to represent the 1s and 0s of digital information, STT MRAM can be used as a non-volatile memory.
Reading STT MRAM involves applying a voltage to the MTJ to discover whether the MTJ offers high resistance to current ("1") or low ("0"). However, a relatively high voltage needs to be applied to the MTJ to correctly determine whether its resistance is high or low, and the current passed at this voltage leaves little difference between the read-current and the write-current. Any fluctuation in the electrical characteristics of individual MTJs could cause what was intended as a read-current, to have the effect of a write-current, thus reversing the direction of magnetization of the MTJ.
Newly-developed Technology
In a joint collaboration, Fujitsu Laboratories and the University of Toronto have developed an innovative circuit design (Figure 3) that for the first time resolves the issue of erroneous writes in STT MRAM during read operations.
The newly developed read-method uses a negative resistance(4) that is intermediate between the MTJ's high resistance and low resistance on a parallel circuit (Figure 4). If the MTJ is in a high-resistance state, this circuit exhibits negative-resistance characteristics. If the MTJ is in a low-resistance state, then it exhibits normal-resistance characteristics. These characteristics allow the resistance value to be read at lower voltages than before, suppressing the tendency of the read operation to reverse the direction of magnetization and avoiding the problem of erroneous write operations.
Results
The development of this new read circuit with negative resistance has resulted in STT MRAM that is insusceptible to erroneous writes caused by fluctuations in the electrical characteristics of the MTJs. It is anticipated that the STT MRAM used as miniaturized non-volatile memory would enable greater high-performance in mobile phones and other electronic devices.
Future Developments
Fujitsu Laboratories and the University of Toronto plan to continue with R&D related to STT MRAM to strive toward practical implementation, such as lowering write currents and developing process technologies for further miniaturization.
Glossary and Notes
1 Spin- Torque-Transfer MRAM:Spin-torque-transfer magnetoresistive (STT) random access memory. MRAM that uses the "spin-torque-transfer" effect to reverse the direction of magnetization of an element by passing current through it.
2 Non-volatile memory:Memory that persists even when electrical power is cut.
3 Magnetic tunnel junction (MJT):A tunnel junction that uses the magnetoresistive effect. Consists of a recording layer made of ferromagnetic material, an insulating film a few atoms thick, and a layer made of ferromagnetic material that will not change its direction of magnetization in the presence of a current.
4 Negative resistance:An element that has negative resistance value, in which its current decreases when voltage rises.
About University of Toronto
Established in 1827, the University of Toronto is Canada's largest university, recognized as a global leader in research and teaching. U of T's distinguished faculty, institutional record of groundbreaking scholarship and wealth of innovative academic opportunities continually attract outstanding students and academics from around the world. U of T is committed to providing a learning experience that benefits from both a scale almost unparalleled in North America and from the close-knit learning communities made possible through its college system and academic divisions. Located in and around Toronto, one of the world's most diverse regions, U of T's vibrant academic life is defined by a unique degree of cultural diversity in its learning community. The University is sustained environmentally by three green campuses, where renowned heritage buildings stand beside award-winning innovations in architectural design.
For more information: http://www.utoronto.ca/
About Fujitsu Ltd
Fujitsu is a leading provider of IT-based business solutions for the global marketplace. With approximately 160,000 employees supporting customers in 70 countries, Fujitsu combines a worldwide corps of systems and services experts with highly reliable computing and communications products and advanced microelectronics to deliver added value to customers. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.6 trillion yen (US$47 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. For more information, please visit www.fujitsu.com.
Contact: Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. Technology Integration Lab. Platform Technologies Lab. Tel: +81(46)250-8379 E-mail:til-si@ml.labs.fujitsu.com University of Toronto Prof. Ali Sheikholeslami Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering Tel: +1(416)978-1681 E-mail:ali@eecg.utoronto.ca Address: 10 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G4 Canada
Copyright 2010 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved.
MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- How does an industry that sells deadly, addictive products remain one of the leading consumer product industries in the world? The answer includes new products, savvy marketing and expensive public image campaigns. ClearWay Minnesota today released Unfiltered: A Revealing Look at Today's Tobacco Industry, a campaign that shines a light on how the tobacco industry has continued to evolve and thrive, despite billion dollar settlements designed to change the way the industry did business in the last decade.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100210/CG52543)
"The tobacco industry hasn't gone away," said David Willoughby, Chief Executive Officer of ClearWay Minnesota. "Don't be fooled – just because you may not see cigarette ads any more, it doesn't mean this industry isn't hard at work to lure new customers and keep those who are already hooked. It's more important than ever to highlight this continuing problem and the tobacco industry as its root cause."
The tobacco industry spends $12.8 billion annually to market its products nationwide, with nearly $200 million spent in Minnesota alone. And the consequences are devastating – 634,000 Minnesotans still smoke, and the state loses 5,500 lives and $2 billion in health care costs annually because of tobacco.
The full report is available at www.unfilteredmn.org, a new interactive website designed to expose the tobacco industry's practices by inviting Minnesotans to post comments, upload photos and share examples of tobacco marketing they find in their communities and throughout the state.
As Unfiltered reveals, the tobacco industry has fought the impact of regulations and good public policy by targeting vulnerable demographics, creating new products and using image campaigns to protect itself. As a result, the tobacco industry remains one of the most lucrative in the world.
"Minnesotans will be shocked when they discover that things like grape and chocolate flavored tobacco products are widely available throughout Minnesota," said Betsy Brock, Research Director for Association for Nonsmokers – Minnesota, a contributor to the report. "We're asking people to pay attention to what the industry is doing, because if we don't, we risk another generation of kids becoming addicted."
"The national smoking rate has not declined since 2004 and youth smokeless tobacco use is increasing," added Willoughby. "We ignore the tobacco industry at our own risk. For all our recent successes in Minnesota, tobacco is a problem that hasn't gone away."
Report highlights
Unfiltered contains information on:
-- How tobacco still is glamorized for kids in popular movies and video
games.
-- Image campaigns that raise doubt about how harmful the tobacco industry
really is.
-- Addicting military personnel overseas by sending them free tobacco
products.
-- How candy flavors are added to tobacco products to appeal to young
people.
-- New smokeless products that are being developed in response to
smoke-free laws.
-- Aggressive marketing of cigarettes in countries where tobacco's harms
are unknown.
The full report and summary are available at www.unfilteredmn.org.
About ClearWay Minnesota(SM)
ClearWay Minnesota is an independent, non-profit organization that improves the health of Minnesotans by reducing the harm caused by tobacco. ClearWay Minnesota serves Minnesota through its grant-making program, QUITPLAN® stop-smoking services and statewide outreach activities. It is funded with 3 percent of the state's 1998 tobacco settlement. For more information on ClearWay Minnesota or QUITPLAN Services, call 952-767-1400 or visit clearwaymn.org.
SOURCE ClearWay Minnesota
PARIS, February 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
- Group Annual Revenues up by 3.1% at 960.5 Million Euros
- Offshore Division Posts Annual Growth of 20.5% at 809.9 Million Euros
- 4th Quarter Revenues Impacted by the Global Context of the Offshore Oil and Gas Activity
Commenting on the results, Jacques de Chateauvieux, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of BOURBON said: "With 71 new units coming into the fleet in 2009, annual revenues from BOURBON-owned Offshore vessels alone saw growth of 27%, while the need for chartering was substantially reduced in a context of cost-cutting by the oil and gas companies. This trend, which was particularly marked at the end of last year, is likely to continue to influence activity in the early part of this year. We are starting to see a recovery in capital expenditure but the effects will not show through until the second half of 2010."
