Hurricane Rita Update

Gulfsands Petroleum PLC
07 October 2005


7 October 2005


Gulfsands Petroleum PLC
('Gulfsands' or 'the Group')


Hurricane Rita Update

Gulfsands Petroleum PLC (symbol GPX), the AIM listed oil and gas exploration,
development and production company with activities in the USA, Syria and Iraq,
provides update on the impact to operations in the USA Gulf of Mexico from
Hurricane Rita which made landfall in the USA Gulf Coast in late September.

From initial review of operated and non-operated facilities it appears Hurricane
Rita did only superficial damage to those facilities and such damages are
insured.  However, significant damage has occurred to the region's onshore gas
plants and infrastructure, and to offshore pipelines which have resulted in much
of the production in the Gulf of Mexico being shut-in not only for Northstar
Gulfsands LLC, the 52.6% subsidiary of Gulfsands, but for all producers in the
Gulf of Mexico.  Production within Northstar Gulfsands LLC has resumed but it
will take some time before production is back to pre Hurricane Rita production
levels.  The Company will provide a further update once an accurate timeframe
has been determined when production will be back to pre storm levels.


John Dorrier, CEO of Gulfsands Petroleum, said:

'We have intensive ongoing efforts to restore production from operated
facilities.  These efforts require minimal repair to facilities before
production can be restarted and we expect that production from operated
properties will be increased steadily over the next 30 days.  In non-operated
facilities, we are still gathering information about expected production volumes
over the near term and should develop clearer views during the next several
weeks.  The major impact to the Company will be a reduction in production
volumes expected in the 4th quarter of 2005, but an offsetting extension in
reserves life.'


Enquiries:
Gulfsands Petroleum (Houston)                                713-626-9564
David DeCort, Chief Financial Officer

College Hill (London)                                        020-7457-2020
Ben Brewerton / Nick Elwes

Seymour Pierce (London)                                      020-7107-8000
Richard Redmayne
Jonathan Wright



Note to Editors
     
•    Gulf of Mexico, USA

The Group has a 52.6% interest in Northstar Gulfsands LLC, which owns interests
in 39 producing oil and gas fields offshore Texas and Louisiana and operates 8
of those fields. Northstar Gulfsands LLC has proved and probable reserves of
58.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalents, consisting of 28.85 billion
cubic feet of natural gas and 4.88 million barrels of oil as of 30 June 2005.

•    Syria

In Syria, Gulfsands owns a 50% working interest in Block 26 and is the operator.
The block covers 11,000 square kilometres and surrounds areas which currently
produce over 100,000 barrels of oil per day from existing fields.  The Group
commenced the acquisition of an extensive 2D seismic programme during August
2005 and anticipates the drilling of the first well during the first quarter of
2006. Gulfsands has identified 27 exploitation and exploration prospects and
leads with mean resources potential of 1 billion barrels of recoverable oil.

•    Iraq

Gulfsands signed a Memorandum of Understanding in January 2005 with the Ministry
of Oil in Iraq for the Misan Gas Project in Southern Iraq and is currently
negotiating the definitive contract for the project.  The project will gather,
process and transmit natural gas that is currently a waste by-product of oil
production in the region and will end the environmentally damaging practice of
gas flaring. Gulfsands has completed a feasibility study and expects to conduct
further technical work and commercial discussions with the Iraq Oil Ministry.
     
•    Onshore USA

Gulfsands operates onshore USA through its subsidiary company Darcy Energy LLC.
Gulfsands recently increased its ownership in Darcy Energy to 80%.  At the Emily
Hawes field, initial gas production commenced in the summer of 2005.  The first
well in the Barb Mag oil field has been drilled and wireline logged with some 38
feet of potential net pay and production tested at 1.5 million cubic feet of
natural gas and 36 barrels of condensate per day.  Production from this well
should commence before year-end 2005.  Darcy Energy has a 34.375% and 37.5%
working interest in these fields respectively.


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