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                                                                   EXHIBIT 99.2


Press Release dated April 30, 1999

NEWS RELEASE

For further information contact:

Dailey J. Berard                                        Pete Roman
Chief Executive Officer                                 Chief Financial Officer
(318)    367-8291                                       (318) 373-5506

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 30, 1999


                           UNIFAB INTERNATIONAL, INC.
                            ACQUIRES OIL BARGES, INC.



New Iberia, Louisiana - UNIFAB International, Inc. (NASDAQ-UFAB) announced today
that it has completed its acquisition of Oil Barges, Inc. ("OBI"). OBI designs
and fabricates drilling rigs from its 22-acre facility in New Iberia, Louisiana.
OBI is completing a first-of-a-kind drilling barge for an international drilling
company, which will be utilized in Nigeria. This drilling rig, scheduled to be
delivered in June 1999, incorporates OBI's proprietary substructure technology,
which makes it uniquely suited to address some of the problems encountered in
oil and gas production in Nigeria, and has applications worldwide. OBI furnished
all design, fabrication and equipment for the drilling rig and 84-man living
quarters, including equipment that had been renovated at the Company's
refurbishment facility in Parks, Louisiana. Superior Derrick Services, a wholly
owned subsidiary of OBI also obtained in the acquisition, manufactured the 1.5
million-pound hookload mast used on the drilling rig. The purchase price was
approximately 490,000 shares of UNIFAB International, Inc. common stock. UNIFAB
also acquired equipment and machinery from an affiliate of OBI for 210,000
shares of UNIFAB International, Inc. common stock.

"OBI broadens UNIFAB's base as a single-source supplier," said Dailey J. Berard,
President, Chairman and CEO. "The expert management and proprietary technology
OBI brings into the UNIFAB family are well recognized in the industry. The
benefits of OBI's new drilling rig designs and technologies will contribute to
productivity and facilitate development of reserves previously considered
uneconomical. Adding the drilling rig fabrication facility enhances UNIFAB's
ability to provide complimentary specialized services, including posted and
platform drilling rigs that can be manufactured or refurbished at the OBI
facility at the Port of Iberia, and jack up rig and semi-submersible rig
refurbishment at our deep water facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The OBI
facility is one of the finest at the Port of Iberia. It provides ample covered
shop facilities, concrete bulkheading and currently employs approximately 120
skilled craftsmen and other personnel. In addition we continue to add seasoned
management experience, marketing networks and complementary industry expertise
which will help us aggressively manage our growth. We expect to integrate OBI
into the UNIFAB family of companies. We now offer single-source design and
fabrication capabilities for production and process equipment systems, packages
and topside platforms, and state-of-the-art drilling rig design and fabrication.
This allows us to be properly positioned to capitalize on the turn around that
now appears to be materializing in the industry."

OBI recognized revenue and pretax income of $28 million and $1.2 million,
respectively, for the year ended December 31, 1998. The acquisition will be
accounted for as a purchase. OBI will operate as a wholly owned

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subsidiary of UNIFAB International, Inc.

UNIFAB fabricates and assembles jackets, decks, topside facilities, quarters
buildings, drilling rigs and equipment for installation and use offshore in the
production, processing and storage of oil and gas. Through a wholly owned
subsidiary, Allen Process Systems, LLC, the Company designs and manufactures
specialized process systems such as oil and gas separation systems, gas
dehydration and treatment systems, and oil dehydration and desalting systems,
and other production equipment related to the development and production of oil
and gas reserves. Allen Process Systems, LLC also provides a full complement of
engineering and field commissioning services related to production systems. The
Company's main fabrication facilities are located in the Port of Iberia at New
Iberia, Louisiana. Through a wholly owned subsidiary, UNIFAB International West,
LLC, the Company provides repair, refurbishment and conversion services for oil
and gas drilling rigs and industrial maintenance services. Through a wholly
owned subsidiary, Allen Process Systems, Ltd., headquartered in Wimbledon,
England, the Company provides engineering and project management services
primarily in Europe and the Middle East. Dailey J. Berard serves on the
Louisiana Workforce Commission and other task forces that are working to improve
the training and education of the workforce of Louisiana.

Statements made in this news release regarding UNIFAB's expectations as to
future operations of UNIFAB, its subsidiaries and OBI and other statements
included herein that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking
statements that depend upon the following factors, among others: continued
demand for the services provided by UNIFAB and its subsidiaries and OBI,
availability of skilled employees, and UNIFAB's ability to integrate and manage
the acquired business. Should any of these factors not continue as anticipated,
actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in the
forward-looking statements.