4th quarter 12 months
(in millions of euros)
Q4 Q4 Change 2009 2008 Change Change
2009 2008 at at at
current current constant
exchange exchange exchange
rates rates rates
Offshore Division 194.6 209.1 -6.9% 809.9 672.1 +20.5% +14.8%
of which Marine
Services 155.7 170.6 -8.7% 661.5 539.6 +22.6%
of which Subsea
Services 38.9 38.5 +1.0% 148.4 132.5 +12.0%
Bulk Division 28.3 44.0 -35.5% 119.3 234.8 -49.2% -51.8%
Other 8.6 5.1 +69.5% 31.3 24.5 +28.0% +30.7%
BOURBON TOTAL 231.5 258.2 -10.3% 960.5 931.3 +3.1% -1.6%
Revenues for 2009 amounted to 960.5 million euros, up 3.1% compared with the previous year (down 1.6% at constant exchange rates).
Year-on-year growth for the Offshore Division (which represents over 84% of the Group's activity) amounted to 20.5% with revenues of 809.9 million euros, while the Bulk Division saw its revenues reduced to 119.3 million euros (down 49.2% compared with 2008) due to the decrease in charter rates.
The share of Offshore revenues from chartered vessels declined over the year.
4th quarter revenues came to 231.5 million euros, down 10.3% compared with the 4th quarter of 2008, mainly due to the oil and gas companies' decline in activity and the impact on the Offshore Division.
- OFFSHORE DIVISION
4th quarter 12 months
(in millions of euros)
Q4 Q4 Change 2009 2008 Change Change at
2009 2008 at at constant
current current exchange
exchange exchange rates
rates rates
Offshore Division 194.6 209.1 -6.9% 809.9 672.1 +20.5% +14.8%
Activity in 2009
The Offshore Division recorded revenues of 809.9 million euros in 2009, a 20.5% increase (up 14.8% at constant exchange rates), in a globally declining market.
BOURBON's good results are mainly due to a policy of long-term contracts and the commissioning of new high-performance vessels.
BOURBON took delivery of 71 new Offshore vessels, including 20 Bourbon Liberty which are proving to be very much appreciated by clients, and sold 2 older vessels.
The owned-vessel activity grew at an annual rate of 27.1%, reaching a total of 739.3 million euros.
The share of revenues from chartered vessels declined over the year.
4th quarter 2009 activity
4th quarter activity for the Offshore Division was down 7.0% compared with the last quarter of 2008. However, the decline in revenues for BOURBON owned vessels was limited to 1.3%.
Reduced expenditure by the oil and gas companies, particularly marked in the second half of the year, led to a significant deterioration of market conditions, and to a lesser extent, impacted the vessels' utilization rate. The transit of vessels from their construction site in China to their operating area is no longer integrated in client contracts, which accordingly reduced the utilization rates and revenues from the newly commissioned units.
It should be noted that, in accordance with the Division's strategy, the chartered vessel activity is in decline; in the 4th quarter of 2009 it was down by 3.7 million euros from the previous quarter and by 12.1 million euros from the 4th quarter of 2008. Revenues from chartered vessels thus only represented 5.9% of the revenues for the entire BOURBON fleet in operation during the last quarter.
- Revenues by activity
Q4 2009 Q4 2008 Change % 12 months 12 Change %
2009 months
(in millions of 2008
euros)
Marine Services 155.7 170.6 -8.7% 661.5 539.6 +22.6%
Subsea Services 38.9 38.5 +1.0% 148.4 132.5 +12.0%
TOTAL 194.6 209.1 -6.9% 809.9 672.1 +20.5%
Of which:
BOURBON vessels 183.0 185.4 -1.3% 739.3 581.5 +27.1%
Chartered vessels 11.6 23.7 -51.0% 70.6 90.6 -22.1%
Marine Services
Annual revenues for the Marine Services activity were up 22.6% at 661.5 million euros. This growth was driven by BOURBON-owned vessels, with revenues from chartered vessels recording a decrease of 18.8 million euros compared with 2008.
