Morroco searches for Gas and Oil offshore

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

from Noticias Fuerteventura

The Government of the Canary Islands affirms that it has the guarantee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the contract recently signed by Morocco with the Israeli company Ratio Petroleum Energy to explore the search for oil and gas on the Saharawi coast near Dakhla does not collide with the Canarian waters.

 

In this way, the president of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, pronounced this morning in plenary session, in response to a question from the spokesman of the Parliamentary Group of Nueva Canarias, Luis Campos, about the announcement of the granting of licenses by the Kingdom of Morocco to carry out prospecting in waters near the Canary Islands.

 
Torres said that once he became aware of these contracts, he immediately contacted the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who told him that there is a report from the Ministry that initially concludes that there is no collision with the waters of Spanish and Canarian sovereignty and "that he was going to contact his Moroccan counterpart to clarify any doubts about it."

 

He also indicated that the Hydrographic Institute has also issued a more specific report, which also concludes what was initially transferred by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself, "that there is no collision with this contract, as there has not been with previous ones."

 

In any case, Ángel Víctor Torres said that they will be "very attentive and vigilant" as they have always done, and affirmed that any action carried out by the Kingdom of Morocco must be done respecting the resolutions of the United Nations and international legality.

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

from Noticias:

Morocco authorizes new prospecting off Fuerteventura
Renews permits to a Qatari company to explore oil near Lanzarote and Fuerteventura

Morocco reinforces the Tarfaya Offshore Shallow oil agreement between the Moroccan National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), Eni Maroc B.V and Qatar Petroleum International Upstream L.L.C., as published in the Official Gazette of Morocco on October 21 and published this Friday by El Español.

In a part dedicated to hydrocarbons, several orders of the ONHYM dated September 6, 2021 grant "the passage to the first additional period of the so-called hydrocarbon exploration permit" to these foreign companies.

Italian oil company Eni, which held 75% of the permits through its subsidiary Eni Maroc, ceded 30% of its stake to Qatar Petroleum in 2019. While the ONHYM maintains 25% of these concessions.

Qatar Petroleum and Eni partnered to superficially explore the Atlantic coast offshore in the Tarfaya Offshore Shallow area, between the Agadir region and Western Sahara. They also have similar offshore companies in Mozambique, Oman and Mexico.

 
The twelve blocks in the Atlantic Ocean are located in front of the Moroccan cities of Sidi Ifni, Tan Tan and Tarfaya. The surface exploration permits extend over 23,900 square kilometers from 0 to 1,000 meters deep and include geological and geophysical studies that aim to further define potential prospects or tracks followed by an assessment of the total potential of the blocks.
 
If we cross a straight line between Morocco and the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands, Tarfaya is linked to the south of the island of Fuerteventura and Tan Tan is located opposite Lanzarote. In the Canary Islands this renewal to the Qatari company is followed with extreme concern. "They are the prospections that are located closest to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. In the event that they find oil or gas and start drilling, the danger would be fundamentally of an environmental type in the event that there is an accident, "they explain by telephone to EL ESPAÑOL from Coalición Canaria.