Section 15: Interpretation.

(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires-"barrel" means a barrel of forty-two United States gallons;
"continental shelf" means the seabed and subsoil of those submarine areas adjacent to the coast of Nigeria the surface of which lies at a depth no greater than two hundred metres (or, where its natural resources are capable of exploitation, at any depth) below the surface of the sea, excluding so much of those areas as lies below the territorial waters of Nigeria;
"crude oil" means mineral oil in its natural state before it has been refined or treated (excluding water and other foreign substances);
"explore", in relation to petroleum, means to make a preliminary search by surface geological and geophysical methods, including aerial surveys but excluding drilling below 91.44 metres;
"Minister" means the Minister of Petroleum Resources;
"natural gas" means gas obtained from boreholes and wells and consisting primarily of hydrocarbons;
"petroleum" means mineral oil (or any related hydrocarbon) or natural gas as it exists in its natural state in strata, and does not include coal or bituminous shales or other stratified deposits from which oil can be extracted by destructive distillation;
"petroleum products" includes motor spirit, gas oil, diesel oil, automotive gas oil, fuel oil, aviation fuel, kerosene, liquefied petroleum gases and any lubrication oil or grease or other lubricant;
"prospect", in relation to petroleum, means search for by all geological and geophysical methods, including drilling and seismic operations;
"refinery" means petroleum refinery;
"rent" includes any annual or other periodic charge made in respect of a licence granted under section 2 of this Act;
"State", except in section 1 of this Act, means a State of the Federation.
(2) References in this Act to the Director of Geological Survey are references to the persons for the time being holding, acting in or performing the functions of the offices so designated in the public service of the Federation as defined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.