Why has the government put oil exploration on the back burner?
Arising from one of the blogs yesterday titled Darcy Boyce Please COMMUNICATE, You Are The Servant the point was made by a Amused that there was exploration on the South East of Barbados many years ago on a land area which spawns Oistins to Silver Sands. The revelation provoked more than a little curiosity in the BU household to follow through on the accuracy of the information. The point was made that the information should be available at the Barbados Archives.
It turns out indeed that the land in question (Oistins to Silver Sands) was recorded on July 25, 1919 in the Courts of Barbados. It was signed by William Kellman Chandler, William Benjamin Hallam Messiah, Henry Graham Yearwood, George Laurie Pile and Charles Ernest Gooding. The period of the Lease was for 50 years and expired May 12, 1972. British Union Oil Company sold out its interest in the Lease to the Gulf Oil Company. Government in 1950 nationalised all outstanding oil leases.
In is interesting to note that British Union Oil sold to Gulf Oil and one may reasonably conclude that there had to be some high level of prospectivity in the findings at the time. To be fair, the technology obviously trailed that of today but there was a method back in the day to locating oil we have to admit.
To add to the intrigue the government nationalised the leases. What would have been the consideration for doing so if not monetary? To the layman, and BU is included, there must have been the thinking at the time that oil deposits existed in the area (Oistins to Silver Sands).
Although it is unlikely any government would have the courage to ‘dig up’ Oistins looking for oil, landowners in the area may want to be cautious when considering a decision to SELL! They should go to the Barbados Archives or where ever the information is lodged to be seized with all the information about where their lots land in the tract recorded by the Courts in 1919..
See BU notes below:
