 Norwegian oil and gas company Statoil has taken interest in the prospects of oil in the waters off of the Faroe Islands, embarking on an estimated US$166.46 million oil exploration operation.Exxon Mobil and Atlantic Petroleum also hold stakes in the drilling platforms being installed in Faroese waters.If these operations succeed and find the bountiful projected amounts of oil (USD $568,500 worth per each resident out of the Faroese population of 49,000) the prospect of independence may receive a boost.