March 3 (Reuters) - Norwegian energy contractor Subsea7 said on Tuesday that CEO John Evans will retire later this year and will be succeeded by Stuart Fitzgerald.

Evans, a company veteran, will retire on June 30 and Fitzgerald will take over starting July, the company said in a statement.

Fitzgerald is currently CEO of Seaway7, part of the Subsea7 Group. He has also been proposed as CEO of the combined entity after the completion of a planned merger of Subsea7 with Italian oil services firm Saipem, the company said.

In 2025, Saipem agreed to merge with rival Subsea7 in a deal valued at about $4.63 billion to create a global player -- to be renamed Saipem7 -- in offshore energy services.

(Reporting by Bipasha Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)