1.   Five Houston companies, including Nabors Industries and Weatherford Industries, both oil drilling services companies, are asking their shareholders to approve the same move later this year.

2.   Investors who had expected the resumption of Iraqi oil exports to push down shares of oil and gas drilling companies saw the stocks rise in heavy trading today instead.

3.   Mergers and acquisitions will shrink the number of contract oil drilling companies over the next few years, industry executives said at a Houston conference.

4.   Nabors Industries, the largest oil drilling services company in the United States, is one corporation preparing to use the tax-avoidance techniques.

5.   Oil and gas drilling companies suffered from the trend of weakening crude oil prices.

6.   Santa Fe International is an international offshore and land contract drilling company.

7.   Texas stocks rose this week to a record on the strength of contract offshore oil well drilling companies as their business prospects strengthened.

8.   Trace said the merger, because it eliminates a competitor, will allow all offshore drilling companies to charge more.