- Title: U.S.S.R.: SEARCH FOR OIL ON TINY ISLAND.
- Date: 17th July 1967
- Summary: WILDFOWL, DEER RUN, ROCKY TERRAIN, OIL DERRICK; DRILLING RIG; OILMEN AT WORK. Initials AB/VS/CCT/BB Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 1st August 1967 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: DUVANNY ISLAND, CASPIAN SEA, U.S.S.R.
- Country: Azerbaijan
- Reuters ID: LVA2TXD9UH7490TERO4N5UJOP7RC
- Story Text: THE TWENTIETH CENTURY HAS OVERTAKEN THE TINY ISLAND OF DUVANNY, IN THE CASPIAN SEA. FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS IT HAS BEEN THE HOME OF WILDFOWL AND SEA BIRDS NOW THE OILMEN HAVE ARRIVED.
SOME OF THE MAIN OIL STRIKES IN THE U.S.S.R. HAVE BEEN IN THE CASPIAN AREA AND NOW THE TRAIL HAS LED TO DUVANNY ISLAND IN THE BAKINSKY ARCHIPELAGO.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS HAVE SHOWN THAT THE ISLAND AND THE SEA BED AROUND IT ARE RICH WITH OIL.
NOW A SMALL TOWNSHIP HAS SPRUNG UP ON THE FORMERLY DESERTED ISLAND AS DRILLING MASTERS AND THEIR CREWS FROM BAKU, THE REGIONAL CAPITAL MOVE IN TO PREPARE THE OPERATION FOR EXTRACTING THE COVETED OIL.
THE MOST MODERN TECHNIQUES ARE BEING USED AND A FLOATING BORING RIG HAS BEEN BROUGHT INTO USE. IT HOUSES A 100-TON CRANE AND ITS MAIN USE IS IN SETTING FULLY RIGGED BORING DERRICKS STRAIGHT INTO THE SEA. BEFORE THEY HAD TO BE ASSEMBLED PIECE BY PIECE.
RUSSIAN OIL PRODUCTION STARTED IN THE AREA AROUND BAKU ON THE CASPIAN SHORE BACK IN CZARIST TIMES IN 1940 THE SOVIETS PRODUCED 31 MILLION TONS OF OIL AND 22 MILLION TONS OF IT CAME FROM THE BAKU AREA.
BY 1950 PRODUCTION FROM BAKU HAD FALLEN TO 14.6 MILLION TONS. TEN YEARS OUTPUT HAD INCREASED TO 17.8 MILLION TONS. BUT BY THAT TIME BAKU HAD FALLEN TO SECOND PLACE AS AN OIL PRODUCING AREA. ITS PLACE HAD BEEN TAKEN BY AN AREA BETWEEN THE VOLGA AND THE URALS.
NOW, WITH THIS LATEST STRIKE AT DUVANNY ISLAND, THE BAKU AREA MAY BE MAKING A BID TO REGAIN ITS FORMER GLORY.
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