VPC Venture Prod.

RNS Number:2147L
Dana Petroleum PLC
19 April 2005


                               Dana Petroleum plc
                     ("Dana", "the Group" or "the Company")

                  First Oil Production from the Gadwall Field

Dana is pleased to announce that oil production has successfully commenced from
the Gadwall field. Initial rates are in line with expectations.  Gadwall is
located in Block 21/19 within the Greater Kittiwake Area ("GKA"), in the Central
North Sea.

Gadwall is being developed as a sub-sea tie back to the Kittiwake platform
utilising a single producer/injector pair of wells.  The discovery well on the
Gadwall field, 21/19-6, was originally drilled in 1996 and suspended for
subsequent re-use. The suspended well has now been completed as an oil producer
using the Sedco 704 rig. Following a period of early production, it is
anticipated that a water injection well will be drilled in the fourth quarter of
2005 to provide reservoir pressure support from early 2006 onwards.

Estimated gross proven and probable recoverable reserves for the Gadwall field,
in which Dana holds a 50% working interest, amount to 6.4 million barrels of oil
and 4.3 billion cubic feet of gas.

Tom Cross, Chief Executive of Dana commented:

"Gadwall becomes Dana's tenth producing field in the UK and eleventh for the
Group as a whole.  Elsewhere in the North Sea, Dana is currently driving ahead
with four new field developments and expects to conduct appraisal drilling on a
further five fields before the end of 2006.

Overall, Dana has rigs contracted to drill six exploration and appraisal wells
in the North Sea in 2005.  The first of these, drilled last month, discovered
the Melville oil field adjacent to the Dana operated Hudson oil field."


                                                                   19 April 2005

For further information please contact:
Dana Petroleum plc                                                 01224 652 400
Tom Cross, Chief Executive
Andy Bostock, Technical Director

College Hill Associates                                            020 7457 2020
Nick Elwes


Notes to Editors:

-             The Base Case Gadwall water flood development is expected to
deliver a field life of between 7 and 10 years, with cumulative production of
6.4 million barrels of oil and 4.3 billion cubic feet of associated gas.

-             The development of the field which commenced with design and
procurement in first quarter of 2004, involved the tie back to the Kittiwake
platform via a 75 m tie-in to the existing Mallard production flowline plus a
3km umbilical to Mallard. The water injection well tie in point has been
installed as part of the production well tie in work, thus enabling injection to
commence as soon as the water injection well is completed during the fourth
quarter of 2005.  No modifications will be required to the Kittiwake platform.

-             The Greater Kittiwake Area ("GKA"), including Gadwall, is jointly
owned by Dana and Venture Production (50% each) and contains the producing
Kittiwake, Mallard and Gadwall fields together with a number of potential
satellite tie-backs, appraisal opportunities and exploration prospects.


                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END

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