Mr Longon will oversee all aspects of Energy Partners’s operations, including exploration, drilling and production, and will report directly to Richard Bachmann, chairman and CEO.

Mr Longon joined Energy Partners as senior vice president of drilling and engineering in July 2007, and was named its senior vice president of drilling, engineering and production in February 2008. In addition to setting strategy and direction for the company as a member of senior management, Mr Longon has been responsible for all aspects of the company’s drilling, engineering and production functions.

Mr Bachmann said: Steve Longon’s 29 years of relevant experience in the GOM both on the Shelf and in deepwater has brought significant breadth and depth of operational knowledge to Energy Partners. Steve is well respected in the industry and has been an excellent addition to our management team.