TransCoastal Wins Pipelaying Contracts.

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 29, 1998--TransCoastal Marine Services Inc. (Nasdaq:TCMS) has recently won three contracts for pipelaying services having a combined value in excess of $11 million. All of the projects are to be completed this year.

The largest of the contracts is for Koch Pipeline Southeast Inc., Wichita, Kansas. It calls for TransCoastal to lay and bury 40 miles of 12-inch-diameter pipeline from a pumping station in St. Tammany Parish to the east bank of the Mississippi River in St. Charles Parish. The contract is part of a project that is designed to transport natural gas liquids from a Mississippi plant and two Alabama plants for further processing at facilities in Louisiana. The two smaller contracts are also in the Louisiana area.

Bill E. Stallworth, chairman and chief executive officer of TransCoastal, said, "The Koch contract illustrates the combined capabilities of the pipeline and offshore services companies we acquired last year. While the majority of this project crosses Lake Pontchartrain, it also includes marsh work and approximately 8 miles over land. This award affirms our strategy of building on our strengths in shallow water and the transition zone."

TransCoastal Marine Services Inc., headquartered in Houston, is a marine construction company. Its services include pipeline installation and repair, primarily in the transition zone and shallow-water regions along the U.S. Gulf Coast. For all water depths, the company performs hydrostatic testing and commissioning of pipelines, plus fabrication and refurbishment of offshore drilling rigs, barge drilling rigs and structural components of fixed platforms.

CONTACT: TransCoastal Marine Services Inc., Houston

Johnnie W. Domingue, 713/784-7429