The very first discovery on the Norwegian continental shelf was made in 1966 by Esso Exploration Norway Inc. Well 25/11-1 found small amounts oil in Lower Tertiary sandstones on the Utsira High. This was the second well offshore Norway.

While hydrocarbon resources are said to be scarce nowadays, it is comforting to know that there are still many unexplored geological provinces around the world. In fact, it is sometimes necessary to point out that frontier exploration acreage does still exist.