Statement re Notification of major interest in ...

For filings with the FSA include the
 annex

 For filings with issuer exclude the
 annex


+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|TR-1: NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTEREST IN SHARESi                               |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+---------------------------------------------+--------------------------------+
|1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying  |                                |
|issuer                                       |    Gulfsands Petroleum PLC     |
|of existing shares to which voting rights are|                                |
|attached: ii                                 |                                |
+---------------------------------------------+--------------------------------+
|2 Reason for the notification (please tick the appropriate box or boxes):     |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
|An acquisition or disposal of voting rights                          |   X    |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
|An acquisition or disposal of qualifying financial instruments which |        |
|may result in the acquisition of shares already issued to which      |        |
|voting rights are attached                                           |        |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
|An acquisition or disposal of instruments with similar economic      |        |
|effect to qualifying financial instruments                           |        |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
|An event changing the breakdown of voting rights                     |        |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+--------+
|Other (please specify):                                              |        |
+--------------------------------------+------------------------------+--------+
|3. Full name of person(s) subject to  |                                       |
|the                                   |            BlackRock, Inc.            |
|notification obligation: iii          |                                       |
+--------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
|4. Full name of shareholder(s)        |                                       |
|(if different from 3.):iv             |                                       |
+--------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
|5. Date of the transaction and date on|                                       |
|which the threshold is crossed or     |           6th January 2011            |
|reached: v                            |                                       |
+--------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
|6. Date on which issuer notified:     |           7th January 2011            |
+--------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
|7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed or|       Holding has gone below 5%       |
|reached: vi, vii                      |                                       |
+--------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+






+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|8. Notified details:                                                          |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|A: Voting rights attached to shares viii, ix                                  |
+-------------+--------------------+-------------------------------------------+
|Class/type of|Situation previous  |Resulting situation after the triggering   |
|shares       |to the triggering   |transaction                                |
|             |transaction         |                                           |
|if possible  +---------+----------+-------+-------------------+---------------+
|using        |Number   |Number    |Number |Number of voting   |% of  voting   |
|the ISIN CODE|of       |of        |of     |rights             |rights x       |
|             |Shares   |Voting    |shares |                   |               |
|             |         |R g ts    +-------+--------+----------+------+--------+
|             |         |          |Direct |Direct  |Indirect  |Direct|Indirect|
|             |         |          |       |xi      |xii       |      |        |
+-------------+---------+----------+-------+--------+----------+------+--------+
|GB00B06VGC01 |4,937,449|4,937,449 |N/A    |N/A     |4,852,449 |N/A   |3.99%   |
+-------------+---------+----------+-------+--------+----------+------+--------+

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|B: Qualifying Financial Instruments                                           |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Resulting situation after the triggering transaction                          |
+---------------+-----------+----------------------+-------------+-------------+
|Type of        |Expiration |Exercise/             |Number of    |% of voting  |
|financial      |date xiii  |Conversion Period xiv |voting       |rights       |
|instrument     |           |                      |rights that  |             |
|               |           |                      |may be       |             |
|               |           |                      |acquired if  |             |
|               |           |                      |the          |             |
|               |           |                      |instrument is|             |
|               |           |                      |exercised/   |             |
|               |           |                      |converted.   |             |
+---------------+-----------+----------------------+-------------+-------------+
|               |           |                      |             |             |
+---------------+-----------+----------------------+-------------+-------------+

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|C: Financial Instruments with similar economic effect to Qualifying Financial |
|Instruments xv, xvi                                                           |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Resulting situation after the triggering transaction                          |
+--------------+----------+-----------+-----------+-------------+--------------+
|Type of       |Exercise  |Expiration |Exercise/  |Number of    |% of voting   |
|financial     |price     |date xvii  |Conversion |voting rights|rights xix, xx|
|instrument    |          |           |period     |instrument   |              |
|              |          |           |xviii      |refers to    |              |
|              |          |           |           |             |              |
+--------------+----------+-----------+-----------+-------------+-------+------+
|              |          |           |           |             |Nominal|Delta |
|CFD           |          |           |           |1,163,684    +-------+------+
|              |          |           |           |             |0.96%  |0.96% |
+--------------+----------+-----------+-----------+-------------+-------+------+

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Total (A+B+C)                                                                 |
+--------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
|Number of voting rights               |Percentage of voting rights            |
+--------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+
|6,016,133                             |4.95%                                  |
+--------------------------------------+---------------------------------------+





+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or the|
|financial instruments are effectively held, if applicable: xxi                |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                              |
|BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited - 6,016,133 (4.95%)              |
|                                                                              |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Proxy Voting:                                                                 |
+-------------------------------------------------+----------------------------+
|10. Name of the proxy holder:                    |                            |
+-------------------------------------------------+----------------------------+
|11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will    |                            |
|cease                                            |                            |
|to hold:                                         |                            |
+-------------------------------------------------+----------------------------+
|12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to hold|                            |
|voting rights:                                   |                            |
+-------------------------------------------------+----------------------------+

+-----------------------------+------------------------------------------------+
|                             |BlackRock Threshold Reporting Team              |
|13. Additional information:  |                                                |
+-----------------------------+------------------------------------------------+
|14. Contact name:            |Stuart Watchorn                                 |
+-----------------------------+------------------------------------------------+
|15. Contact telephone number:|020 7743 5741; [e-mail]    |
+-----------------------------+------------------------------------------------+
|                             |                                                |
+-----------------------------+------------------------------------------------+

 Note: Annex should only be submitted to the FSA not the issuer

 Annex: Notification of major interests in sharesxxii


+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|A: Identity of the persons or legal entity subject to the notification        |
|obligation                                                                    |
+---------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
|Full name                        |                                            |
|(including legal form of legal   |BlackRock, Inc.                             |
|entities)                        |                                            |
|                                 |                                            |
+---------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
|Contact address                  |                                            |
|(registered office for legal     |33 King William Street, London, EC4R 9AS    |
|entities)                        |                                            |
|                                 |                                            |
+---------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
|Phone number & email             |020 7743 5741; [e-mail]|
|                                 |                                            |
+---------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
|Other useful information         |                                            |
|(at least legal representative   |Stuart Watchorn                             |
|for legal persons)               |                                            |
|                                 |                                            |
+---------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|B: Identity of the notifier, if applicable                                    |
+---------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
|Full name                        |                                            |
|                                 |                                            |
+---------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
|Contact address                  |                                            |
|                                 |                                            |
+---------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
|Phone number & email             |                                            |
|                                 |                                            |
+---------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
|Other useful information         |                                            |
|(e.g. functional relationship    |                                            |
|with the person or legal entity  |                                            |
|subject to the notification      |                                            |
|obligation)                      |                                            |
+---------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+

+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|C: Additional information                                                     |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                              |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
 For notes on how to complete form TR-1 please see the FSA website.








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Source: Gulfsands Petroleum PLC via Thomson Reuters ONE

[HUG#1478221]