4th quarter revenues came to 155.7 million euros, down 8.7% compared with the 4th quarter of 2008. Activity in the final quarter was particularly impacted by the unfavorable market conditions, and the systematic reduction in the share of chartered vessels was accelerated. The activity of new vessels commissioned in the 4th quarter did not totally offset the impact of the fall in chartering and the decline in the vessel utilization rate.
Subsea Services
Annual revenues for the Subsea Services activity came to 148.4 million euros, up 12.0% compared with the previous year.
4th quarter revenues were up 38.9 million euros, representing 1.0% compared with the 4th quarter of 2008. Despite good performance from the IMR fleet over the quarter, a new vessel joining the fleet in the first half and new contracts operated by chartered ROVs, activity in the quarter was adversely affected by unfavorable market conditions.
- Revenues by geographical region
4th quarter 12 months
(in millions of euros) Q4 Q4 Change 2009 2008 Change
2009 2008 % %
Offshore Division 194.6 209.1 -6.9% 809.9 672.1 +20.5%
Africa 125.3 134.7 -7.0% 531.3 448.5 +18.5%
Europe & Mediterranean / 33.6 38.0 -11.5% 136.6 124.6 +9.6%
Middle East
Asia 19.7 22.4 -12.2% 85.0 51.9 +63.6%
American continent 16.0 14.0 +14.4% 57.1 47.1 +21.2%
Over the full year 2009, West Africa, a region in which BOURBON made 66% of its sales, in particular in Nigeria, Angola and the Congo, continued to post strong growth.
Strong growth in BOURBON's activity in the Far East and Asia (up 63.6%), especially in India, reflects the success of the Group's development strategy in this region, which now accounts for over 10% of the Division's revenues.
In the 4th quarter, the sharp deterioration of market conditions affected all regions, and the American continent was alone in posting growth over the final quarter of 2008.
- BULK DIVISION
4th quarter 12 months
(in millions of euros)
Q4 Q4 Change 2009 2008 Change Change
2009 2008 at at at
current current constant
exchange exchange exchange
rates rates rates
Bulk Division 28.3 44.0 -35.5% 119.3 234.8 -49.2% -51.8%
Annual revenues for the Bulk Division amounted to 119.3 million euros, down 49.2% compared with 2008, notably because of lower charter rates. The Baltic Supramax Index (BSI) averaged out at $17,300 per day in 2009 compared with $41,550 per day in 2008, down 41.6%.
The BSI improved steadily during the year in 2009.
At the end of 2009, BOURBON owned a fleet of 12 bulk carriers, compared with 5 at the end of December 2008.
4th quarter revenues amounted to 28.3 million euros, down 35.5% compared with the 4th quarter of 2008.
This decline was due to a negative base effect as the 4th quarter of 2008 had benefited from long-term contracts which have since come to an end and which had been signed at previous historically high rates.
As regards the owned fleet, BOURBON took delivery at the end of November of a new Supramax-type bulk carrier (58,000 tonnes), and has been led to cancel the order for a Panamax-type bulk carrier in India, due to a serious delay in construction.
The Baltic Supramax Index (BSI) continued to rise at the end of the year, averaging $22,150 per day in the 4th quarter of 2009 compared with an average of $19,782 per day in the previous quarter.
- OUTLOOK
Offshore Division
Given the expected increase in demand for oil, the faster pace of decline in production in existing fields, and the necessity in the medium term to reconstitute reserves, an upturn in oil and gas activity is expected in 2010. Production maintenance activities should be the first to benefit, followed in the second half of 2010, by drilling activities.
In parallel with this forecast recovery in demand, the offer of offshore vessels is likely to continue to be affected by the demolition of old vessels.
In accordance with its Horizon 2012 plan and its strategy of "investing to reduce client costs", BOURBON will continue to take delivery of new modern high-productivity vessels, such as the Bourbon Liberty vessels, which provide the offshore continental market with replacement vessels that transport more, consume less and have the maneuverability of vessels operating in deepwater offshore.
