Total SA is seeking an interest in a block off Cyprus west of where Turkish military vessels in February blocked drilling planned by Eni SPA (OGJ Online, Mar. 27, 2018).
Stephane Michel, president, Middle East and North Africa of Total Exploration & Production, told reporters after a meeting with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades that the company had applied for an interest in Block 8.
Eni holds 100% of the block, which is directly south of the island. Total and Eni are partners in Block 6, where Eni, the operator, early this year reported a natural gas discovery in its 1 Calypso NFW well (OGJ Online, Feb. 9, 2018).
The Saipem 12000 drillship was moving from the Calypso well to Block 3 in the northeastern part of the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone when it was turned away by Turkish ships.
Turkey disputes Cyrpus’s offshore territorial claims, which it long has argued shouldn’t be addressed until unification of the island nation now partitioned between Greek and Turkish sectors.
Turkish Petroleum Corp., meanwhile, is preparing to drill off Cyprus with the Deep Sea Metro II drillship, which it acquired in 2016 in a liquidation auction.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed the plans in a March summit with European Union leaders in Varna, Bulgaria. He said Turkish Cypriots would receive a share of any revenue from the production of hydrocarbons.
