Appointment of Technical Director

RNS Number : 2006A

Rockhopper Exploration plc

18 March 2013

 

Embargoed: 0700hrs 18 March 2013

Rockhopper Exploration plc

("Rockhopper" or the "Company")

Appointment of Technical Director

Rockhopper Exploration plc (AIM: RKH), the oil and gas company with assets in the North Falkland Basin, is pleased to announce that Fiona Margaret MacAulay, currently Geology & Geophysics Manager, has been appointed to the board in the position of Technical Director.

Fiona (aged 49) is a geologist with over 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Her career includes time at Mobil, Amerada Hess and BG, where she was responsible for the UK & International Exploration Operations Geology Group. She has worked in many parts of the world including the UK Continental Shelf, Trinidad, Pakistan, Russia, Asia Pacific and the Falklands. Fiona joined Rockhopper in 2010 immediately following the Sea Lion discovery and was an integral member of the senior team which managed the appraisal of the Sea Lion field and discovered the Casper, Casper South and Beverley fields. She is a Fellow of the Geological Society of London and a Member of the Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain and American Association of Petroleum Geologists.

Pierre Jungels, Chairman, commented:

"I am delighted to welcome Fiona to the board. Having seen her tremendous contribution towards taking our activities in the North Falkland Basin forward over the last three years, I am confident Fiona will continue to fulfil a vital role in representing the Company's interests."

Further information with regards to the appointment of Fiona MacAulay, as required under Schedule 2g of the AIM Rules, appears below in the notes to this announcement.

Enquiries:

Rockhopper Exploration plc	Tel. [phone]
Sam Moody - Chief Executive	(via M: Communications)
Canaccord Genuity (Nomad and Joint Broker)	[phone]
Henry Fitzgerald-O'Connor / Giles Fitzpatrick
M: Communications	[phone]
Patrick d'Ancona / Ben Simons

Notes

Fiona professionally uses her maiden name of MacAulay. Her current surname is Barkham and she has also previously held the surname of Oxley. There are no other disclosures necessary under Schedule 2g of the AIM Rules.

About Rockhopper

Rockhopper was established in February 2004 with a strategy to invest in and carry out offshore oil exploration to the north of the Falkland Islands. The Company floated on AIM in August 2005 with four offshore production licences: PL023, PL024, PL032 and PL033 which cover approximately 3,800 sq. km. Rockhopper has further smaller interests in licences PL003, PL004a and PL004c, which are operated by Desire Petroleum plc. Additionally, the Company has a significant interest in licence PL004b which contains the extension to the Sea Lion Field as well as the Beverley, Casper and Casper South discoveries.

An extensive work programme was carried out over a number of years on the licences operated by Rockhopper. This has included 2D and 3D seismic and controlled source electromagnetic mapping. In February 2010, the Ocean Guardian drilling rig arrived in Falkland waters to carry out a multi-well drilling campaign. Rockhopper drilled an exploration well on Sea Lion during April and May 2010, the result of which was the first oil discovery and Contingent Resource in the North Falkland Basin. The Sea Lion discovery was successfully tested during September 2010 and June 2011 and was the first oil to flow to surface in Falkland Islands waters. Rockhopper's drilling campaign lasted from 16 April 2010 to 8 January 2012 and resulted in seven successful wells of the ten drilled, with three oil discoveries, three gas discoveries, multiple successful Sea Lion appraisal wells and a successful appraisal well on Casper.

In October 2012 Rockhopper completed a farm-out agreement with Premier Oil plc, whereby Premier Oil acquired 60 per cent. of Rockhopper's interests in its North Falkland Basin licences, with a view to achieving first oil production from Sea Lion in 2017.

Rockhopper Exploration plc www.rockhopperexploration.co.uk

 

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