Vietnam Licence Award

Serica Energy plc
31 July 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 31st July, 2006



                      SERICA ENERGY PLC ANNOUNCES AWARD OF

                          BLOCK 06/94 OFFSHORE VIETNAM



London, 31 July 2006 - Serica Energy plc (TSX Venture: SQZ; AIM: SQZ) announces
that it has been conditionally awarded Block 06/94 in the Nam Con Son Basin
offshore south Vietnam.  Serica and its two partners, Lundin Petroleum and Pearl
Energy, will each have a 33.33% interest in the Block, which covers an area of
around 4100 square kilometers and will be operated by Pearl.



Block 06/94 lies approximately 350 kilometres offshore and is the part of Block
06/1 which British Petroleum was obliged to relinquish in 1994 after retaining
the 2 trillion cubic feet Lan Tay and Lan Do gas fields for development.  The
Lan Do gas field commenced gas production in 2002 through a pipeline to Vung
Tau, near Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon).



Chris Atkinson, Chief Operating Officer, commented:



'This exciting new project offshore Vietnam is the first step in the expansion
of our interests in South East Asia and has been made possible by the
introduction of new technical expertise into Serica and through the synergies in
our partnership with Pearl and Lundin.  Block 06/94 is a highly prospective area
surrounding the Lan Tay and Lan Do gas fields and we hope to identify several
potentially commercial prospects within the Block.'





Enquiries:


Serica Energy plc
Paul Ellis,                          [e-mail]                      [phone]

Chief Executive Officer
Chris Hearne,                        [e-mail]                     [phone]

Finance Director

Pelham Public Relations -UK
James Henderson                      [e-mail]                  [phone]
Alisdair Haythornthwaite             [e-mail]         [phone]

CHF Investor Relations - Canada
Jan Moir                             [e-mail]                                 [phone] x237
Heather Colpitts                     [e-mail]                             [phone] x223


Background Notes



Serica Energy plc is an international oil and gas exploration company with
operations in Indonesia, the UK North Sea and Spain. The Company's ordinary
shares are listed in London on AIM and on the Canadian TSX Venture Exchange
under the symbol 'SQZ'. The 2005 Annual Report and Accounts are available at
www.serica-energy.com and www.sedar.com.



Lundin Petroleum AB is an independent Swedish oil and gas exploration and
production company with assets in Albania, France, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland,
Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Sudan, Tunisia, United Kingdom and Venezuela.



Pearl Energy Ltd is a Singapore-based oil and gas company engaged in the
exploration, development and production of oil and gas exclusively in Southeast
Asia.





Forward Looking Statements



This disclosure contains certain forward looking statements that involve
substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond
Serica Energy plc's control, including: the impact of general economic
conditions where Serica Energy plc operates, industry conditions, changes in
laws and regulations including the adoption of new environmental laws and
regulations and changes in how they are interpreted and enforced, increased
competition, the lack of availability of qualified personnel or management,
fluctuations in foreign exchange or interest rates, stock market volatility and
market valuations of companies with respect to announced transactions and the
final valuations thereof, and obtaining required approvals of regulatory
authorities.  Serica Energy plc's actual results, performance or achievement
could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward
looking statements and, accordingly, no assurances can be given that any of the
events anticipated by the forward looking statements will transpire or occur, or
if any of them do so, what benefits, including the amount of proceeds, that
Serica Energy plc will derive there from.





The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for
                   the adequacy or accuracy of this release.



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