Disposal

SOCO INTERNATIONAL PLC
14 October 1999

       SOCO International plc ('SOCO' or 'the Company')
                               
                   Sale of UK Onshore Assets
                               
SOCO   is  an  international  oil  and  gas  exploration   and
production  company,  headquartered  in  London  with  ongoing
operations  in  Mongolia,  Yemen, European  Russia,  Thailand,
Tunisia  and  North Korea and a concession pending  government
approval in Vietnam.  SOCO today announces the disposal of its
UK assets.

SOCO  International plc announces the sale of its wholly owned
subsidiary, SOCO UK Onshore Ltd. ('UK Onshore'), through which
it  holds  its interests in various exploration and production
licences in the Weald Basin in Southern England.  Star  Energy
Limited  has  acquired the whole of the share  capital  of  UK
Onshore  for £10.6 million.  The total consideration  includes
£7.0 million in cash, assumption of £2.1 million of intergroup
indebtedness  and an additional cash payment of £1.5  million,
which  is  expected to be received by the end  of  1999  as  a
result of settlement of working capital items and the disposal
of certain real property held by UK Onshore.

The  transaction  adds further strength to  SOCO's  debt  free
balance   sheet,   bringing  its   free   cash   balances   to
approximately £23 million.

Production,  net to the Company's working interest,  from  the
Weald  Basin averaged approximately 1,380 barrels of  oil  per
day  (BOPD)  during the first half of 1999, down from  a  1998
year  average of approximately 1,590 BOPD.  Future development
plans  for certain portions of the Weald Basin had included  a
gas  storage/power  generation joint  venture  project.   SOCO
expects  to  more  than replace the lost production  resulting
from  this disposal from a combination of an increase  in  its
interest  in  the East Shabwa Development Area  in  Yemen  and
through  production gains realised from the Phase II  drilling
program  now  underway in Yemen, the total  effects  of  which
should  add  approximately 2,900 BOPD  net  to  the  Company's
working interest.

As  at  31  December 1998, UK Onshore had net assets  of  £8.6
million  (£7.5 million adjusted for elimination of  intergroup
receivables).  For the year ended 1998, UK Onshore had a  loss
before tax of approximately £1.0 million.

Since  its  initial listing in May of 1997, SOCO had indicated
that  UK  Onshore was non-core to the Company  as  it  focused
increasingly   on   international  projects  offering   larger
production and reserve potential.

Ed Story, Chief Executive of SOCO, said:

'The  UK  Onshore transaction is a win-win situation for  both
parties  as  it  provides SOCO additional  capital  to  deploy
toward  other more lucrative exploitation/development projects
abroad  and  it places the assets with a group  who  have  the
expertise to maximise the alternative uses of those assets.'
                                              

Enquiries:

SOCO International plc            Tel: [phone]
Ed Story, Chief Executive
Roger Cagle, Chief Financial Officer

College Hill                      Tel: [phone]
James Henderson
Archie Berens