Oil

This file contains correspondence relating to:

• Report from Mecom Oil that they have found a 'trace of oil' in their concession in Oman and will now carry out deeper drilling. The concession, in Dhofar, is now 50% controlled by Mecom Oil and 50% by the Pure Oil Company (1)
• Copy of Petroleum Development (Oman) Limited (PDO)'s concession agreement with the Sultan of Muscat and Oman, along with details of later amendments. PDO was previously a subsidiary of the Iraq Petroleum Company, but is now mostly owned by Shell (2)
• Progress of Shell in searching for oil at Yibal and at Natih. There is cautious optimism that they will be able to begin commercial production at these sites (3-5)
• Mecom Oil's lack of success. However, they still believe there is oil at Dhofar, and will return with heavier equipment (6)
• PDO's report that, although they do not thing there is oil in commercial quantities at Natih, the findings have been encouraging enough to warrant doubling their efforts (7)
• Plans to discuss the possibilities of oil production with the Sultan of Muscat and Oman Saeed Bin Taimur during his upcoming visit to the UK (8)
• Updates from Shell regarding their explorations in Oman and a report from the Consul-General J S R Duncan in Muscat, of a tour of PDO operations who was taken on by the Chief Representative of PDO Dick Clough (9)
• Results of a further test drill at Natih (10)