BOURBON is now well placed to withstand the impact of the current excess capacity of high-tonnage vessels (particularly those destined for deepwater offshore) to respond to the demand in continental offshore, and to reap the full benefit of the impact of the recovery in the coming years.
Bulk Division
Charter prices on the market will continue to depend on the global economic recovery, the number of new vessels actually delivered in 2010, and the level of demolition which may well continue at the historically high rate seen in 2009.
Echoing the Offshore Division, although on a lesser scale, the Bulk Division will continue to expand its fleet of owned bulk carriers and will take delivery of six 58,000-tonne Supramax vessels in 2010; however, there continues to be some uncertainty on the delivery dates of the Panamax ordered in India.
Having sold two 49,000-tonne vessels in January 2010, generating a capital gain of 23 million dollars, the Bulk Division owned fleet is expected to consist of a minimum of 16 vessels by the end of 2010.
- FINANCIAL CALENDAR
- Presentation of 2009 annual results March 17, 2010
- 1st quarter 2010 financial results May 5, 2010
- Combined Annual and Special Shareholders' Meeting June 9, 2010
- 2nd quarter and 1st half 2010 financial results August 9, 2010
- Presentation of 1st half 2010 results August 25, 2010
APPENDICES
- BOURBON QUARTERLY DATA
2009 2008
(in millions of euros) Q4 Q3 Q2 Q1 Q4 Q3 Q2 Q1
Offshore Division
Marine Services 155.7 167.5 171.6 166.7 170.6 140.2 116.1 112.5
Subsea Services 38.9 40.1 34.1 35.3 38.5 37.7 32.1 24.2
Offshore TOTAL 194.6 207.6 205.7 202.0 209.1 178.0 148.2 136.8
from owned vessels 183.0 192.5 184.5 179.3 185.4 153.2 125.3 117.6
from chartered vessels 11.6 15.1 21.2 22.7 23.7 24.8 23.0 19.1
Bulk Division 28.3 30.5 30.6 29.9 44.0 57.4 67.8 65.6
Other 8.6 8.8 7.2 6.7 5.1 4.1 6.0 9.3
BOURBON TOTAL 231.5 246.8 243.5 238.7 258.2 239.5 222.0 211.7
- KEY INDICATORS
Q4 Q4
2009 2008
Average USD exchange rate for the quarter (in EUR) 1.48 1.32
USD exchange rate at closing (in EUR) 1.44 1.39
Average price of Brent for the quarter (in $/b) 73 56
Average Baltic Supramax Index for the quarter (in $/day) 22,150 8,725
The average euro/dollar exchange rate in 2009 was $1.39 compared with $1.47 in 2008.
The Baltic Supramax Index (BSI) averaged $17,300 per day in 2009 versus $41,550 per day in 2008.
The price of Brent averaged $61 per barrel for the year 2009 compared with $97 per barrel for the year 2008.
About BOURBON
BOURBON offers a broad range of offshore oil and gas marine services. Under its strategic plan BOURBON intends to become the leader in modern offshore oil and gas marine services by offering the most demanding clients worldwide, a full line of innovative, high performance and new-generation vessels and a modular offer of Inspection, Maintenance and Repair services, with the launch of its new "Subsea Services" Activity.
BOURBON also specializes in bulk transport and protects the French coastline for the French Navy.
Classified by ICB (Industry Classification Benchmark) in the "Oil Services" sector, BOURBON is listed for trading on Euronext Paris, Compartment A, and is included in the Deferred Settlement Service SRD and in the SBF 120 and Dow Jones Stoxx 600 indices.
