Operational Update

BowLeven Plc
04 February 2008

4 February 2008


Bowleven plc ('Bowleven' or 'the Company')

Operational Update - Rig secured for re-drill of IF exploration well


Bowleven, the African focused oil & gas company listed on AIM, today announces
that the Company has signed a drilling contract with Sedco Forex International
Inc ('SFI') for the drilling of one well with the jack-up rig Trident IV. The
rig will be used to re-drill the IF exploration well located in Block MLHP 7
offshore Cameroon and operations are currently expected to commence in late
April / early May 2008.

Further announcements will be made as appropriate.


ENQUIRIES

For further information please contact:

Bowleven plc
Kevin Hart, Chief Executive Officer     00 44 131 524 5656

Brunswick Group LLP
Patrick Handley                         00 44 207 404 5959
Deborah Spencer

Hoare Govett Limited                    00 44 207 678 8000
Andrew Foster


Notes to the Editor:

Bowleven is an African focussed oil and gas group, based in Edinburgh and listed
on AIM since December 2004.

Bowleven holds, through its wholly-owned subsidiary EurOil Limited, a 100%
equity interest in the Etinde Permit area being three shallow water blocks in
offshore Cameroon, West Africa; namely Blocks MLHP 5, MLHP 6 and MLHP 7. In
total BowLeven has approximately 2,300 km2 of exploration acreage located across
the Rio del Rey and Douala basins in the Etinde Permit. EurOil Limited has also
recently been awarded a new licence (the Bomono Permit) in onshore Cameroon
extending to approximately 2,328 km2 in the Douala/Kribi campo Basin. Bowleven
has operated in Cameroon since 1999.

The Cameroon Government has announced a cooperation agreement with the
Government of Equatorial Guinea to investigate a project to export gas from
Cameroon to the gas liquefaction plant on Bioko Island on Equatorial Guinea. It
is proposed that Limbe would be the gathering hub for any such scheme.

Bowleven also holds, through its wholly-owned subsidiary FirstAfrica Oil, a 100%
equity interest in the EOV offshore block in Gabon, which contains an existing
oil discovery that it is seeking to develop, and, a 50% equity interest in the
Epaemeno Block which is approximately 1,340 km2 of exploration acreage in
onshore Gabon which sits adjacent to a number of recent discoveries in
surrounding blocks.

Sedco Forex International Inc is a subsidiary of the ultimate parent company of
Transocean Inc., a Cayman Islands entity.



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