EXHIBIT 99


NEWS                                             WILLBROS GROUP, INC.   [LOGO]

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 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                            FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
      Monday                                          Michael W. Collier
      December 23, 2002                               Investor Relations Manager
      Houston, Texas                                  Willbros USA, Inc.
                                                      (713) 403-8016
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          WILLBROS PROJECTS IN VENEZUELA DELAYED BY NATIONAL SITUATION


Willbros Group, Inc. (NYSE: WG) announced today that, due to the ongoing
national situation in Venezuela, its Venezuelan subsidiary, Constructora CAMSA,
C.A., has suspended all work in Venezuela, including work on the Ameriven Taej
Terminal Project in eastern Venezuela, until conditions stabilize. Under the
terms and conditions of its contracts with its clients, Camsa does not currently
anticipate that its contract revenue nor contract margins will be diminished;
although the timing of future project revenue may be delayed. Willbros
projections, prior to the current disruptions, for the first quarter of 2003
included revenue in Venezuela of $11-13 million.

Willbros Group, Inc. is one of the leading independent contractors serving the
oil, gas and power industries, providing construction, engineering and other
specialty oilfield-related services to industry and government entities
worldwide.

The Company's World Wide Web site can be accessed at www.willbros.com.

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. All statements, other
than statements of historical facts, which address activities, events or
developments the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future
are forward-looking statements. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause
actual results to differ materially from these statements, including such things
as future E&P capital expenditures, oil, gas and power prices and demand, the
amount and location of planned pipelines, development trends of the oil, gas and
power industries, changes in the political and economic environment of the
countries in which the Company has operations, as well as other risk factors
described from time to time in the Company's documents and reports filed with
the SEC.