Contacts
Publicis Consultants / Press Relations
Elodie Woillez +33(0)1-57-32-86-97
elodie.woillez@consultants.publicis.fr
Stephane Chery +33(0)1-57-32-85-63
stephane.chery@consultants.publicis.fr
BOURBON
Investors - Analysts - Shareholders Relations
Patrick Mangaud +33(0)1-40-13-86-09
patrick.mangaud@bourbon-online.com
Communications Department
Christa Roqueblave +33(0)1-40-13-86-06
christa.roqueblave@bourbon-online.com
http://www.bourbon-online.com
SOURCE BOURBON
DEARBORN, Mich., Feb. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
-- Early models of 2011 Ford Super Duty are being proven out in swamps of
Florida, mesas of Wyoming and construction sites and ranches in Texas.
Initial results to be posted at www.fordvehicles.com/2011superduty under
Field Work
-- Equipped with the all-new Ford designed and built 6.7-liter Power
Stroke® V-8 turbocharged diesel engine and the 6R140 heavy-duty
TorqShift® six-speed automatic transmission, the trucks are undergoing
rigorous field work by commercial customers months before they go on
sale
-- Super Duty continues to dominate the heavy duty pickup segment with over
45 percent market share in 2009, up over two percentage points from the
previous year. The 2010 model maintains Best in Class towing with a
maximum capacity of over 24,600 pounds of trailer weight
-- The all-new 2011 Super Duty goes on sale this spring
In unprecedented customer field work evaluations, Ford gave commercial businesses around the country pre-production models of the all-new 2011 Ford Super Duty months before the truck goes on sale. The initial results will be posted this week on www.fordvehicles.com/2011superduty under "Field Work."
To test the trucks in extreme real world conditions, select customers put the new 2011 Super Duty F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 to work immediately in the humid swamps of Florida, in the sub-zero wintry conditions of Wyoming and in the dusty, dry areas of Texas construction sites and ranches.
"As soon as we got this truck, we slapped a 22,000 pound trailer on it and headed for the field," says one Wyoming-based Well Cementing Supervisor in the one of the webisodes. "Ford asked us to work this truck hard, and we're working this truck hard."
The evaluation trucks are all equipped with the new 6.7-liter Power Stroke® V-8 turbocharged diesel engine and the 6R140 heavy-duty TorqShift® six-speed automatic transmission.
Ford engineers are using advanced telematics technology to retrieve daily performance data from each truck for further analysis. These data are being posted and continually updated online, allowing the public unprecedented access to the performance of the next generation of the best-selling truck in America for 33 years.
Here's a sample of what the customers had to say:
"The truck sat in negative weather for several hours then started right up with no issues."
"A group of us were standing around the truck, maybe 10 feet away. A guy told me I left my lights on, and I said the truck is still running. He couldn't believe how quiet it was."
"I was towing a trailer 311 miles and had to keep checking in mirror to see if the trailer was still there."
Chris Brewer, chief engineer of 2011 Super Duty, said the early feedback from these extreme customers confirms the importance of the testing regimen his team has been conducting.
"We've tested this truck in every situation imaginable throughout of development process, but nothing can replace these real world scenarios," said Brewer. "The initial feedback we're getting is very encouraging -- especially on fuel economy."
"We've never undertaken something this ambitious in the testing of one of our trucks. Sharing pre-production units with customers that do the toughest jobs and showing their unfiltered results underscore the confidence we have in this truck," said Doug Scott, Ford Truck marketing manager. "We want everyone to see what goes into the development of the 2011 Ford Super Duty."
The 2011 Super Duty goes on sale this spring. Meanwhile, 2010 Super Duty -- the segment leader in towing with over 24,000-pound capability -- continues to dominate the heavy-duty pickup market with 45 percent of the segment in 2009, up over two percentage points over the previous year.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F), a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 200,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.
