main job in New Venture at that time was to evaluate and acquire new exploration blocks in Eastern Indonesia. The Wiriagar area was one of the first targets of the New Venture team for an in depth exploration evaluation. This area is located in the southeastern part of the KBSA (Kepala Burung Selatan Block “A”) block. Arco was one of the partner in the KBSA PSC operated by Conoco. Larry Casarta and Sonny Sampurno were the geologists in the New Venture team that evaluated the block. The Wiriagar Pre-Tertiary play was initially proposed by Larry Casarta based on the structural interpretation of the Pre-Tertiary level below the existing Wiriagar oil field. At that time the Wiriagar oil field had been producing oil from the Middle Miocene Kais limestone. The evaluation of the Wiriagar area was integrated with the regional study of the KBSA and Berau-Bintuni Bay areas of Pre-Tertiary sediment, especially the Middle Jurassic Roabiba sandstone which previously done by Larry Casarta and Sonny Sampurno. One of the key results of the petroleum system analyses indicated that Wiriagar oil was generated from Pre-Tertiary source rock. The kitchen is in the deep basin area, southeastern part of the Bintuni basin. In 1992 John Duncan replaced Gene Richards as the Vice President of Arco Indonesia Exploration in Jakarta. John suggested the New Venture team to present the Wiriagar PSC proposal to Marlan Downey, President of Arco International, and his staff of Arco International’s Exploration management headquartered in Plano, Texas, seeking for their approval to enter the block. After a long and thorough discussion, Marlan finally agreed that the team should proceed with a direct negotiation with Pertamina, the Indonesian Oil and Gas State Company for a new Wiriagar PSC, after Conoco relinquished their KBSA block. Suherman and his New Venture team approached Pertamina and presented a technical review to Pertamina's high level management; Zuhdi Pane Pertamina's exploration executive staff, Alex Frederik Pertamina's Head Negotiator, and other Pertamina's senior staffs. The main purpose of the presentation was to provide an explanation to Pertamina on Arco’s interest in acquiring a new Wiriagar PSC within the ex-Conoco's KBSA block. The team showed the proposed location of the Wiriagar PSC as well as the main target of the deeper Jurassic sandstone reservoir. Arco Indonesia executive management, Roger Machmud, president of Arco Indonesia, played a significant role during the intense negotiations with Pertamina. Finally, in February 1993