Shareholdings in Company

TR-1: NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTEREST IN SHARESi

1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying issuerof existing shares to which voting rights areattached: ii

Circle Oil Plc

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 thenotification obligation: iii

Kleinwort Benson Group Limited

4. Full name of shareholder(s)  (if different from 3.):iv

Kleinwort Benson (Channel Islands) Nominees Limited

5. Date of the transaction and date onwhich the threshold is crossed orreached: v

9th February 2011

6. Date on which issuer notified:

10 February 2011

7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed orreached: vi, vii

4%

8. Notified details:

A: Voting rights attached to shares viii, ix

Class/type ofshares

if possible usingthe ISIN CODE

Situation previousto the triggeringtransaction

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

NumberofShares

NumberofVotingRights

Numberof shares

Number of votingrights

% of voting rights x

Direct

Direct xi

Indirect xii

Direct

Indirect

IE00B034YN94

18,250,000

18,250,000

25,100,000

4.46%

B: Qualifying Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financialinstrument

Expirationdate xiii

Exercise/Conversion Period xiv

Number of votingrights that may beacquired if theinstrument isexercised/ converted.

% of votingrights

None

C: Financial Instruments with similar economic effect to Qualifying Financial Instruments xv, xvi

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financialinstrument

Exercise price

Expiration date xvii

Exercise/Conversion period xviii

Number of voting rights instrument refers to

% of voting rights xix, xx

Nominal

Delta

Total (A+B+C)

Number of voting rights

Percentage of voting rights

25,100,000

4.46

9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or thefinancial instruments are effectively held, if applicable: xxi

KB Financial Services Holding Limited is the holding company of Kleinwort Benson Bank Limited and Kleinwort Benson (Channel Islands) Limited.

The voting rights are held in the nominee accounts listed in section 4.

Bank of New York Nominee is a nominee company of Bank of New York Limited who are a custodian of Kleinwort Benson Bank Limited in respect of it's in house discretionary funds

Proxy Voting:

10. Name of the proxy holder:

n/a

11. Number of voting rights proxy holder will ceaseto hold:

12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to holdvoting rights:

13. Additional information:

14. Contact name:

Jamie Wilson - Webb (Compliance)

15. Contact telephone number:

0203 207 7041