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                                                                    Exhibit 31.1

I, Ivar Siem, certify that:

1.   I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-KSB of Blue Dolphin Energy
     Company (the "Registrant").

2.   Based on my knowledge, this annual report does not contain any untrue
     statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to
     make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such
     statements were made, not misleading with respect to the periods covered by
     this annual report;

3.   Based on my knowledge, the financial statements and other financial
     information included in this annual report, fairly present in all material
     respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of
     the Registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this annual report;

4.   The Registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for
     establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined
     in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the Registrant and we
     have:

     a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
     disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to
     ensure that material information relating to the Registrant, including its
     consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those
     entities, particularly during the period in which this annual report is
     being prepared;

     b) [paragraph omitted pursuant to Securities Exchange Commission Release
     Nos. 33-8238 and 34-47986];

     c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the Registrant's disclosure controls and
     procedures and presented in this annual report our conclusions about the
     effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of
     the period covered by this annual report based on such evaluation; and

     d) Disclosed in this annual report any change in the Registrant's internal
     control over financial reporting that occurred during the Registrant's most
     recent fiscal quarter (the Registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in the case
     of this annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably
     likely to materially affect, the Registrant's internal control over
     financial reporting; and

5.   The Registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on
     our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to
     the Registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the Registrant's board
     of directors:

     (a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or
     operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably
     likely to adversely affect the Registrant's ability to record, process,
     summarize and report financial information; and

     (b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other
     employees who have a significant role in the Registrant's internal control
     over financial reporting.

Date: March 30, 2006


/s/ Ivar Siem
-------------------------------------
Ivar Siem
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)


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