Yemen Update

Soco International PLC
18 February 2005


SOCO International plc
('SOCO' or 'the Company')

Successful Testing of Two Yemen Wells

SOCO is an international oil and gas exploration and production company,
headquartered in London. The Company has continuing interests in Vietnam,
Mongolia, Yemen, Libya and Thailand with ongoing production operations in Yemen
and Mongolia.

The Company's majority owned subsidiary, Comeco Petroleum, Inc. ('Comeco'),
through which the Company holds a 16.785% interest in the East Shabwa
Development Area in Yemen ('ESDA'), announces the successful production test of
the KHA-403 and extended production test results of the KHA 402 well. Both wells
were drilled as part of the continuing appraisal and development of the Basement
reservoir in the Kharir Field.

The KHA-403 spudded on 6 December 2004 and reached a total depth of 3,383
metres. The objectives of the well were to delineate the Basement and evaluate
reservoir development in the undrilled western extension of the structure.
KHA-403 produced over 6,500 barrels of oil per day ('BOPD') when tested earlier
this month and is now connected to Kharir's main production facilities.

The KHA-402 well spudded on 17 October 2004 and reached a total depth of 3,441
metres on 20 November 2004. The well was drilled to test the potential of the
eastern end of the Kharir field on the flank of the structure. The well was
tested between 15 December 2004 and 18 December 2004 achieving a rate of 550
BOPD before being shut-in for a long term test.  It was re-opened 26 January
2005 and the rate stabilized at approximately 710 BOPD on 13 Feb 2005.

The fourth Basement well in the current ESDA drilling programme, the KHA-404,
spudded on 1 February.

                                                                18 February 2005

ENQUIRIES:

SOCO International plc                                            Tel:  [phone]
Roger Cagle, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer

College Hill                                                      Tel:  [phone]
Ben Brewerton
Nick Elwes

Notes to Editors

Comeco, in which SOCO holds a 58.75% interest, has a 28.57% interest in the ESDA
in Block 10 in Yemen. The East Shabwa joint venture is operated by TOTAL Yemen,
S.A. (28.57% interest) under a production sharing agreement with the government
of Yemen. The other joint venture partners are Occidental Yemen Ltd. (28.57%
interest) and Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co. (14.29% interest).


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