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* EBITA for 2012 rises to $461 mln from $342 mln
* Sees growth in all divisions in 2013
* Growth not seen on same trajectory as last two years -CEO
* Oman 2012 loss $20 mln, at top end of guidance
* Sees more shale opportunities
* Shares rise 5 percent, Numis ups rating to 'add'
LONDON, March 5 (Reuters) - British energy services companyJohn Wood Group reassured investors with a 35 percentjump in earnings on Tuesday buoyed by a boom in U.S. shale gasand a reassuring outlook bucking the trend of its peers.
The group, which is set to leave the FTSE 100 due toweakness in the energy services sector, forecasts growth acrossall its units in 2013 due to more spending from oil and gascompanies.
"Overall we see growth prospects in all three divisions,when you combine that all together, you're probably looking atan EBITA for 2013...probably around or just above 15 percent,"Wood Group's Chief Executive Bob Keiller told journalists, whichhe noted was in line with the consensus.
Oil companies are increasingly reliant on service companiesas they are forced to extract hydrocarbons from more difficultenvironments.
However increased competition in the sector, particularlyfrom Asia, is squeezing margins and profits.
"We're certainly not expecting the trajectory from the lasttwo years to continue, but we do see continued growth prospectsdriven by strong underlying fundamentals," he added.
A surprise profit warning in January from Saipem,Europe's biggest company in the industry, sent shockwavesthrough what was seen as a buoyant sector.
A vague outlook forecast from peer Petrofac lastweek also weighed on the sector.
"(Shares in) Wood Group have been unfairly hit by both ofthose things. This is an opportunity for them to say'everything's fine'," said Sanjeev Bahl at Numis Securities,which upgraded its recommendation to 'add' from 'hold'.
"That should be quite reassuring," he said, adding that thegroup is less impacted by Asian competition and cost inflation.
The company, which designs, builds and maintains oil and gasfacilities and pipelines, said its 2012 earnings beforeinterest, tax and amortisation (EBITA) for continuing operationsrose 35 percent to $461.1 million, meeting expectations.
Its engineering division, which posted a 36 percent rise inEBITA and is forecast to grow by 15 percent this year, expandedin areas such as the Gulf of Mexico and the Middle East duringthe year, where it expects further growth this year.
An improvement on a difficult Oman project is on the cardsthis year, after it confirmed that losses in Oman were $20million in 2012, at the top end of guidance.
The Aberdeen-based group is also targeting further growthfrom its shale activities after snapping up firms Mitchell's OilField Services and Duval last year which give it exposure to theoil rich shale regions in the United States.
"Given that the geology exists elsewhere in the world, Ithink it's inconceivable that the shale development won't takeplace in other places," added Keiller.
Shares in Wood Group, which hiked its full-year dividend by26 percent to 17 cents, were up over 5 percent in early trading,outperforming the wider market.
