Interim Results

Island Oil and Gas PLC 19 April 2006 19 April 2006 ISLAND OIL & GAS PLC INTERIM RESULTS FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 31 JANUARY 2006 Island Oil & Gas plc ('Island' or the 'Company'), the technology-led exploration and production company, today announces its interim results for the six months ended 31 January 2006. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS: * Increased turnover of Stg£476,000 from gas sales * Reduced loss before tax of Stg£33,000 (six months ended 31 January 2005: loss before tax Stg£545,000) * Retained cash balances of Stg£13.6million * Loss per share 0.13pence Stg (six months ended 31 January 2005: loss per share 2.18pence Stg). HIGHLIGHTS * August 2005 - Island was awarded a 100% interest in the 'Killala Licence' in the strategically important Northeast Rockall Basin, adding further acreage in the Atlantic Margin * October 2005 - Island successfully concluded a rig contract with Petrolia Drilling Limited for its 2006 three-well drilling programme which commences in April 2006. * December 2005 - Island successfully raised Stg£8.31 million by way of a private placing, with a further Stg£4.15million receivable if all warrants associated with the placing are exercised. * January 2006 - Island announced important Board changes allowing the Company to fully capitalise upon the skills and experience of the Island team, and ending temporary arrangements put in place at the time of the Company's listing in 2004. Post interim period: * February 2006 - the Irish Authorities granted extensions to Licensing Options 03/5 (the Seven Heads Oil Option) and 03/6 (the Roscarberry Licensing Option), both in the Celtic Sea. * March 2006 - Island announced that it had made an application for six blocks in the Slyne-Erris-Donegal Bid Round. The blocks applied for are in the Southern Slyne Basin and Donegal Basin in the important Atlantic Margin. * April 2006 - Island announced that it has executed a further drilling contract with Petrolia Drilling Limited for the provision of the Petrolia rig for its planned 150 day drilling programme in 2007. It is expected that Interim Results will be posted to shareholders within the next 14 days. Commenting upon the interim results, Paul Griffiths, Island's Chief Executive, said: 'The period under review has seen us create significant opportunities for enhancing shareholder value by making considerable progress in the expansion of our project portfolio, whilst also preparing for our 2006 drilling programme and for further exploration and appraisal drilling planned for 2007. 'We intend to start 2006 three-well programme with two wells in the Celtic Sea on a Sub-Area of the Seven Heads Petroleum Lease and at the Old Head of Kinsale, followed by a well on the Inishbeg Prospect in the Donegal Basin. The commencement of drilling on all three prospects is subject to the usual regulatory consents and approvals. 'We have also, in a tight rig market, successfully secured the Petrolia rig for our proposed 2007 drilling programme. This gives us an opportunity to evaluate our existing, and future, prospects along the Atlantic Margin, follow-up any 2006 exploration success, and potentially develop an international spread of projects. We remain excited by the Company's portfolio and prospects.' Enquiries: Lisa J Newman MCIPR MIRS Newman Consulting Tel: +44 (0)1252 878682 Island Oil & Gas plc ('Island' or the 'Company') INTERIM RESULTS CHAIRMANS STATEMENT Introduction The six months ended 31 January 2006, to which these interim accounts relate, and through to the present time has been an extremely busy period as the Company gears up for a three-well drilling programme, starting in the second quarter of this year. Wells are planned at the Sub-Area of Seven Heads and the Old Head of Kinsale in the Celtic Sea, as well as the Inishbeg prospect in our Donegal Basin Frontier Exploration Licence, subject to the usual regulatory consents and approvals. In addition to preparations for an active 2006 exploration programme, we have also been continuing the expansion of our project portfolio and developing our 2007 exploration plans. In our results for the year ended 31 July 2005 published in late January 2006, we reported a number of post balance sheet events, including the award in August 2005 of Frontier Exploration Licence 3/05 (the 'Killala Licence'); the successful execution of a rig contract in October 2005 for our 2006 three-well drilling programme, and the successful conclusion of a private placing in