HOUSTON, Jan. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Parker Drilling Company (NYSE: PKD) continues to build upon its record of excellence in safety, environmental and corporate social responsibility performance.  Most recently, the Company received the prestigious CEO Safety Award from Talisman Energy Inc. (Talisman) for its work to establish a proactive safety culture at Talisman's Rig 605 in Papua New Guinea (PNG). 

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Talisman Energy's CEO Safety Awards recognize and celebrate employees and contractors who take proper and proactive steps to ensure safe, healthy, secure and environmentally responsible work practices.  The final award winners are selected from a list of teams and individuals across all Talisman operations, who excel in leadership, quality assurance, safety and environmental performance throughout the year.  The Rig 605 team received the award for its efforts to create a proactive safety and quality assurance culture in Talisman's operations in the Western Province of PNG.  The award was presented by Talisman's president and chief executive officer, Hal Kvisle, at a special ceremony held last month in Kananaskis, Canada.  Russell Conwell, Talisman Drilling Manager, and David Connolly, senior rig manager, accepted the award on behalf of the Rig 605 team. 

Also in attendance at the CEO Safety Awards ceremony was Sandy Stash, Senior Vice President, Global HSSE/OA.  Ms. Stash is responsible for HSSE/OA across all of Talisman's operations worldwide and was part of the CEO Safety Awards nominating committee.

"Safety is at the core of operational excellence and is a key corporate value at Talisman," said Ms. Stash.  "These awards are an important part of our work to foster and maintain safe and responsible business practices.  Each of the nominees achieved recognition by using safe practices and operational excellence in their daily activities and by influencing co-workers to do the same. 

"Parker Drilling played a leadership role in helping us quickly establish a newly recruited team from very different cultures and distinct organizations as a unified group focused on safety, environmental excellence and proactive community engagement.  Their passion for creating responsible practices and a positive environment allowed us to meet our safety and business objectives effectively while respecting and benefitting our neighbors in this important region," Ms. Stash concluded.

Gary Rich, president and chief executive officer of Parker Drilling, commented, "We are honored to receive this recognition from our friends at Talisman Energy who share our dedication to safety, environmental and corporate social responsibility. We thank Dave Connolly for his leadership and our entire PNG team for their outstanding contributions at Rig 605 and we remain committed to safe and proactive business practices that meet strategic objectives and respect the communities in which we work and live."

About Parker Drilling 

Parker Drilling (NYSE: PKD) provides high-performance contract drilling solutions, rental tools and project management services to the energy industry.  Parker's rig fleet includes 22 land rigs and two offshore barge rigs in international locations, 13 barge rigs in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, one land rig located in the U.S., and two land rigs in Alaska, one of which is undergoing commissioning.  The Company's rental tools business supplies premium equipment to operators on land and offshore in the U.S. and select international markets.  Parker also performs contract drilling for customer-owned rigs and provides technical services addressing drilling challenges for E&P customers worldwide.  More information about Parker Drilling can be found at http://www.parkerdrilling.com, including operating status reports for the Company's Rental Tools segment and its international and U.S. barge rig fleets, updated monthly.

About Talisman Energy Inc.

Talisman Energy Inc. is a global upstream oil and gas company, headquartered in Canada. Talisman has three main operating areas: the Americas (North America and Colombia), Southeast Asia and the North Sea, with an active exploration program across all three. Talisman is committed to conducting business safely, in a socially and environmentally responsible manner, and is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability (North America) Index. Talisman is listed on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol TLM. Please visit our website at www.talisman-energy.com.

SOURCE Parker Drilling Company