LOUISIANA OPERATOR PLANS BOHAI BAY EXPLORATION PROGRAM

Exploration Co. of Louisiana Inc. (XCOL), Lafayette, La., and China National Oil Development Corp. (Cnodc) have tentatively agreed to a 7 year exploration program for an area in Bohai Bay off eastern China. The memorandum of agreement XCOL and state owned Cnodc signed covers a 197 sq km area in less than 20 ft of water near Tianjin, about 135 miles southeast of Beijing. The Zhao Dong contract area is immediately off the Dagang oil field complex one of China's main producing areas. Since