December 2005. We also announced the restructuring of our Board, including the appointment of our Finance Director, Terry Jones. Subsequent to the six months ended 31 January 2006, we announced the conclusion in February 2006 of a Sub-Area Equity Interest Assignment Agreement for the Seven Heads Petroleum Lease with Marathon International Petroleum Hibernia Limited, and our Licence application in March 2006 for six blocks in the recent Slyne-Erris-Donegal Bid Round. FINANCIAL RESULTS The Group recorded a loss on ordinary activities before tax of Stg£33,000 for the half year period. In December 2005, Island successfully raised Stg£8.31 million by way of a private placing at 70 pence per share, with a further Stg£4.15 million receivable in April 2006 if all the 5,937,000 warrants associated with the placing are exercised. We are pleased to report that as of 7 April 2006, 2,354,230 warrants have been exercised, representing 39.65% of the warrants issued, and raising a further Stg£1.65 million for the Company at this early stage in the exercise process. At the end of the reporting period, cash balances amounted to some Stg£13.6 million. These balances take no account of the cash received as a result of the warrants exercised, as detailed above, as these were exercised after the period for which the accounts were prepared. The financial results for the half year have been prepared following the accounting policies set out in the Company's 2005 Annual Report and these have been applied on a consistent basis. Gas Production Revenue Island became a gas producer with effect from 1 October 2004 as a result of the acquisition of a 12.5% participating interest in the Seven Heads Petroleum Lease. At the time of our Annual General Meeting held in March 2006, we were pleased to report that we had received in total some Stg£1.2 million in gas sales receipts from Seven Heads up to the end of February 2006. Gas sales revenues through to the end of March 2006 now total Stg£1.5 million. Of this figure, Stg£476,000 is reflected in the results for this half year and compares with some Stg£484,000 for the 10 month period from 1 October 2004 to 31 July 2005 as reported in our 2005 Annual Report. Under the production regime introduced by the new Operator, production from the field was increased from 4 mmscfd to 10 mmscfd from 1 February this year as part of a winter profiling strategy. Portfolio Expansion In August 2005, Island was awarded the 'Killala Licence' in the strategically important Northeast Rockall Basin, adding further acreage in the Atlantic Margin. The Company has a 100% interest and operatorship in this 15 year Frontier Exploration Licence, which is located approximately 70 kilometres off the west coast of Ireland and approximately 35 kilometres north of the Corrib gas field. The Licence contains one very significant exploration prospect covering an area of up to 80 square kilometres, together with a number of other prospects and leads. The Northeast Rockall Basin had historically been neglected but has recently received extensive attention as exploration companies reconsider the potential of this area in the light of oil and gas prices prevailing at present, and now being forecast for the future. In February 2006, the Irish Authorities granted extensions to two of Island's Celtic Sea Licensing Options: Licensing Option 03/5 (the Seven Heads Oil Option) and Licensing Option 03/6 (the Roscarberry Licensing Option), until 31 December 2006. Island has a 12.5% participating interest in the Seven Heads Oil Option. A decision on future exploration activity will be taken during this year, and through an Option Agreement executed with Ramco Oil and Gas Limited in April 2004, Island can acquire a further 44.4% equity interest in the Seven Heads Oil Licensing Option by committing to and funding 74% of an appraisal well to test the oil-bearing Lower Wealden reservoirs in the Seven Heads structure. The Roscarberry Licensing Option is located immediately to the north of Seven Heads. Island has a 22% participating interest in the Option which includes the Roscarberry Prospect. Island, alongside its partners, has completed a work programme designed to mature for drilling this Prospect, a potentially significant Greensand gas structure, in advance of a decision on future exploration activity to be taken this year. Any future gas production could potentially be tied back to the Seven Heads infrastructure. In March 2006, the Company announced that an application was made to the Petroleum Affairs Division