Right I havent beleived in investing directly in an oil company untill today and in the last few months have been investing in OIL SERVICE companys Hamworthy and Corac, you know the picks and shovels tale.

Anyway after doing a lot of research I really feel that SOCO INTERNATIONAL SIA as been left behind in the mass bull market on oil companies.

Forget, Burren, Regal, Dana and the rest in my opinion this is the one to be on.

So.....why buy Soco now?

Four inter-related reasons:

1) Newsflow is now very much in sight on several fronts. None of it has yet emerged though, so analysts have yet to revisit their old views and recommendations. There was, and indeed remains, a chance to get in before serious interest picks up again.

2) There is, IMO, a decent chance of some very large price rises within the next 6 months, accompanied by increased downside protection. Once newsflow starts, the shares will come back onto institutional radar screens - you can wait for it to emerge, or you can speculate now at what I think will prove to be a lower price -perhaps much lower!

3) The market thinks there is nothing happening and has gone to sleep on the prospects. You can see this in the broadly sideways drift and very low volumes on most days [until this week]. They are wrong. Yemen and perhaps Mongolia should provide some near-term good news.

4) The time to buy is when no-one else seems very interested.

And heres the last results from the company......................

Soco International PLC
02 September 2004

SOCO International plc

Interim Results for the six months ended 30 June 2004

SOCO is an international oil and gas exploration and production company,
headquartered in London. The Company has interests in Vietnam, Mongolia, Yemen,
Libya, Tunisia and Thailand, with production operations in Yemen, Tunisia and
Mongolia. SOCO today announces interim results for the half year ended 30 June
2004.

HIGHLIGHTS

Operating profit of 4.1 million (2003: 4.2 million)

Net profit of 2.0 million (2003: 2.5 million)

Earnings per share of 2.9p (2003: 3.6p)

Cash balance of 26.7 million at half year end

Finalised the sale of an interest in ODEX creating a consortium of SOCO
(34%), Oilinvest (46%) and Gazprombank (20%) in the special purpose
entity to progress initiatives in Libya and other countries

Continued reinterpretation of existing 3D seismic and acquisition of 650
sq km of new 3D seismic in Vietnam prior to commencement of drilling in
Q1 2005

3D seismic programme completed in Mongolia with two wells drilled, both
apparent discoveries, and a third well spudded

First ever deviated Basement well drilling in East Shabwa in Yemen



Ed Story, President and Chief Executive of SOCO, said:

'Following an extended period of quiet preparation, the release of interim
results coincides with the commencement of a very active drilling programme for
SOCO, one that I believe has company transforming potential'

2 September 2004

ENQUIRIES:
SOCO International plc Tel: 020 7457 2020 (today)ENDS.

This could really be a craking stock and is worth getting in at these lowly price figures.

Please DYOR

cheers GF.

Tell you what Mickey Im really dissapointed with this drilling result.

I have great faith in this company but at the moment its dead money.

May sell and eat humble pie, but would be looking to get back in, early 2005.

Still considering it.

cheers GF.

Why the pessimism?

It is only 1 drilling result of many.

It only has a 16.785% interest in the East Shabwa Development Area so it hasn't really made much difference.

Good shout Apple

Many people taking advantage of the dip to buy in.

All buying so far today.

Staying put for the moment then.

cheers GF.

Me too. Don't have much choice.

MS

I have been in SOCO since 1999. I have seen price movements like this before and in each case they have been good buying oppurtunities. SOCO in my opinion is an outstanding investment whose share price will increase by many multiples. I am not going to sell until this company is taken over.

Cannyinvestor

LONDON (AFX) - Soco International PLC is to sell all of its Tunisian interests to Sweden's PA Resources AB for 25 mln usd.

The holdings are in the Zarat Permit offshore Tunisia in the Gulf of Gabes, which includes its 22.22 pct stake in the Didon producing field and a 22.22 pct interest, subject to the government's right to claim up to 55 pct, in the remaining permit area that includes the undeveloped Zarat and Elyssa Fields.

Soco said the disposal is consistent with its stated strategy of rationalising its portfolio by monetising non-core assets.

tc

2004 AFX News

Oh well, still waiting for news of oil strikes.

Beginning to think this one is down like a lot of oils because of the falling price of oil.

Speculators appear to be climbing on gold stocks now (well I have been since August).

May transfer my holding to Star Energy as a long term investment.

cheers GF.

Article on today's Oilbarrel.com.

22.11.2004
SOCO Exits Tunisia To Focus On Exploration In Vietnam And Yemen
SOCO International has sold its Tunisian assets to Swedish outfit PA Resources for US$25 million in order to focus on exploration projects in Yemen and Vietnam. The sale includes the producing Didon field, which pumped over 1,000 barrels of oil per day net to SOCO in the first six months of the year, and the undeveloped Zarat and Elyssa fields.

The Tunisian assets were producing assets and we are focused on exploration in Yemen and Vietnam, so the general philosophy is that these assets were on the non-core side of things, explained Antony Maris, group operations and production manager.

