digging in Tonga

More oil well digging in Tonga

Mineral search was among many development projects which King Taufa’ahau Tupou I V and the Soviet Am bassador to Tonga, Mr Oleg Selyaninov, discussed when Mr Selyaninov went from Wellington to pay his first visit to the kingdom. The king revealed this when he announed that Webb Tonga Inc expected to drill its first exploratory oil well before Christmas.

The king said other foreign oil com panies, and the Soviet Union, were in terested in exclusive rights for exploration in the northern sector of the group. The Soviet Union had offered to explore for minerals.

Webb Tonga Inc, which is a subsidiary of Webb Resources Inc, of Denver, Colorado, is committed, under an agree ment with the Government of Tonga, to further exploration in Tonga within the next three years. Webb Tonga Inc, said it was surprised at a decision of the consor tium of oil companies, which undertook oil exploration in Tonga in 1968, to pull out.

Webb Tonga Inc used available data, decided it was favourable, and made the decision to go ahead with exploration.

Webb Tonga Inc had also applied to ex tend exploration rights to include the northern part of Tonga. The Privy Council turned this down, saying exploration should start in the sourthern parts, as set out in the agreement.