of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources for six blocks in the Slyne-Erris-Donegal Bid Round, which closed on 15 March 2006. The areas applied for are in the Southern Slyne Basin, where a large structural lead prospective for Triassic gas was identified, and in the Donegal Basin, where a series of potential Triassic structures were mapped on trend with the Inishbeg Prospect, which will be drilled by Island and its partners later this year. These structures are potentially prospective for both oil and gas. The Atlantic margin is seen by the Company as a strategically important area for the future discovery of the large quantities of indigenous gas necessary to reduce Ireland's long term dependence on gas imported from the United Kingdom. 2006 Drilling Programme In October 2005, Island successfully executed a rig contract with Petrolia Drilling Limited for the 'Petrolia' rig for the planned 2006 drilling programme, which will commence during the second quarter of 2006. This was a real achievement in what is a highly competitive market for offshore drilling rigs. Following the conclusion in February 2006 of a Sub-Area Equity Interest Assignment Agreement (the 'Agreement') for the Seven Heads Petroleum Lease with Marathon International Petroleum Hibernia Limited, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Marathon Seven Heads Limited (formerly Ramco Celtic Sea Ltd), the first well of the 2006 drilling programme will be drilled to test a possible extension of the Seven Heads gas field. This first well will be located in an area immediately to the west of the 48/ 24-6 production well, which has to date encountered some of the best producing sands in the Seven Heads gas field. Island will fund 100% of the cost of the well, including testing, in return for increasing its equity interest in all of the un-appraised parts of the Seven Heads Petroleum Lease west of a defined partition line. Island's equity interest in the Sub-Area will increase from 12.5% to 55.75%. Island will operate the well during the drilling period but operatorship will revert back to Marathon once the drilling programme has been completed. It is intended that the second and third wells of the programme will respectively be on the Old Head of Kinsale Prospect in the Celtic Sea, and on the Inishbeg Prospect in the Donegal Basin, subject to government and partner approvals. The Old Head of Kinsale lies immediately to the southeast of the Kinsale field. Island plans to drill a well on the Old Head of Kinsale structure immediately after the Seven Heads well. Thereafter in the Atlantic Margin, the Company will be involved with a 31% equity interest in a well being drilled on the Inishbeg Prospect in Frontier Exploration Licence 1/05 in the Donegal Basin with Lundin as Operator. The Inishbeg Prospect is in shallow water and in the event of a commercial discovery this could be linked to existing onshore pipeline facilities to supply the Irish market and with the potential to develop an export market through the existing gas interconnectors which already link Ireland to the UK and beyond. 2007 Drilling Programme In recent days, Island executed a further drilling contract with Petrolia Drilling Limited for the provision of the semi-submersible drilling unit 'Petrolia' in 2007. The contract is for a 150 day drilling programme. It is currently anticipated that the 2007 drilling programme will be primarily focused along the Atlantic Margin off the west coast of Ireland, subject to the necessary regulatory consents being granted, but further details of the programme will be announced during the coming months. The remainder of the programme remains flexible in order to allow for possible appraisal drilling based on a potentially successful outcome to the 2006 drilling campaign. In addition, Island is reviewing the opportunity to progress potential new international ventures in Northwest Europe and North Africa which are currently being evaluated. Further details in relation to the 2007 drilling programme will be announced in the coming months. BOARD We announced, in January 2006, important changes to the Island Board. The Board changes were enacted in order to allow the Company to fully capitalise upon the skills and experience of the Island team during an important time in the Company's development. These changes included the appointment of Terry Jones as Finance Director. In addition, Island's Acting Finance Director, Jack McKinney, replaced Phil Beck as Commercial Director whilst Phil moved