Nautical Petroleum plc : 26th Seaward Licensing Round

For immediate release

4 January 2012

Nautical Petroleum plc

("Nautical" or the "Company")

26th Seaward Licensing Round

Nautical Petroleum plc (LSE: NPE) is pleased to announce that it has been offered a traditional licence, covering two exploration blocks, in the 26th Seaward Licensing Round second tranche of offers as follows:

Blocks	Partners	Nautical Interest	Firm Obligations	Contingent Obligations
12/16b & 12/17b	First Oil (Operator), North Sea Energy, EnCore Oil plc	20%	Shoot 2D seismic	Drill or drop within 4 years

Blocks 12/16b &12/17b lie in the Inner Moray Firth and have prospectivity in both the Lower Cretaceous (Coracle and Punt Sandstones) and the Upper Jurassic (Alhess and Claymore Sandstones).  The initial licence term is four years with the decision to drill a well required by the end of the initial licence term.

In addition, subject to Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) approval of an offer made to and accepted by InfraStrata plc, Nautical will acquire an interest in another traditional licence covering three exploration blocks, as follows:

Blocks	Partners	Nautical Interest	Firm Obligations	Contingent Obligations
97/14, 97/15, 98/11	InfraStrata (Operator), Corfe Energy Limited, eCORP Oil & Gas UK Limited	10%	Obtain and reprocess 2D seismic	Drill or drop within 2 years

Blocks 97/14, 97/15 and 98/11 cover an offshore area of 584 square kilometres adjacent to the Dorset coast, close to the Wytch farm oilfield.   The initial licence term is four years with the decision to drilling a well required within the first two years.

Commenting on the 26th Licensing Round and the licence offers, Nautical's Chief Executive Officer, Steve Jenkins said:

"We are delighted to have been offered Blocks 12/16b and 12/17b, which lie north east of the Beatrice and Jacky fields and the 12/21-3 discovery.  We are greatly encouraged by the presence of large leads at four stratigraphic levels. 

The English Channel blocks (97/14, 97/15 and 98/11) contain interesting prospects and discoveries, including the 98/11-2 well drilled in 1984.  This encountered a 26 metre gas column which was tested and flowed at an approximate rate of 10 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.  Part of our programme will be to establish the commerciality of this discovery, which can be accessed from an onshore location."

For further information please contact:

Nautical Petroleum plc	020 7647 0120
Steve Jenkins, Chief Executive Officer Paul Jennings, Commercial Director Will Mathers, Finance Director
Buchanan	020 7466 5000
Ben Romney Helen Chan
Evolution Securities - Nominated Advisor & Joint Broker	020 7071 4300
Chris Sim Neil Elliot
Ambrian Partners Limited - Joint Broker	020 7634 4700
Matt Einhorn