Discovery

This useful source of information is from the local daily newspaper in Aberdeen. This brief article is a report on the first discovery of oil in the North Sea 100 miles from Aberdeen. The report is cautious but optimistic that there will be further discoveries in the future. Of course the journalist who wrote this article had no idea how the discovery of oil in the North Sea would transform the local economy.

Press and Journal, Tuesday 20th October 1970

North Sea well 'good one'

By Dyke Pearce

British Petroleum's oil strike in the North Sea 100 miles off Aberdeen is "a pretty good well by any standards." A jubilant official of BP made this comment last night on the report of test drillings by the barge Sea Quest.

"The full commercial possibilities will only be known after further drillings in the area have been completed, but it looks highly promising …Before we can go into commercial details we will have to dig more wells in the same area, but it completes our autumn double. This company were the first to strike gas in the North Sea and now our boys have struck the first oil. We hope to start producing oil in two years - about the time it took for gas …We are all delighted and full of hope."

The well in 350 ft of water was drilled to a depth of over 11,000ft. The drill has produced a fairly light oil of good quality. Now the Sea Quest is moving onto drill another well off the Scottish coast.

Ian Watson of our city staff writes: "The news of this exciting discovery should bring renewed strength to British Petroleum shares which in recent weeks have been moving slowly ahead in anticipation of a report of this kind." Last night the shares closed at 86/-.