to take up the role of New Ventures Director. These changes ended the temporary arrangements put in place on listing the Company in 2004. The Company has also expanded its operational and support team and has opened a new registered office in the centre of Dublin with further facilities set up in Aberdeen and Cork to support our drilling operations. OUTLOOK & PROSPECTS: With an active drilling programme about to commence and further exploration drilling contemplated in 2007, we believe that Island is creating a significant opportunity for enhancing shareholder value. We will shortly be commencing our three-well 2006 drilling programme with two wells in the Celtic Sea and a well on the Inishbeg Prospect in the Donegal Basin. In addition, the Company has successfully secured the Petrolia rig for our proposed 2007 drilling programme. The 2007 drilling programme provides Island with an opportunity to evaluate its existing and potential future prospects along the Atlantic Margin offshore Ireland, and follow-up on any 2006 exploration success and, importantly, to potentially develop an international spread of exploration and appraisal projects. Rig availability, in a tight market, gives us significant leverage to use to attract new potential partners to our extensive portfolio of mature exploration projects at a time when quality, high risk/high reward exploration targets are in short supply and rig availability is limited. Island Oil & Gas plc Consolidated profit and loss account Interim to 31 January 2006 unaudited) 6 Months 6 Months Year ended 31 ended 31 ended 31 Jan 2006 Jan 2005 July 2005 Stg£'000 Stg£'000 Stg£'000 Turnover 476 - 484 Cost of sales (389) - (263) ------ ----- ------ Gross profit 87 - 221 Profit on sale of interest in licence and sale of financial asset - 104 104 Other expenses - (194) - Administration expenses (319) (533) (728) ------ ------ ------ Operating loss - continuing operations (232) (623) (403) Interest receivable and similar income 199 78 276 ----- ----- ----- Loss on ordinary activities before taxation (33) (545) (127) Taxation on loss on ordinary activities (35) (12) (21) ------- ------ ------ Loss for the financial period/year (68) (557) (148) Profit and loss account at beginning of period/year (214) (66) (66) Foreign exchange movement on reserves - (2) - ------ ------ ---- Profit and loss account at end of period/year (282) (625) (214) ====== ======= ====== Loss per share (pence) (0.13) (2.18) (0.42) ======== ====== ======== Island Oil & Gas plc Consolidated balance sheet at 31 January 2006 (unaudited) 31 Jan 31 Jan 31 July 2006 2005 2005 Stg£'000 Stg£'000 Stg£'000 Fixed assets Tangible assets 2,335 - 2,617 Intangible assets 6,830 2,836 3,309 --------- ------- ------ 9,165 2,836 5,926 Current assets Bank and cash 13,556 8,472 8,366 Debtors 394 62 245 ------- ------ ------ 13,950 8,534 8,611 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year (941) (303) (205) -------- ----------- ------- Net current assets 13,009 8,231 8,406 -------- --------- ------ Total assets less current liabilities 22,174 11,067 14,332 Provision for liabilities and charges (631) - (617) ---------- -------- ------- Net assets 21,543 11,067 13,715 ========== ========= ======= Capital and reserves Called up share capital 406 298 326 Share premium 21,372 11,394 13,556 Unrealised reserve 47 - 47 Profit and loss account (282) (625) (214) -------- --------- ------- Shareholders' funds 21,543 11,067 13,715 ========= ========== ======= Island Oil & Gas plc Consolidated cash flow statement Interim to 31 January 2006 (unaudited) 6 Months 6 Months Year ended 31 ended 31 ended 31 Jan 2006 Jan 2005 July 2005 Stg£'000 Stg£'000 Stg£'000 Net cash inflow/(outflow) from operating activities 564 (557) (416) Returns on investments and servicing of finance 199 41 276 Corporation tax (2) (10) (27) Capital expenditure and financial investment (3,465) 122 (343) Acquisition of subsidiary undertakings - 200 200 -------- ------- ------ Net cash (outflow) before financing (2,704) (204) (310) Financing 7,894 7,702 7,702 --------- -------- ------- Increase in cash for the period/year 5,190 7,498 7,392 ========= ======== ======= Reconciliation of net cash flow to movement in net cash Increase in cash during the period/year 5,190 7,498 7,392 Net cash at start of period/year 8,366 974 974 -------- -------- ------ Net cash at end of period/year 13,556 8,472 8,366 ========= ========= ======= This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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