1.   It was also the first direct aid ever paid to exploration companies in Ireland.

2.   The rest will be open to exploration companies under tight restrictions.

3.   The government also committed itself to meeting all the foreign exchange requirements of exploration companies, which were paid for their share of oil and gas in local currency.

4.   Micropalaeontological studies on recovered core samples have been used for stratigraphical studies on behalf of petroleum exploration companies.

5.   The exploration company said artifacts recovered from the new expedition will be housed in a permanent museum and exhibited around the world.

6.   Ambra, which was renamed Ambra Resources Group Inc. last October after replacing its board and president, is a natural resources exploration company.

7.   Andrew Davis, portfolio manager of the Davis Convertible Securities fund, owns shares in Devon Energy, an oil exploration company.

8.   Arakis is a speculative oil exploration company whose main asset is a property in war-torn Sudan.