RNS Number:6818T
Hardman Resources Limited
29 December 2003

HARDMAN RESOURCES LTD
Ground Floor, 5 Ord Street, West Perth
PO Box 869, West Perth
Western Australia 6872
Tel: +61 8 9321 6881 Fax: +61 8 9321 2375
ABN 98 009 210 235


STOCK EXCHANGE / MEDIA RELEASE

RELEASE DATE:     29 December 2003

CONTACT:          Ted Ellyard (08 9321 6881)

RE:               PELICAN-1 WELL DISCOVERS SUBSTANTIAL GAS COLUMN
                  IN BLOCK 7 OFFSHORE MAURITANIA

Hardman Resources Ltd ("Hardman") provides the following weekly progress report
on the drilling and testing operations in offshore Mauritania:



                      PELICAN-1 EXPLORATION WELL (BLOCK 7)



Hardman is pleased to advise that gross gas column of over 300 metres has been
encountered in the Pellican-1 exploration well drilled in Block 7, located
approximately 150 kilometres north of the Chinguetti Oil & Gas Field (located in
Block 4 of PSC Area B).


Progress:                The Pelican-1 exploration well was spudded (commenced drilling) on 30 November 2003.
                           Since the last report (23 December), the well was drilled in 12 1/4 inch hole size
                         from 3,356 metres to the Total Depth of 3,825 metres.  Wireline logs were then run
                         including RCI pressure measurements and several gas samples were obtained from four
                         separate sandstone intervals.  At 0800 hours (Australian WST) on 29 December 2003
                         wireline logging operations have been completed and preparations are underway to
                         plug and suspend the well in a manner to enable re-entry for further use if
                         required.

Geology and Hydrocarbon  Preliminary evaluation of the wireline logs and RCI pressure data indicated that the
Shows:                   Pelican-1 well has intersected a gross gas column of approximately 370 metres and
                         within the gross interval a number of gas bearing sands are present. Individual
                         sands are generally thin with variable reservoir characteristics but occasionally
                         are in the range of 5 to 10 metres thick with excellent reservoir quality.



                         The gas bearing sands are interpreted to be Lower Tertiary (Palaeocene) in age and
                         are therefore older and geologically distinct compared to the Miocene aged sandstone
                         system that hosts the Chinguetti, Tiof and Banda discoveries to the south.

Well Location:           The Pelican-1 well is located approximately 150 kilometres north of the Chinguetti
                         Oil Field in PSC Block 7.  The well is located in approximately 1,700 metres water
                         depth and was therefore drilled to 2,125 metres below the seafloor at the Total
                         Depth of 3,825 metres.

Prospect Details:        The Pelican-1 exploration well tested a large structural closure with multiple
                         objectives within the Tertiary sequences.  The well was planned to also evaluate the
                         top of the Upper Cretaceous sequence but at this early stage in the evaluation of
                         well data, it is uncertain whether this zone was reached and if potential remains
                         for reservoir sands below the Total Depth of the well.



The Pelican-1 exploration well was drilled by the drillship "Jack Ryan" which
remained in Mauritanian waters following the completion of production testing
operations on the Chinguetti 4-5 Early Development Well.  Woodside Energy
Limited is managing the drilling of the well on behalf of the Block 7 operator,
Dana Petroleum plc.



Participants in the Pelican-1 exploration well and PSC Block 7 are:



Dana Petroleum plc (Operator)   80.0%

Hardman Resources Ltd           18.0%

Roc Oil Company Limited          2.0%



Note:  All reported depths (except water depth) are referenced to the rig rotary
table.



Hardman's Managing Director, Ted Ellyard, commented: "A further significant
discovery in a real frontier part of the Mauritania deep water basin is a great
way to complete a highly successful drilling programme for 2003.  Although we
would have liked to see some oil in the sands, it is very early in the
evaluation and in our understanding of the well results.  The fact that the well
was located near the crest of a very large structure provides some hope that oil
may yet be found on the flanks of the prospect or in deeper, as yet undrilled
formations within the structure.  That would require some further drilling and
that decision is some months away.



The discovery of high quality hydrocarbon bearing sands in the Pelican-1 well is
welcome news for the Dana Petroleum joint venture and the Mauritanian people as
it extends the Mauritanian deep water hydrocarbon province very substantially to
the north and suggests the basin may become world class in terms of size and
potential.  As with the Woodside joint venture areas to the south, Hardman also
introduced Dana Petroleum to the basin in 1998 and we congratulate them on their
hard work and persistence over the years to reach the drilling stage of their
first well in Mauritania.  Hardman is also in partnership with Dana in Block 8
to the north and Block 1 to the south of the Woodside areas".











TED ELLYARD

MANAGING DIRECTOR



Note:  In accordance with Australian Stock Exchange Limited listing
requirements, the geological information supplied in this report has been based
on information provided by geologists who have had in excess of five years
experience in their field of activity.


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

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