Exhibit 99.1

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE          NEWS RELEASE NUMBER     02 - 04

                                         Esenjay Exploration, Inc.
                               CONTACT:  Investor and Media Relations
                                         c/o Shimmerlik Corporate Communications
                                         Warren Shimmerlik (212) 247-5200
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           ESENJAY EXPLORATION, INC. ANNOUNCES COMPLETION OF TENDER
                           OFFER FOR ITS COMMON STOCK

HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 23, 2002 - Esenjay Exploration, Inc. ("Esenjay")
announced today that Santos Americas and Europe Corporation and ECM Acquisition
Company (collectively "Santos") have notified Esenjay that they have completed
their cash tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of
Esenjay Exploration, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESNJ).

The offer expired at 12:00 midnight (New York City time) on April 22, 2002.
Santos has accepted for payment all Esenjay shares validly tendered and not
withdrawn as of the expiration of the offer. Santos has announced that payment
for those shares will be made promptly.

The Bank of New York, the depository for the offer, has advised Santos that, as
of the expiration of the offer, approximately 17.8 million shares of Esenjay
common stock (including approximately 552,886 shares subject to guarantees of
delivery within the next three days) were validly tendered and not withdrawn in
the offer. Those shares represent approximately 92.3% of the outstanding shares
of Esenjay common stock.

Santos has stated it will complete the acquisition of Esenjay promptly after
payment for the tendered shares, on or about April 26, 2002, through a
short-form merger in which each share of Esenjay common stock not purchased
in the offer and not held by stockholders who properly exercise dissenters'
rights under Delaware law will be converted into the right to receive $2.84
in cash. Following the second-step merger, Esenjay will become a wholly owned
subsidiary of Santos. As such it will no longer be a publicly traded company.







         [CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION]

Certain statements contained herein that set forth management's expectations or
predictions of the future are forward-looking statements. The risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, normal risks associated with
closing of acquisition or merger transactions, potential delays in timing, and
regulatory uncertainties. Additional information concerning factors that could
cause actual results to vary materially is contained in Esenjay's periodic
filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), all of which
may be obtained by contacting Esenjay or the SEC.