Cabot Energy Regulatory News (CAB)

14 Jun 2005 12:00

Embargoed: 13.00hrs, 14 June 2005 Northern Petroleum Plc ("Northern" or the "Company") Senior Netherlands Appointment & Additional Netherlands Expansion OpportunitiesNorthern Petroleum Plc announces that, further to its previously announcedjoint venture agreement with Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij ("NAM")involving cooperation onshore Netherlands, it has appointed Birger Polkamp, aNetherlands national, as a director of its wholly owned Netherlands subsidiary,NP Netherlands B.V. ("NPN").Mr Polkamp has been appointed in order to assist with operations in theNetherlands. Mr Polkamp graduated from Utrecht University with a degree inCompany Law, after which he joined the Shell Group. During a thirty-four yearcareer, he held various senior financial, legal and operational positionswithin the Shell Group, both in the Netherlands and overseas, includinglatterly as an executive board member of NAM . Mr Polkamp is also a formermember of the Executive Committee of The Netherlands Oil and Gas Explorationand Production Association, which promotes the common interests of allcompanies holding licenses to explore for, develop and produce hydrocarbonsboth on and offshore in the Netherlands.Additional Netherlands Expansion OpportunitiesIn line with Northern's strategy to increase its assets in the Netherlands, NPNhas applied for a Production Licence to develop the Papekop oil and gas fielddiscovered in 1986 by NAM. A later competitive application was submitted inApril 2005.The case for development of the Papekop field has been based upon interpretedand mapped Government released data including the Papekop-1 discovery well anda 3D seismic survey acquired by NAM in 1994.Derek Musgrove, Managing Director of Northern stated, "Birger Polkamp'sexperience in oil and gas production in the Netherlands, where Northern isacquiring old oil and gas discoveries for development into production in theshort term and a longer term attractive exploration position, will be of greatbenefit to the Company a we move forward.We look forward to working with him and, hopefully, to reporting the successfuloutcome of our application on the Papekop oil and gas field."For further information please contact:Derek Musgrove, Managing DirectorNorthern PetroleumTel. 020 7743 6080Ben Simons/Chris RobertsHansard CommunicationsTel. 020 7245 1100ENDNORTHERN PETROLEUM PLC