Progress Of Apc In Papua

ADVICE from the Australasian Petro leum Co. Pty., Ltd., on Dec. 4, stated that all of the company’s drilling sites in Papua are progressing satisfac torily and according to schedules planned by the company’s overseas advisers in London and New York a few months ago.

Two contract seismic parties are operat ing in the Delta area. A refraction party !s working between the oil seepage area of Puri, 50 miles inland, and Uramu Island in the outer Delta.

A reflection party recently arrived in Papua and is at present perfecting a sur vey technique best suited to local condi tions and will follow this work by map ping out in detail favourable structural features disclosed by the refraction party after broad reconnaissance.

The Wana test bore is drilling below 9,000 feet and is being carried to maxi mum depth to obtain as much information as possible on the stratigraphy of the Delta.

These activities will help decide further test drilling sites so that available crews and outfits can be employed without in teriruption. Preliminary work, such as prefabrication of staff quarters, is being undertaken so that sites can be quickly established when thev are selected.

A.P.C. is still actively pursuing its search for oil in the Vailala River area.

Foundations for a second test at Hohoro have been completed and an outfit is being erected. Large stocks of barytes have been gathered in the area in case the squeezing type of mudstone formations encountered in No. 1 test are met at the new site which is expected to begin drill ing in January.

West of the Delta area, Island Explora tion Company has commenced drilling at Omati and a gravity meter reconnaissance survey is being carried out near the Turamu Estuary. If the survey brings favourable findings a more detailed seismic investigation will follow.