Aker buys 18.2 percent of Det norske oljeselskap

Aker has purchased 11,797,752 shares in Det norske oljeselskap ASA(Det norske) at NOK 54 per share. The shareholding corresponds to an18.2 percent stake in Norway's second largest oil company, measuredin terms of operatorships and license interests on the Norwegiancontinental shelf.

- Aker's share purchase in Det norske represents a strategicownership interest in a challenger on the Norwegian continentalshelf. The investment expands our targeting of oil exploration andproduction, which Aker has established as an area for industrialdevelopment, says Øyvind Eriksen, Aker's President and CEO.

Aker already holds an 76.1percent shareholding in the offshoreexploration company Aker Exploration, which has ownership interestsin 21 licenses on the Norwegian continental shelf. Aker also holdsinterests in several other oil companies via shareholdings and loans.

Det norske's activities are focused on exploration and development ofhydrocarbon resources on the Norwegian continental shelf. The companyhas 27 operatorships and participates in a total of 47 licenses.

For further information, please contact:Geir Arne Drangeid, EVP, Aker ASA, tel: +47 913 10 458

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