Seaport Global Securities LLC expanded its investment banking business with the launch of a division dedicated to upstream A&D, the firm said April 12.

In addition, Seaport said Tom Schaefer and Andy Taurins have joined the firm as managing directors to co-head its A&D investment banking team. Seaport is capable of performing buy- and sell-side mandates in all major U.S. onshore and offshore basins, according to the firm's press release.

Schaefer has advised on a "significant number" of transactions throughout the course of his 20 plus years in the business and Taurins has overseen in excess of $3 billion in asset acquisitions and divestitures over the course of his career as well, the firm said.

Previously, Schaefer started the A&D practice at Wunderlich Securities, was founder and president of Gulf Bend Resources and co-founded both Katy Resources and Dorado Exploration. He has performed various management and engineering functions at companies including ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), BP Plc (NYSE: BP), ExxonMobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) and Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB). Schaefer earned his Bachelors of Science Degree in Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

As a founding partner of Lantana Oil & Gas Partners in 2003, Taurins personally led more than $2.5 billion in asset divestitures in the E&P sector. Prior to that, he worked with a number of other prominent oil and gas industry companies, including Waterous & Co., Breitburn Energy, AGIP, and Tenneco Inc. He earned his Bachelors of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Ralph D’Amico also joined Seaport's investment banking department as managing director focusing on oil and gas exploration and production and midstream companies, the firm said. D’Amico has worked as an investment banker in the oil and gas business for the past 20 years.

D’Amico was most recently employed at Stifel, Nicolaus & Co., and prior to that at Jefferies, Randall & Dewey, Friedman Billings Ramsey and Salomon Smith Barney. He earned his Bachelors of Science Degree in Finance and Marketing from the University of Maryland and his M.B.A. from George Washington University.

Seaport is a full-service, investment bank co-headquartered in New York and New Orleans with offices across the U.S. and in Europe.