Senior Management Appointment

Petroceltic International plc

Senior Management Appointment

Petroceltic International plc ("Petroceltic" or "the Company"), the upstream oil and gas exploration and production company focused on North Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean, is pleased to announce the appointment of Geoff Probert as Head of Technical, a new role.

Reporting to the Chief Executive, Brian O'Cathain, Geoff will provide leadership and management of all company technical activities, including Petroleum Engineering. In this role he will have specific responsibility for the Ain Tsila development project, ensuring continued application of best well and production engineering practice by the Petroceltic team and supporting the preparation of the Final Discovery Report for submission in early 2012.

Geoff joins Petroceltic from BHP Billiton Petroleum where he was Vice President Algeria and country manager. Whilst at BHP he was responsible for a net 25,000 boe/d of operated oil and gas production including the successful development of the Ohanet Ordovician gas field in the Illizi basin which has similar geological, petroleum engineering and development characteristics to Petroceltic's Ain Tsila field.

Geoff has over 20 years of experience as a Petroleum Engineer and general management in both offshore and onshore settings. He started his career with Shell International, before joining BHP Petroleum in 1998. He has worked in the North Sea, the Netherlands, Oman and Algeria, and has led operated deepwater appraisal teams in the Gulf of Mexico.

Brian O'Cathain, Chief Executive of Petroceltic commented:

"Geoff Probert is an outstanding appointment for Petroceltic at an important stage in our Algerian appraisal and development programme. His directly relevant experience in Algeria will enable him to make an immediate contribution to the Isarene asset while his broad international career will be an important support to our ongoing growth and diversification ambitions."

Ends

For further information, please contact:

Brian O' Cathain/Tom Hickey Petroceltic International Tel: +353 (1) 421 8300

Philip Dennis/Rollo Crichton-Stuart Pelham Bell Pottinger Tel: +44 (20) 7861 3919

Joe Murray / Joe Heron, Murray Consultants Tel: +353 (1) 4980300

Hugh McCutcheon / John Frain, Davy Tel: +353 (1) 679 6363

Notes to Editors:

Petroceltic International plc is a leading Upstream Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Company, focused on the Mediterranean and North African area, and listed on the London Stock Exchange's AIM Market and the Irish Stock Exchange's ESM Market. The Company has exploration and appraisal assets in Algeria, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Italy.