SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 
	Washington, D.C.  20549 
 
	Schedule 13G 
 
	Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
	(Amendment No.  1   )* 
 
	Abacan Resource Corp. 
	________________________________________ 
	(Name of Issuer) 
 
	Common Stock 
	________________________________________ 
	(Title of Class of Securities) 
 
	00291910 
	_________________________ 
	(CUSIP Number) 
 
 
Check the following box if a fee is being paid with  
this statement [].  (A fee is not required only if  
the filing person:  (1) has a previous statement on  
file reporting beneficial ownership of more than  
five percent of the class of securities described in  
Item 1; and (2) has filed no amendment subsequent  
thereto reporting beneficial ownership of five  
percent or less of such class.)  (See Rule 13d - 7.) 
 
*  The remainder of the cover page shall be filled  
out for a reporting person's initial filing on this  
form with respect to the subject class of  
securities, and for any subsequent amendment  
containing information which would alter the  
disclosures provided in a prior cover page. 
 
The information required in the remainder of this  
cover page shall not be deemed to be "filed" for the  
purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act  
of 1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the  
liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be  
subject to all other provisions of the Act (however,  
see the Notes). 
 
(Continued on following page(s)) 
 
 
 
 
CUSIP No.  00291910     13G      
          __________                   ___   ___ 
 
1.	NAME OF REPORTING PERSON 
	S.S. OR I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NO. OF ABOVE PERSON 
 
	Metropolitan Life Insurance Company 
	(I.R.S. NO. 13-5581829) 
 
2.	CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP* 
(a)  [   ]  Not applicable. 
(b)  [   ]  Not applicable. 
 
3.	SEC USE ONLY 
 
 
4.	CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION 
	A New York corporation. 
 
 
				5.	SOLE VOTING POWER 
						4,543,800 
	NUMBER OF 
	SHARES		6.	SHARED VOTING POWER	 
	BENEFICIALLY			- 0 - 
	OWNED BY EACH 
	REPORTING		7.	SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER	 
	PERSON WITH			4,865,600 
 
				8.	SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 
						- 0 - 
 
9.	AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH  
REPORTING PERSON 
					4,865,600 
 
10.	CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9)  
EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES* 
 
11.	PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW 9 
		4.58% 
 
12.	TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON* 
	HC, IC 
 
  
 
 
SCHEDULE 13G 
	 
	Item 1 (a).	Name of Issuer 
	Abacan Resource Corp. 
 
	Item 1 (b).	Address of Issuer's Principal  
Office: 
	1100,800 5th Avenue S.W. 
	Calgary Alberta T2P 3T6 Canada 
 
	Item 2 (a).	Name of Person Filing 
	Metropolitan Life Insurance Company 
	By Jane C. Weinberg, Associate General  
Counsel. 
 
	Item 2 (b)	Address of Principal Business  
Office: 
	One Madison Avenue 
	New York, New York 10010. 
 
	Item 2 (c).	Citizenship 
	A New York corporation. 
 
	Item 2 (d).	Title of Class of Securities 
	Common Stock 
 
	Item 2 (e).	CUSIP Number 
	00291910 
 
	Item 3.	If this statement is filed pursuant to  
Rules 13d-1(b), or 13d-2(b), check whether the  
person filing is a: 
	(a) [ ]	Broker or Dealer registered under  
Section 15 of the Act. 
	(b) [ ]	Bank as defined in Section 3 (a) (6) of  
the Act. 
	(c) [X]	Insurance Company as defined in Section  
3 (a) (19) of the Act. 
	(d) [ ]	Investment Company registered under  
Section 8 of the Investment Company Act. 
	(e) [ ]	Investment Adviser registered under  
Section 203 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. 
	(f) [ ]	Employee Benefit Plan, Pension Fund  
which is subject to the provisions of the Employee  
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 or Endowment  
Fund 
	(g) [X]	Parent Holding Company, in accordance  
with Section 240.13d-1(b) (ii) (G) (Note: See Item  
7). 
	(h) [ ]	Group, in accordance with Section  
240.13d-1 (b) (1) (ii) (H) 
 
 
SCHEDULE 13G 
 
Item	     4.	Ownership. 
 
If the percent of the class owned, as of December 31  
of the year covered by the statement, or as of the  
last day of any month described in Rule 13d-1(b)  
(2), if applicable, exceeds five percent, provide  
the following information as of that date and  
identify those shares which there is a right to  
acquire. 
 
	(a)	Amount Beneficially Owned:  4,865,600 
 
	(b)	Percent of Class:  4.58% 
 
	(c)	Number of shares as to which such person has: 
 
	(i)	sole power to vote or to direct the  
			vote:  4,543,800 
	(ii)	shared power to vote or to direct the  
			vote:  -0- 
	(iii)	sole power to dispose or to direct the 	 
			disposition of:  4,865,600 
	(iv)	shared power to dispose or to direct  
			the disposition of:  -0-   
 
MetLife disclaims any beneficial interest in any of  
the foregoing securities. 
 
Item	5.	Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a  
Class. 
 
If this statement is being filed to report the fact  
that as of the date hereof the reporting person has  
ceased to be the beneficial owner of more than five  
percent of the class of securities, check the  
following  [x]. 
 
Item	6.	Ownership of More than Five Percent on  
Behalf of Another Person. 
	    Not applicable. 
 
 
SCHEDULE 13G 
 
Item	     7.	Identification and Classification of  
the Subsidiary Which Acquired the Security Being  
Reported on By the Parent Holding Company: State  
Street Research and Management Company, Inc. an  
Investment Adviser registered under Section 203 of  
the Investment Advisers Act, is the beneficial owner  
of all shares of the securities reported upon in  
Item 4(a) hereof. 
 
Item 8.	Identification and Classification of  
Members of the Group. 
 
			Not applicable. 
 
Item 9.	Notice of Dissolution of Group. 
 
			Not applicable. 
 
Item 10.	Certification. 
 
By signing below I certify that, to the best of my  
knowledge and belief, the securities referred to  
above were acquired in the ordinary course of  
business and were not acquired for the purpose of  
and do not have the effect of changing or  
influencing the control of the issuer of such  
securities and were not acquired in connection with  
or as a participant in any transaction having such  
purpose or effect. 
 
Signature. 
 
After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my  
knowledge and belief, I certify that the information  
set forth in this statement is true, complete and  
correct. 
 
	Date:	February 5, 1997 
 
 
	Signature: /s/ Jane C. Weinberg
		Jane C. Weinberg 
		Associate General Counsel