Oil and gas junior Centurion International says daily output of 45,000 barrels of oil equivalent is 'within reach' by year end.

Full commissioning of production facilities at AIM-quoted Centurion's El Wastani and South Manzala in Egypt's Nile Delta has been delayed by 'a few minor start-up problems'. But imminent additional natural gas production of 30 million cubic feet a day should shortly take the company's Egyptian output from 26,000 to 32,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day and chief executive officer Said Arrata is confident the company will reach its target of 45,000 barrels a day target by the end of the year.

Centurion is also interested in the Mellita permit in Tunisia, where the operator, PetroCanada, is expected to reach full depth at the Amira 1 offshore well in the Gulf of Gabes within 60 days. Calgary-based and Toronto-quoted Centurion's shares are 7.5p up today at 542.5p, against our recommendation last year at 295p and our suggestion of partial profit taking at 817p last March.

Hold on.