SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                          Washington, D.C. 20549

                                 FORM 8-K

                              CURRENT REPORT
                  Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                      Securities Exchange Act of 1934

  Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) January 6, 1999


                      SUPERIOR ENERGY SERVICES, INC.
            (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


        Delaware                    0-20310               75-2379388
(State or other jurisdiction (Commission File Number)   (IRS Employer
     of incorporation)                                Identification No.)


        1105 Peters Road, Harvey, Louisiana                70058
      (Address of principal executive offices)           (Zip Code)



                              (504) 362-4321
             (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)


            1503 Engineers Road, Belle Chase, Louisiana  70037
        (Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)



ITEM 5.   OTHER EVENTS

     On January 6, 1999, Superior Energy Services, Inc. (the "Registrant"),
     terminated  the  definitive  merger  agreement  with  Parker  Drilling
     Company  and  issued  a  press  release.  Copies  of  the  Termination
     Agreement and Press Release are filed  herewith  as  Exhibit  99.1 and
     99.2, respectively.

ITEM 7.   FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS.

     (a)  Exhibits.

          99.1 Termination  and Release Agreement dated January 6, 1999  by
               and among Superior  Energy  Services,  Inc., Parker Drilling
               Company and Saints Acquisition Company.

          99.2 Press release issued by the Registrant on  January  7,  1999
               announcing  the  termination  of  the  merger agreement with
               Parker Drilling Company.






                            SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange  Act  of 1934,
the  Registrant  has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf  by
the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                              SUPERIOR ENERGY SERVICES, INC.



                              By:     /S/ ROBERT S. TAYLOR
                                          Robert S. Taylor
                                          Chief Financial Officer

Dated:  January 7, 1999




                                                     EXHIBIT 99.1

                     TERMINATION AND RELEASE AGREEMENT

     This Termination and Release Agreement (this "Agreement"), dated as of
the  6th  day  of  January 1999, is by and among Parker Drilling Company, a
Delaware corporation  ("Parker"),  Saints  Acquisition  Company, a Delaware
corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parker ("Sub"),  and  Superior
Energy Services, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("Superior").

                       W I T N E S S E T H:

     WHEREAS,  Parker,  Sub  and  Superior  are  parties  to  that  certain
Agreement  and  Plan of Merger dated as of October 28, 1998 and amended  on
November 25, 1998 (as amended, the "Merger Agreement") providing for, among
other things, the merger of Sub with and into Superior (the "Merger"); and

     WHEREAS, Parker,  Sub  and  Superior  mutually desire to terminate the
Merger Agreement and to abandon the Merger.

     NOW,  THEREFORE,  in  consideration  of  the   mutual   covenants  and
agreements  hereunder  and  for other good and valuable consideration,  the
receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto
agree as follows:

     1.   TERMINATION OF THE MERGER AGREEMENT.

          (a)  Pursuant to Section  7.1(a)  of  the  Merger  Agreement, the
Merger  Agreement  is  hereby  terminated and declared void, the Merger  is
hereby abandoned, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in
the  Merger Agreement (including  Section  7.2  thereof),  all  rights  and
obligations of the parties thereunder shall cease.

          (b)   Except  for  that certain Confidentiality Agreement between
Superior  and  Parker  dated  October   22,   1998,   all   agreements  and
understandings  of any type, whether executed or unexecuted, among  any  of
Parker, Sub, Superior  and  each  of their respective affiliates related to
the Merger Agreement and/or the Merger  are  hereby terminated and shall be
of no further force or effect.

     2.   CONSIDERATION.  For and in consideration  of  the  termination of
the  Merger Agreement and the Merger, contemporaneously with the  execution
hereof  Superior  shall  pay  to  Parker  $2,125,000,  by  wire transfer of
immediately  available  funds  to  an  account  designated  by  Parker,  to
reimburse  Parker  for  costs  and  expenses incurred by Parker and Sub  in
connection with or relating to this Agreement,  the Merger Agreement or the
transactions   contemplated   hereby   and   thereby,  including,   without
limitation, the fees and disbursements of counsel,  financial  advisors and
accountants.   The  parties  acknowledge  and  agree  that, except for  the
payment  made pursuant to this Section 2, no party shall  be  obligated  or
responsible  for  any costs or expenses paid or incurred by any other party
hereto.

     3.   RELEASE OF  PARKER  AND  SUB.  Except for the obligations arising
under  this  Agreement,  Superior hereby  irrevocably  and  unconditionally
releases, acquits and forever  discharges  Parker  and  Sub,  and  each  of
Parker's and Sub's owners, stockholders, predecessors, successors, assigns,
agents,   directors,   officers,   employees,  representatives,  attorneys,
subsidiaries, affiliates and all persons  acting  by,  through, under or in
concert with any of them or all of them, from any and all actions or causes
of action in law or in equity, charges, claims, complaints, costs, demands,
damages,    liabilities,    liens,   obligations,   promises,   agreements,
controversies,  suits,  rights,   losses,   debts,  interest  and  expenses
(including  attorney's  fees and costs actually  incurred)  of  any  nature
whatsoever,  known  or  unknown,   suspected   or   unsuspected,  fixed  or
contingent,  in any way arising out of or connected with the Merger, Merger
Agreement or any agreements or understandings related thereto.