SOURCE Ford Motor Company
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Strong End To 2009 For UK Car Industry
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Brit Insurance Expands Team in Key Accounts
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Fraport Traffic Figures - January 2010: Fraport Starts 2010 With Positive Traffic Results
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Young People in China and India Are Reshaping Corporate Information Technologies
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Start of Day Message
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Gemalto Smart Cards Secure Access to Personal Health Records in Bulgaria
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Beyonce Makes History with Six GRAMMY(R) Wins -- The Most by a Female Artist in a Single Awards Year
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Media Advisory: The Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit to Provide 2010 Winter Games Security Update
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Media Advisory: The Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit to Provide 2010 Winter Games Security Update
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IGC Resources Inc.: Results of Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders
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IGC Resources Inc.: Results of Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders
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Kabira Announces General Availability of New Interface to IBM WebSphere MQ ESB Messaging Software
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Ceridian Launches New Economic Indicator to Track the U.S. Economy
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Omniture SearchCenter Automates Keyword Discovery to Reduce SEM Costs and Increase Conversion
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U.S. Census Bureau Black History Month Feature for Feb. 10
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Accredited Business Consolidators Corp. to Form Business Development Corporation
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Blackwave Expands Business Operations to Asia
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Chevrolet at The Chicago Auto Show
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Citi and LISC Team Up on Program to Help Low-Income Families Build Income, Assets
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Manpower Inc. Sees Social Networks Evolving Into 'Commercial Networks' for Companies, Providing Access to New Pools of Talent Via Virtual Work
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U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for Feb. 10
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New Ceridian-UCLA Pulse of Commerce Index(TM) Reveals Need for Economic Reality Check as January Number Declines
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2011 Ford Edge Blends Technology, Design and Class-Leading Powertrains in Revamped Package
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Jive Social Business Software Improves Responsiveness and Productivity at Swiss Re
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Javelin Study Finds Identity Fraud Reached New High in 2009, but Consumers are Fighting Back
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Fujitsu Develops Compact Frequency-Synthesizer for Terrestrial Digital TV Broadcast Tuners
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Hollywood Celebrates the Opening of Europe's Greatest New Studio: Raleigh Studios Budapest
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United Security Bancshares 4th Quarter - Improving Trends Continue
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Honda Announces Recall of Driver's SRS Airbag
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DJSP Enterprises, Inc. Reports Revenue of $189.8 Million and Adjusted Net Income for Nine Months Ending September 30, 2009 of $32.4 million
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Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. Prices Offering of Class A Common Stock
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Stroud Announces Grant of Stock Options
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Stroud Announces Grant of Stock Options
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Panasonic Announces Pricing for 2010 Standard Definition Camcorders and Compact-Sized HD Models
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Panasonic's New 3MOS HD Camcorders Produce True-to-Life Color and Excel in Low-Light Environments
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Trigemina Conducting Phase IIa Clinical Trial in Chronic Daily Headache
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Paramount Energy Trust releases 2009 year-end reserves, confirms February 2010 cash distribution and updates hedging
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Chiyoda Announces Its Financial Results for the Third Quarter of the Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2010
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PHNS Implements New Accelerated Claims Resolution Services With iSoftStone
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First Bauxite Enters Into Letter of Intent With Bauxite Corporation of Guyana Inc. to Acquire All of the Shares of BCGI
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First Bauxite Enters Into Letter of Intent With Bauxite Corporation of Guyana Inc. to Acquire All of the Shares of BCGI
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The Mining Association of British Columbia: BC Bows to International Pressure and Announces Mining Moratorium in the Flathead
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VCA Animal Hospitals Offers Free Boarding for Pets Affected by Mandatory Evacuations in Los Angeles
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Devi Kroell One-of-a-kind Barbie Doll Raises $1,075 in CFDA Charity Auction
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Too Snowy to Travel to Work? Regus Offers Snowed-In Workers Free Use of More than 140 Business Lounges Across the North East, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic Regions
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Youth Bridge, Inc. to Ring The NASDAQ Stock Market Closing Bell
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The Global Leaders to Ring The NASDAQ Stock Market Opening Bell
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Even in This Day and Age, People Would Rather be A&R Men Than Gangsters or Farmers!
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JetBlue to Significantly Reduce Scheduled Service for Feb. 10, 2010 due to Winter Storm
