1
NEWS RELEASE

For further information contact:

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


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1998

New Iberia, Louisiana - UNIFAB International, Inc. (NASDAQ-UFAB) announced
today that it has completed its acquisition of the assets of Professional
Industrial Maintenance, LLC (PIM).  PIM provides maintenance services to the
petrochemical industry and, at its 60 acre fabrication facility located twelve
miles south of Lake Charles, Louisiana, PIM provides repair, refurbishment and
conversion services for oil and gas drilling rigs.  PIM will operate as a
wholly-owned subsidiary of UNIFAB International, Inc.

"With 40-foot water depth to the Gulf of Mexico, the PIM facility provides
UNIFAB with the deepest Gulf of Mexico access of any fabrication facility along
the Louisiana coast," said Dailey J. Berard, President, Chairman and CEO.  "Its
location on the industrial canal at the intersection of the Calcasieu River and
Pass and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is just twenty miles from the Gulf of
Mexico and provides our customers ideal access.  This acquisition significantly
expands our capability to service the expanding deep water fabrication needs
for both the domestic and international markets.  We expect to continue PIM's
existing maintenance service business in the petrochemical industry and to
expand PIM's existing repair, refurbishment and conversion services for deep
water drilling rigs and jack ups.  We also expect in the near future to make
substantial capital investment that will enable the deep water fabrication
facility to support the drilling industry's needs in both refurbishment
upgrades of jack up and semi-submersible drilling rigs for deep water use, as
well as new construction of deep water drilling rigs, platforms, and platform
components.  PIM currently employs over two hundred production employees and we
expect to increase that number significantly.  We also expect to be able to cut
costs and to benefit from the synergy of combining PIM's operations with
UNIFAB's."

UNIFAB International, Inc. is an industry leader in the custom fabrication of
decks, equipment modules and other structures used in the development and
production of offshore oil and gas reserves.  The Company also refurbishes and
retrofits existing jackets and decks and performs offshore piping hookup and
platform maintenance services.  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 and PIM 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 PIM, 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.