     4.   RELEASE  OF SUPERIOR.  Except for the obligations  arising  under
this Agreement, Parker  and  Sub  hereby  irrevocably  and  unconditionally
release,  acquit  and  forever  discharge  Superior  and each of Superior's
owners, stockholders, predecessors, successors, assigns, agents, directors,
officers,  employees, representatives, attorneys, subsidiaries,  affiliates
and all persons  acting by, through under or in concert with any of them or
all of them, from  any  and  all  actions  or causes of action in law or in
equity, charges, claims, complaints, costs,  demands, damages, liabilities,
liens,  obligations,  promises, agreements, controversies,  suits,  rights,
losses, debts, interest,  and expenses (including attorneys' fees and costs
actually incurred) of any nature whatsoever, known or unknown, suspected or
unsuspected, fixed or contingent,  in  any  way arising out of or connected
with  the  Merger,  Merger  Agreement or any agreements  or  understandings
related thereto.

     5.   FURTHER ASSURANCES.   The  parties  hereto  agree  that they will
cooperate  with  each  other  and will execute and deliver or cause  to  be
delivered, all such other instruments,  documents  and/or certificates, and
will  take all such other actions, as a party may reasonably  request  from
time to  time  to  effectuate  the  provisions and purposes hereof.  In the
event of any third-party claims relating  to  the termination of the Merger
or the matters covered herein, the parties hereto  agree  to cooperate with
each other in the defense thereof.

     6.   GOVERNING LAW.  This Agreement shall be governed by and construed
in  accordance  with the substantive laws of the State of Delaware  without
giving effect to the principals of conflicts of law thereof.

     7.   BINDING  EFFECT.   This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure
to the benefit of Parker, Sub  and  Superior,  and each of their respective
successors  and assigns and references in this Agreement  to  any  of  them
shall be construed accordingly.

     8.   SEVERABILITY.   In  the  event that any part of this Agreement is
declared  by  any court or other judicial  or  administrative  body  to  be
declared null,  void, or unenforceable, such provision shall survive to the
extent it is not  so  declared,  and all other provisions of this Agreement
shall remain in full force and effect.

     9.   PUBLICITY.  The parties  hereto  agree  that  Parker and Superior
will  issue press releases with respect to the matters covered  herein  and
shall not  make any public statements regarding the other party without the
consent of such other party, other than as required by law.

     10.  COUNTERPARTS.   This  Agreement  may be executed in counterparts,
each  of  which  shall  be an original, but all  of  which  together  shall
constitute one and the same agreement.

     11.  ENTIRE  AGREEMENT.    This   Agreement   constitutes  the  entire
agreement among the parties with respect to the subject  matter  hereof and
supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, both written and  oral,
among the parties with respect thereto, including, without limitation,  the
Merger Agreement.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement on
the date first written above.

                              PARKER DRILLING COMPANY


                              By:   /S/JAMES J. DAVIS                  
                                       James J. Davis
                                       Senior Vice President and
                                       Chief Financial Officer


                              SAINTS ACQUISITION COMPANY


                              By:   /S/JAMES J. DAVIS               
                                       James J. Davis
                                       Vice President


                              SUPERIOR ENERGY SERVICES, INC.



                              By:   /S/ROBERT S. TAYLOR                   
                                       Robert S. Taylor
                                       Chief Financial Officer



                                                     EXHIBIT 99.2


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE               FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

                                    Parker Drilling:   Ed Hendrix, Investor
                                                       Relations 918-631-1273

                                    Superior Energy Services:  Terence Hall,
                                    CEO:  Robert Taylor, CFO:  Guy Cook,
                                    Investor Relations, 504-362-4321

          PARKER DRILLING - SUPERIOR ENERGY SERVICES DEAL TERMINATED

(Harvey, La., January 7, 1999) Parker Drilling Company (NYSE: PKD) and Superior
Energy  Services,  Inc.  (NASDAQ:SESI),  announced today that they have jointly
agreed to terminate their merger agreement  in  which  Parker  was  to  acquire
Superior in an exchange of stock.

In connection with such termination, Superior has agreed to make a cash payment
to Parker in settlement of certain obligations under the merger agreement.

Superior  provides  oilfield  tool rentals, well plug and abandonment services,
and other specialized products  and  services to oil companies operating in the
Gulf of Mexico and Gulf Coast regions.   Superior  is  headquartered in Harvey,
La.

Founded in 1934, Parker is an international provider of  offshore  and  on-land
drilling services and oil tool rentals.