Wanderlust World Wanderlust World THUMS is a manmade island along the southern coast of California between Los Angeles and Long Beach built for drilling oil. THUMS is named after its original operators: Texaco, Humble, Unocal, Mobil and Shell. Oxy acquired THUMS in 2000 and changed the name to Oxy THUMS.
Just north of Long Beach, THUMS was established in the mid 1960s to tap into the rich oil beneath the earth's surface. As part of the agreement for building this island, all equipment, including drilling rigs, have to be soundproof and camouflaged to blend in with the area's natural coastal beauty. Many feel the island's buildings look like a tropical resort. There is a height limit on the island for wellheads and pipelines to maintain the beauty of the harbor and skyline of Long Beach.
Within Oxy THUMS there are four other islands, all of which were named after astronauts who lost their life while serving in the United States space program. The islands are called Freeman, Grissom, White and Chaffee. Freeman is the largest, spanning roughly 12 acres while the remaining three islands, Grissom, White and Chaffee span 10 acres each. Oxy THUMS also encompasses part of Wilmington Field.
Oxy THUMS received an Environmental Award from Hart's Oil and Gas Investor magazine for being the first oil operation to inject reclaimed city water in order to help protect the local reservoir. The award was "Best in the Pacific."
To date, Oxy THUMS has produced 930 million barrels of oil during its life, valued at 4 billion dollars. Experts estimate the island has another 100 million barrels of oil still left untouched.
Oxy THUMS is an agent of Occidental Long Beach which is a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum, commonly referred to as just Oxy.