AG Holdings PLC - Re Contract

RNS No 7608r
AG HOLDINGS PLC
1st July 1997



     AG HOLDINGS DELIVERS UNIQUE CABLE CARRYING EQUIPMENT

One  of  the  largest structures for transporting  heavy  duty
cable  has been designed and manufactured by AG Holdings  plc,
Europe's largest manufacturer of despatch and shipping reels.

The cable baskets as they are known, are being transported  in
parts  to  Middlesborough docks where they will  be  assembled
into  three  baskets each 11 metres in diameter.   From  there
they  will  be  moved  onto an ocean-going  vessel  bound  for
Gravesend   where  they  will  be  loaded   with   the   cable
manufactured by AEI Cables Ltd, a subsidiary of the  TT  Group
plc, and then transported onwards.

The  baskets  had to be specially designed to  cope  with  the
length  and weight of the cable. One basket will hold  a  23km
subsea  electric power cable in one length weighing 329  tons,
equal to 30 double decker buses, which is destined to be  laid
under the Gulf in the Middle East.

Commenting  on the contract Ray Tonkinson, Chief Executive  of
AG Holdings plc, said:

  "This  job demonstrates out ability to work with contractors
and  cable  manufacturers  to come up  with  the  solution  to
complex  problems.  The  cable  length  and  weight  for  this
contract  has necessitated the design of a 'basket'  container
rather  than  a  normal  steel reel  design.  This  will  help
eliminate  any  cable snagging problems often associated  with
large reel designs and long cable lengths.

The basket structure allows the cable to be transported easily
and  to  be laid efficiently by the contractor. With cable  of
the  size  and nature of this and of a value in excess  of  #2
million  it is vital that the means by which it is transported
is totally reliable.

In  addition  to our UK operations AG already has  a  sizeable
business  in Europe manufacturing at our two units  in  France
and also in Finland and in Ireland."


For further information please contact:

Ray Tonkinson
AG Holdings plc
Tel [phone]

Shirley Whiting
Citigate Communications Ltd
Telephone  [phone]


END