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GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Guyana’s foreign ministry has condemned what it says was a dangerous incursion into local waters after a Norwegian ship hired by ExxonMobil was “intercepted†by a Venezuelan naval vessel.
The ship, Ramform Tethys, was contracted to conduct seismic work by the company in a block off Guyana’s coast.
It was approached Saturday morning by the Venezuelan navy, which did not board the ship and later left the area, according to Norway’s Petroleum Geo-Services, which was performing the seismic survey on behalf of Irving, Texas-based ExxonMobil XOM, -0.74%  .
In a statement Saturday night, the foreign ministry called the incident an “illegal, aggressive and hostile act†by Venezuela “which once again demonstrates the real threat to Guyana’s economic development by its western neighbor.â€
It said that it would be bringing “this latest act of illegality and blatant disrespect for Guyana’s sovereignty†to the attention of the United Nations and sending formal communication to Venezuela.
It also said it was in the process of informing the countries that the ship’s 70 crew members hail from about “the threat to their safety.â€
A spokeswoman for ExxonMobil said Sunday that seismic operations on the Stabroek block were still paused.
U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesman Robert Palladino said on Twitter that officials were monitoring reports that the Venezuelan navy may have interfered with the ship.
“We underscore that Guyana has the sovereign right to explore and exploit resources in its territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone,†he wrote.
Exxon drilled its first successful well off the coast of Guyana in 2015 and since then has made nine more discoveries, including one this month that boosted to 5 billion oil-equivalent barrels the company’s estimate of reserves in the deep-water area.
The recent discoveries mean the tiny country of 750,000 people is on track to surpass Venezuela and Mexico to become Latin America’s second-biggest oil producer within the next decade, behind only Brazil, energy research firm Wood MacKenzie wrote in a report this month.
But Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called the oil drilling by the U.S. company illegal, and many fear that as his socialist-run country teeters on the edge of chaos he could seek to provoke his neighbor.
Venezuela has claimed the mineral-rich region west of the Essequibo river in Guyana as its own since the 19th century, a view shared even by some of Maduro’s fiercest opponents. An international tribunal ruled in 1899 that the area formed part of Guyana, which at the time was a British colony. The swath of disputed land makes up 40 percent of Guyana.
Earlier this year, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres sent the case to the International Court of Justice following a failed UN-sponsored attempt to broker a settlement.
Venezuela’s navy seized a U.S.-chartered oil research ship working in the area in 2013 and held it for more than a week before releasing the vessel and its 36 crew members from the U.S., Russia, Indonesia and Ukraine.
Published:Â Dec 23, 2018 By Associated Press
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Seadrill Limited announced that the West Neptune has executed approximately six months of term extensions with LLOG Exploration Offshore, L.L.C in the US Gulf of Mexico. The extensions will commence in direct continuation of the existing term, and will keep the rig busy until Q3 2024, furthering Seadrill and LLOG’s long-term association. Total contract value for the extension is approximately $79 million. Source: Seadrill Join our mailing list here We are #1 on Google and Bing for the "Largest Mobile Energy Network" Come join our community! Download the Rig Lynx app here
Semisub rig owner Dolphin Drilling has inked a new contract with Peak Petroleum in Nigeria for its 1974-built Blackford Dolphin. The firm contract, which follows the letter of award in January, gives the Euronext Growth-listed owner of three rigs the potential to extend the unit’s backlog by a minimum of 120 days and up to 485 days. The deal adds to and will be a direct continuation of the previously announced 12-month contract with General Hydrocarbon Limited (GHL). Øystein Stray Spetalen-backed company said the effective dayrate associated with the minimum firm period of the contract is $325,000, including the mobilisation fee. “The final award of the contract for Blackford Dolphin shows the opportunities in Nigeria at a strong dayrate, in addition to building on the backlog for the rig. It also underlines the attractiveness of our assets, and we look forward to returning to revenue-generating operations in 2023,” noted Bjørnar Iversen, CEO of Dolphin Drilling. Source: Dolphin Join our mailing list here We are #1 on Google and Bing for the "Largest Mobile Energy Network" Come join our community! Download the Rig Lynx app here
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