 The giant oilfield is located south of the city of Barrancabermeja and about northeast of the capital Bogotá.Even though there were attempts as early as 1941 for the Colombian government to legally take over the Tropical Oil Co., it was not until the expiration of the Concesión De Mares contract that a transfer of ownership would take place.The reversion of "De Mares Concession" ("Concesión De Mares") to the Colombian State on 25 August 1951 gave way to the Empresa Colombiana de Petróleos, which had been created in 1948 by means of Law 165 of that year.