PARIS, January 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Maurel & Prom announces the appointment of Jean Bie to the position of Exploration Director at Etablissements Maurel & Prom, effective 3 January 2011.

Mr Bie is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Mines de Paris. He joined the Elf Group, which later became Total, as a geophysicist engineer in October 1974. He spent his entire career with the group, including 26 years in the Exploration and Production Department. In 2000 Mr Bie became Chief Executive Officer of Total Exploration-Production Nederland, and then Chief Executive Officer of Total Gabon in 2004. On 1 September 2008 he was appointed Vice President, Purchasing of the Total Group in Paris.

Jean Bie is particularly familiar with the countries where Maurel & Prom seeks to focus, namely Nigeria (where he was Exploration Director from 1987 to 1992) and Gabon. He brings the Group its experience in the technical fields of Exploration-Production as well as managerial experience.

After 10 years as Exploration Director at Maurel & Prom, Daniel Pelerin, 64, will continue his collaboration with the Group as Adviser to Senior Management and the Exploration Department.

For more information: http://www.maureletprom.com

Upcoming meetings:

3/2/2011 2010 annual sales (after market)

31/3/2011 2010 annual results (after market)

1/4/2011 Analyst presentations (10 am)

11/5/2011 Shareholders' Meeting (10 am)

This document may contain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial position, results, business, and industrial strategy of Maurel & Prom. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will or may occur in the future. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions which we believe are reasonable but that could ultimately prove inaccurate and are subject to a number of risk factors, including but not limited to price fluctuation in crude oil; exchange rate fluctuations; uncertainties inherent in estimating quantities of oil reserves; actual future production rates and associated costs; operational problems; political stability; changes in laws and regulations; wars and acts of terrorism or sabotage.

Maurel & Prom is listed for trading on Euronext Paris - Compartment A - CAC mid 100 Index

Isin FR0000051070 / Bloomberg MAU.FP / Reuters MAUP.PA

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