BHP interested in Angola

July 15, 1997 Australian BHP, which was recently offered the right to operate one of Angola's offshore oil blocks, has a long-term interest in the country's deep water, a BHP official said. "Our ambitions in Angola certainly go beyond the current bid round," John O'Connor, CEO for BHP's subsidiary, BHP Petroleum, told. Though BHP was recently offered the operatorship of Block 21, O'Connor stressed the deal was not yet final. "This deal is still subject to ultimate approval by the government," he said. If the deal is approved, as is widely expected, it would be the first operatorship awarded to BHP and the first to an Australian company in Angola.