Water-Borne Experts Will Help

Papua Oil Search

THE Australasian Petroleum Company Pty. is organising a Seismic Reflec tion Party which will be used for oil search in the Delta area of Papua where it is believed there is the best chance of

finding oil. This team of experts will consist of 14 Europeans (eight of whom have just finished an assignment in Pakistan) with 100 native labourers. It is estimated that the maintenance of this party will cost the APC about £130,000 per year. They will be in addition to the other technical parties now being used.

The establishment of oil fields on the Gulf coast of America and in Canada (notably the recently discovered LeDuc field) is largely due to seismic reflection work. Seismic reflection work is respon sible for more new fields to-day than any other method.

The new party of specialists, which in cludes seismograph observers, computers, surveyors, engineers and drillers will at tempt to pin point favourable structures for oil accumulation, by recording earth tremors which follow dynamite explosions in pre-arranged positions.

The members of the party will live on special house-boats which APC has had built. The party will use a two-way radio for easy liaison with the Company’s offices at Port Moresby.

Offices, workshops, and stores will also be accommodated on floating craft.

Explosives will be stored in the wooden hull of an old vessel, petroleum products in a steel pontoon; workshops will be built on converted landing craft and an office will be set up on a larger converted craft.

To carry party members to their work a flotilla of small craft will be used. In some places where the water is too shallow or the waterways too narrow there will be a supplementary flotilla of native canoes equipped with outboard motors.