AMERADA HESS CORPORATION

integrated American petroleum company involved in exploration and development of oil and natural-gas resources, and the transportation, production, marketing, and sale of petroleum products. Headquarters are in New York City. The company was incorporated in 1920 as Amerada Corporation. It became Amerada Petroleum Corporation in 1941, upon merging with a subsidiary of that name, and adopted its present name in 1969 by merging with Hess Oil and Chemical Corporation (founded 1925). The company operates the chain of Hess brand gas stations along the East and Gulf coasts. This chain was one of the first to sell discount gasoline. These stations offer only gas and perform no repair services. Amerada Hess also owns one of the world's largest oil refineries, located in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. In addition, the company owns two smaller refineries in New Jersey and Mississippi, the East Coast's most extensive oil storage facilities, and a large fleet of oil tankers. Amerada Hess has invested heavily in several oil and natural-gas exploration projects both in the United States and abroad, most notably on Alaska's North Slope.