stock exchange release

ROC OIL COMPANY LIMITED ("ROC")
STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE
2005 OFFSHORE MAURITANIA -
EXPLORATION DRILLING PROGRAMME START-UP
ROC announces that the Sotto-1 exploration well in Mauritania PSC A, commenced drilling on 6 August, 2005 at 2300 GMT. The well is being drilled by the Stena Tay drilling vessel.
Sotto-1 is located approximately 110km southwest of Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital, and 42km south of the Chinguetti Oil Field in a water depth of 320m. The planned total depth of the well is 3,330m.
The well is targeting Lower Miocene canyon fill sands of approximately the same age as the Chinguetti and Tiof oil discoveries in PSC B.
ROC's participation in the 2005 exploration drilling programme in Mauritania is expected to include wells in the Woodside operated PSCs A, B and C6, and the Dana operated PSC 1.
Hydrocarbon shows will only be reported after all required logs have been run and evaluated, although ROC will release weekly updates on the exploration drilling campaign.
Commenting upon the Sotto-1 well ROC' s CEO, Dr John Doran, stated that:
"The high risk Sotto-1 well marks the start of something that has become almost a seasonal event over the past few years for ROC – participating in an exploration drilling programme offshore Mauritania. Given the large size of Mauritania's offshore area and the fact that, prior to the first modern drilling campaign in 2001, commercial oil had not been discovered in the country, this year's exploration drilling programme should not be viewed any differently to its predecessors – it's another important step in our understanding of this newly emergent hydrocarbon province which will probably provide a mix of results typical of such frontier drilling