London-based SOCO is currently mid-way through a three-well drilling programme on its Yemeni acreage. It operates in the Middle East country through its subsidiary Comeco Petroleum, which holds a 16.785 per cent stake in the East Shabwa Development Area. Comeco is now drilling ahead on the second well into the Basement interval in the Kharir field.

The first well was not the success the company had hoped for. The KHA-401 well was drilled to 3,873 metres to probe the deeper levels of the Basement and test the potential of the downthrown fault block at the far eastern end of the field.

It was always a high risk well, said Maris. It was right on the edge of the field and we drilled very deep into it.

The Basement is a fractured granite reservoir and the four wells on the field that produce from the Basement are all shallow wells. We were hoping the fractures would be open quite deep but that wasnt the case, Maris told oilbarrel.com.

KHA-401 did encounter oil and gas shows but test results indicated that the fracture development was inadequate to support economic production.

The well has been suspended while the company mulls a sidetrack to a shallower location. The downhole data has also opened up the possibility of using water injection as an option for full field development.

SOCO is developing some expertise in understanding and drilling these complex formations. Basement fields are quite rare around the world, said Maris. Interestingly in Vietnam, basement fields are quite common which means we can take information from there to use in Yemen.

Vietnam will be the focus of SOCOs exploration effort from early in the New Year, when it has hired a rig to undertake three firm and three contingent wells from mid-January onwards. Spud dates may slip if the rig, currently in dry dock in Singapore, arrives late on location.

The company has interests in two blocks, 16-1 and 9-2, in the Cuu Long Basin offshore southeast Vietnam. The acreage lies next door to the Bach Ho field, which produces 250,000 barrels per day and 150 million cubic feet of gas per day, and the Rang Dong field, which pumps 45,000 bpd and 55 million cf/d, mainly from the Basement interval.

While things are hotting up on the exploration front in Yemen and Vietnam, activity levels have definitely cooled off in the companys other core area, Mongolia, where operations have now shut down for the harsh winter months. Its a raised plateau and the winds come down from the north, which means its bitterly cold there, around minus ten explained Maris. Things will start up again in May or June.

SOCO operates three blocks in the Tamstag Basin of eastern Mongolia and this year completed a four-well exploration campaign to the north of the producing Tolson Uul field, resulting in a new discovery, the Tolson Uul North field. All four wells encountered hydrocarbons: two have been completed for a pilot production programme, one has possible formation damage and the fourth will be completed in 2005.

Meanwhile, buoyed by its Tunisian income, SOCO is also keeping an eye out for new opportunities, although Maris said its a difficult time so make strike deals. The oil price fluctuation, with it going down at the moment yet racing away only a couple of weeks ago, means its very difficult to justify buying or selling at the moment, said Maris. It makes people nervous and its difficult to agree what opportunities are worth.

This popped up

http://www.uk-wire.com/cgi-bin/articles/200412071146121070G.html

Hope everyone's still holding. Making a very nice year end for me! Should be an exciting start to 2005 also.

Soco International PLC
29 December 2004


SOCO International plc
('SOCO' or 'the Company')

HOLDING IN THE COMPANY

The Company was notified on 23 December 2004 that on 22 December, Pontoil
Intertrade Limited acquired from Opale S.A 3,000,000 (4.15%) SOCO International
plc ordinary shares of 0.20 each ('Shares').

Following this transaction, Pontoil Intertrade Limited holds 15,255,543 Shares,
representing 21.11% of the issued share capital of the Company and Opale S.A.
holds 4,100,225 Shares representing 5.67% of the issued share capital of the
Company.



Contact: Carol Fan, 020 7747 2000




This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

Good news. Nice movement on the share price

That's quite a large position that Pontoil now hold. A decent rise today, although we have been creeping up throughout December. Hopefully we should hear some news from Yemen soon. Production testing was due to begin mid December.

From today's UK-Analyst -

"Shares in Soco International added 30p to 360.5p after it revealed that Pontoil Intertrade had bought 3 million of its shares from Opale on December 22nd. After the sale, Pontoil holds 15.3 million shares, or 21.11% of its issued share capital, with Opale owning 4.1 million shares, or a 5.67% stake."

Stick in there and keep cool guys. The big money is earned by those who are patient.

Cheers GF.

Bought 3 times in here now, looking rather nice now. From todays Independent:

"Soco International jumped 30p to 360.5p as major shareholders in the oil explorer rejigged their stakes. Pontoil, Soco's biggest investor, bought 3 million shares from Opale, taking its total holding to 15.3 million, or 21.1 per cent of the company. Opale is left controlling 5.6 per cent of Soco. Pontoil is a Liberian company controlled by a Swiss industrialist named Mario Contini.

During the summer, rumours circled dealing rooms that Soco was close to a deal to unlock some of the value of its assets in Libya. Now that the North African country is slowly opening itself up to the West, oil majors are said to be eager to do deals in the resource-rich state. However, nothing came of the talk."

Just tried a dummy trade with Comdirect. Can only buy 2330 at 370 but will let me sell 12500 at 365.15. If I remember correctly, over the past month or so you could buy 12500 and sell 15000.

Just tried another trade, can still buy 2330 at 385 but can now sell 22500 at 380. Seems to be a serious shortage of shares.

Won't let me buy any online now with Comdirect but can still sell 22500.