AFR.L Regulatory News (AFR)

Afren plc (AFR LN)

Ebok MOPU Sail Away

London, 20 October 2010 - Afren plc (Afren) and its partner Oriental Energy Resources (Oriental), announce the Naming and Sail Away Ceremony for the Ebok Mobile Offshore Production Unit (MOPU) at the Gulf Copper Yard in Galveston, Texas.

The Veer Prem MOPU will be the crude oil production and processing facility at the Ebok field development located offshore south east Nigeria. The facility is a former jack-up drilling rig that has been successfully converted to a MOPU by removing the drilling package and replacing it with a newly fabricated processing module. Work undertaken has also included the installation of new accommodation and a helideck. It has been prepared with an initial oil production capacity of 50,000 bopd, water injection capacity of 25,000 bwpd and gas lift/injection capacity of 9/6 mmcfd. Crude oil produced and processed at the MOPU will then be stored on the 1.2 million barrel capacity Floating Storage Offloading vessel (FSO), which will accommodate regular sales offtake by tankers up to VLCC size. The facility has been designed to allow for on site expansion and upgrade to also accommodate production from any future additional development phases at the field.

The advantages of using a converted jack up is that the installation will not require a derrick barge, and can therefore be installed whilst development drilling and well testing operations are in progress. Furthermore, opting for the MOPU/FSO development configuration has provided cost savings compared to alternative Floating Production Storage Offloading vessel (FPSO) options that were previously considered. It is planned that the MOPU and FSO will become a central facility for the broader Ebok/Okwok/OML 115 area, allowing for the economical and rapid tie back of production from any future developments in the surrounding area.

Both the MOPU and FSO are expected to arrive on location during November, with production start up remaining on track by year end.

Osman Shahenshah, Chief Executive of Afren plc, commented:

"The Veer Prem MOPU Sail Away Ceremony marks a successful conclusion of the refurbishment and fabrication of the remaining key piece of production infrastructure required at the Ebok development. It represents a significant further step towards first oil at the project, and establishing a production hub for the broader Ebok/Okwok/OML 115 area. We are grateful for the ongoing support from our partner, Oriental, and for the excellent work that Mercator has undertaken in delivering both the MOPU and FSO."

Alhaji Mohammed Indimi, Chairman of Oriental, commented:

"We at Oriental are extremely pleased with the continued progress we are making towards first oil at Ebok. The MOPU Sail Away is another milestone in the project and further endorsement of the successful Oriental/Afren partnership."

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About Afren Plc

Afren is an African focused independent oil and gas exploration and production company listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange and constituent of the Financial Times Stock Exchange Index of the leading 250 UK listed companies. Afren has a portfolio of 27 assets across nine countries across the full cycle E&P value chain. Afren is currently producing from its assets offshore Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire, with the significant Ebok appraisal and development project due onstream in 2010 from Nigeria. Afren has exploration interests in Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Congo Brazzaville, the Joint Development Zone of Nigeria - São Tomé & Príncipe, Kenya, Ethiopia, Madagascar and Seychelles. For further information please refer to www.afren.com.