Directorate Change

Rockhopper Exploration plc
30 January 2007

30 January 2007

                              3D survey completed
                 Keith Williams Retires as Exploration Director
                         David Bodecott joins the Board

Rockhopper Exploration plc ('Rockhopper' or the 'Company') is pleased to confirm
that the acquisition of 685 square kilometres of 3D seismic data in licences 
PL032 and PL033 has been completed. Processing and interpretation of the data is
likely to take approximately seven months.

Following completion of this acquisition programme, Keith Williams (aged 60) has
decided to retire from the Board of Rockhopper with immediate effect and will be
succeeded by David Hamilton Bodecott (aged 54) as Exploration Director.  
Mr. Bodecott has previously acted as an independent consultant to the Company in
petroleum geology and seismic interpretation and is currently a partner in David
Bodecott Consulting and Cumberland Logos.

Sam Moody, Managing Director commented:

'We would like to thank Keith for his help in the development of Rockhopper
since the early stages of the Company. The last twelve months in particular have
been a busy period of data acquisition and processing, covering 2D, 3D and CSEM
and the Board wish him well for the future.

We are also delighted that Dave is joining the Board at a time when we will
begin focusing more on technical work than on data acquisition. We have been
working with Dave for some time and his considerable experience and specialist
knowledge of the Falklands will help us push forward to the next stage in our
development.'

There is no further information required to be disclosed in accordance with
Schedule Two (g) of the AIM Rules.

For further information, please contact:

Rockhopper Exploration plc                       www.rockhopperexploration.co.uk
Sam Moody - Managing Director                    01722 414 419

Aquila Financial Ltd                             www.aquila-financial.com
Peter Reilly                                     020 7202 2601


Notes to editors

www.rockhopperexploration.co.uk

The Rockhopper Group started trading in February 2004 to invest in and carry out
an offshore oil exploration programme to the north of the Falkland Islands. The
Group, floated on AIM in August 2005, is currently the largest licence holder in
the North Falkland Basin and has a 100 per cent. interest in four offshore
production licences which cover approximately 5,800 sq. km. These licences have
been granted by the Falkland Islands government.



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