News Release

Ngamia-1 Drilling Update

25 May 2012 - Tullow Oil plc (Tullow) this morning hosted a meeting with certain investors in Nairobi.  During the course of this meeting it was inadvertently indicated that the Ngamia-1 well was drilling into the primary target and that initial results appeared to indicate that the well had intersected further oil bearing sands.

The Company wishes to clarify that the Ngamia-1 well has encountered oil and gas shows over a gross interval of 140 metres from a depth of 1,800 metres to 1,940 metres. The reservoirs are similar to those previously encountered at a shallower depth. The well will continue to be drilled to a total depth of 2,700 metres and then logged and sampled. This is expected to take a further three weeks to complete.

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Notes to Editors

Tullow is a leading independent oil and gas, exploration and production group and is quoted on the London, Ghana and Irish Stock Exchanges (symbol: TLW.L). The Group has interests in over 90 production and exploration licences in 22 countries which are managed as three regional business units: West & North Africa, South & East Africa and Europe, South America and Asia.

In Africa, Tullow has production in Ghana, Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Congo (Brazzaville) and Equatorial Guinea with two large appraisal and development programmes in Ghana and Uganda. Tullow also has exploration interests in Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Madagascar, Namibia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

Tullow's European interests are focused on gas in the UK Southern North Sea where it has significant interests in the Caister-Murdoch System and the Thames area and in the Netherlands where it has offshore gas production, development and exploration opportunities.

In South Asia, Tullow has exploration and production in Bangladesh and exploration interests in Pakistan. In South America, Tullow has exploration interests in Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname.

For further information please refer to our website at www.tullowoil.com.

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ENDS