The pipe coating division of Toronto, Canada’s ShawCor Ltd., Bredero Shaw, has entered into a joint venture agreement with ArkhTekhnoProm, an affiliate of Mezhregiontruboprovodstroi, the leading Russian offshore pipeline contractor. The joint venture will establish a pipe coating facility in the Arkhangelsk Region, Russian Federation that will provide advanced concrete weight coating services for the emerging northern Russia offshore pipeline market. The joint venture involves the formation of a company owned 75% by ArkhTekhnoProm and 25% by Bredero Shaw to provide concrete coating services at a facility located at the Port of Arkhangelsk in the Russian Federation. Bredero Shaw will lease one of its proprietary mobile concrete coating plants to the joint venture company and will operate the plant under a technical services agreement for an initial period of four years. The first contract to be executed by the joint venture involves concrete weight coating of 48″ pipe for a pipeline crossing of Baydaratskaya Bay from the Yamal peninsula. This project will commence during the second quarter of 2010. It is expected that the Arkhangelsk location will enable the joint venture to undertake future pipe coating projects related to Yamal peninsula pipeline development as well as other offshore projects throughout the Russian Federation.