COMMERCIAL N.Z. Likely Site For Off-shore Oil Rigs

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31678, 14 May 1968, Page 20

COMMERCIAL N.Z. Likely Site For Off-shore Oil Rigs

(N.Z. Prtai Association—Copvripht.l

SYDNEY, May 13. Signs are appearing that the Esso oil company is showing increased interest in off-shore New Zealand oil prospects now that the pace of off-shore oil exploration in Australia appears to have slowed, the Australian “Financial Review” reports.

“In a world short of off-shore drilling capacity, two rigs are now standing by in Australian ports and the Discoverer 11, now going to its first Esso-B.H.P. site on the Gippsland Shelf, is expected to be in Australian waters only three or four months, the newspaper says.

It is understood that Discoverer 11. owned by Offshore International, will leave probably for New Zealand in September and probably only drill one well in Australian waters at this stage—Tuna Al, on the Gippsland Shelf, which it will spud in soon.

The barge-type off-shore drilling rig Investigator, now tied up in Darwin, might be used by the Shell-B-P.-Todd Oil Services consortium of New Zealand. Quoting a report to this effect from the United States “OU and Gas Journal," the review reports that the Investigator was used by the Woodside-Burmah groupings for the Golden Beach No. 1 well on the Gippsland Shelf last year and the recently completed Ashmore Reef No. 1 well on the north-west shelf, but they have replaced it with the ship-type rig, Glomar Tasman, for their new

north-west shelf well, Legendre No. 1. If Investigator goes to New Zealand, it will probably be the second rig to go from Australian to New Zealand waters this year, the newspaper says. Investigator is owned by the Australian and American owned Zapata-O.D.E. Pty, Ltd. The “Oil and Gas Journal" said Investigator might bo used on the Shfill-8.P.-Todd site 22 miles out to sea, off the Taranaki coast, in water 375 ft deep. Kapuni Gas It will be 40 miles west of the Shell group's Kapuni gas and condensate field, which will go into production In the middle of next year. The .New Zealand Government has signed a contract to buy Kapuni gas. The local Humes Industries, Ltd, representing Sumi-

tomo of Japan, will supply 20 per cent of the pipe for the pipelines to Auckland, 250 miles north, and Wellington, 200 miles south.

the rest will come from Hindustani Steel, Ltd, of India.