Statement re Operations Update

Immediate Release   29 April 2010




                            GULFSANDS PETROLEUM PLC


Operations Update


Yousefieh Field Achieves First Oil Production

Khurbet East Drilling Programme


London,  29th April 2010:  Gulfsands Petroleum plc  ("Gulfsands", the "Group" or
the  "Company"  -  AIM:  GPX),  the  oil  and  gas  production,  exploration and
development  company with activities in Syria,  Iraq, and the U.S.A., is pleased
to  provide the following update on  the Company's operations at Block 26, Syria
where Gulfsands holds a 50% interest and acts as operator.


Oil Production Commences at the Yousefieh Field

Gulfsands  is  pleased  to  announce  that  production  of  oil commenced at the
Yousefieh  field, onshore Syria Block 26 on 24th April 2010, 18 months after the
drilling  of the Yousefieh-1  discovery well in  November 2008 and only 3 months
after receiving commerciality approval from the Syrian Authorities.

Initially,  Yousefieh oil will be produced  from two vertical wells, Yousefieh-1
and -3, to a local production facility constructed by and leased from the Syrian
Petroleum  Company. Oil is separated and metered at this facility and then taken
via  a 4" pipeline to existing oil storage  tanks located adjacent to the nearby
Khurbet  East Field Early Production Facility  ("EPF"), 3 kilometres to the west
of  the  Yousefieh  field.  Processing  and  exporting  Yousefieh's  initial oil
production  in this manner  will not constrain  production from the Khurbet East
field,  where production is limited by the  Khurbet East EPF capacity of 18,000
bopd.

Initial  rates  from  the  two  Yousefieh  wells  have combined to yield a field
initial  rate  of  approximately  1200 barrels  of  oil  per  day  ("bopd"). The
production  facilities  installed  at  Yousefieh  possess sufficient capacity to
handle  at  least  6,000 bopd,  which  is  the  targeted production rate for the
Yousefieh  Field that Gulfsands  is aiming to  achieve by 2012. The Company will
provide  an update on the Yousefieh field production rate once it has stabilised
from initial rates in the coming weeks.

It  is  anticipated  that  a  further  development  well  will be drilled in the
Yousefieh field later this year.


Khurbet East Drilling Programme

Following  the completion of operations at Hanoon-1, the rig has been moved back
to  the Khurbet  East field  to commence  a three  well combined development and
appraisal drilling programme which will be executed over the next three months.

Two  new horizontal production  wells, Khurbet East-15H  ("KHE-15H") and Khurbet
East-17H  ("KHE-17H") are planned  in the crest  of the Khurbet  East field. The
multiple  objectives in drilling these two wells are the provision of additional
production  capacity for increasing  oil production, the  facilitation of better
reservoir management and the further development of field reserves as identified
from technical modeling studies.

The  KHE-15H production well was spudded on  the 27th April, and will target the
producing  Cretaceous Massive formation in the north central crestal area of the
Khurbet East field.

Following  completion of  drilling operations  on the  KHE-15H well,  a vertical
delineation   well,   Khurbet   East-16  ("KHE-16"),  is  to  be  drilled  as  a
north-easterly step out from the central crestal area of the Khurbet East field.
Geological  data from 3D seismic combined  with pressure data indicating minimal
reservoir  depletion to  date suggests  that the  field could  extend beyond the
reservoir  limits  as  currently  mapped  in  the base case field interpretation
performed  for the Company's  recent reserves assessments.  The KHE-16 well will
test  the potential for an extension of the crestal karstified reservoir along a
ridge  that  has  been  interpreted  to  lie to the north-east. Accordingly, the
KHE-16  well  will  be  drilled  1.5 kilometres  to  the north-east of the field
discovery  well KHE-1, and is expected to spud  at the end of May. If the KHE-16
well  is successful then the Company considers there may be potential to further
delineate  this trend  with a  more aggressive  north-easterly step-out from the
presently interpreted limit of the field.

The  KHE-17H  horizontal  production  well  will  target  the  producing Massive
formation  in the south  central crestal area  of the field  and it is presently
anticipated that this well will spud at the end of June.

Ric Malcolm, Gulfsands CEO, said

"Achieving first oil production at Yousefieh within 3 months of Government
approval to develop the field is an outstanding result and demonstrates the
commitment our employees, the General Petroleum Corporation and the Syrian
Petroleum Company have in making this project such a success. Together with
production from the Khurbet East field, total Syrian production is now
anticipated to be able to be increased further from today's combined production
from both fields of approximately 18,000 bopd to approximately 20,000 bopd in
the second half of 2010."

This release has been approved by Richard Malcolm, Chief Executive of Gulfsands
Petroleum Plc who has a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology with 30 years of
experience in petroleum exploration and management. Mr. Malcolm has consented to
the inclusion of the technical information in this release in the form and
context in which it appears.

For more information please contact:

Gulfsands Petroleum (London)                                 [phone]

Richard Malcolm, Chief Executive Officer
Andrew Rose, Chief Financial Officer
Kenneth Judge, Director: Corporate Development &
Communications



Buchanan Communications Limited (London)                     [phone]

Bobby Morse                                                  [phone]
Ben Romney
Chris McMahon



RBC Capital Markets (London)                                 [phone]

Josh Critchley
Tim Chapman
Matthew Coakes
Martin Eales

ABOUT GULFSANDS:

Gulfsands is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.

Syria

Gulfsands owns a 50% working interest and is operator of Block 26 in North East
Syria.  The Khurbet East oil field was discovered in June 2007 and commenced
commercial production within 13 months of the discovery. The Yousefieh oil field
was discovered in November 2008 and commenced commercial production within 18
months of discovery. The combined gross oil production from both Khurbet East
and Yousefieh fields is now approximately 18,000 barrels of oil per day and
utilizes early production facilities leased from the Syria Petroleum Company.
Block 26 covers approximately 8,250 square kilometres and encompasses existing
fields which currently produce over 100,000 barrels of oil per day, and are
operated mainly by the Syrian Petroleum Company.  The current exploration
licence expires in August 2010 and is extendable for a further two years.
Gulfsands' working interest 2P reserves in Syria at 31 December 2009 were 46.0
mmbbls.

Iraq

Gulfsands signed a Memorandum of Understanding in January 2005 with the Ministry
of Oil in Iraq for the Maysan Gas Project in Southern Iraq, following completion
of a feasibility study on the project, and is negotiating details of a
definitive contract for this regionally important development.  The project will
gather, process and transmit natural gas that is currently a waste by-product of
oil production and as a result of the present practice of gas flaring,
contributes to significant environmental damage in the region. The Company is
actively engaged in discussions with respect to financing and potential equity
partners.  Gulfsands has no reserves in Iraq.

Gulf of Mexico, USA

The Company owns interests in 37 leases offshore Texas and Louisiana which
include 24 producing oil and gas fields with proved and probable working
interest reserves at 31 December 2009 of 4.6 mmboe.

Certain statements included herein constitute "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. These forward-looking
statements are based on certain assumptions made by Gulfsands and as such are
not a guarantee of future performance. Actual results could differ materially
from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements due to
factors such as general economic and market conditions, increased costs of
production or a decline in oil and gas prices. Gulfsands is under no obligation
to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable laws.

More information can be found on the Company's website www.gulfsands.com

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