Western Europe: Exploring the Big Bubble

WESTERN EUROPE

From a giant offshore drilling rig buffeted by gale winds and 20-ft. waves, crews of the American Overseas Petroleum Ltd. last week began boring into the shallow center of the North Sea. Their quest-for natural gas to supply fuel-shy Europe-will be one of the world's most closely watched explorations. The wildcat operation off Dogger Bank, a favorite ground of herring fishermen, is the first to probe Britain's portion of the continental shelf. It is involved in a prospecting race that has roiled the waters of the North Sea and shows...

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