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GEORGETOWN / CARACAS – The Venezuelan Navy on Saturday intercepted a ship exploring oil deposits on behalf of Exxon in the waters of neighboring Guyana, Guyana's Foreign Ministry said in the latest incident during a border conflict already lasts more than a century.
Guyana has celebrated in recent years a series of offshore oil discoveries that have enabled the country to become one of the largest producers in Latin America. On the other hand, in Venezuela, badociated with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), oil production has fallen to its lowest level in nearly 70 years due to the economic crisis that the country is going through.
Ramform Tethys, which belongs to the Norwegian company PGS (Petroleum Geo-Services) and carried out seismic surveys on behalf of Exxon, stopped exploration and returned to the east after having been approached by Venezuelan navy. Bard Stenberg, spokesperson for PGS, said in a statement.
"Guyana rejects this illegal, aggressive and hostile act," the Foreign Ministry of Guyana said Saturday in a statement Saturday, adding that the measure "reflects the real threat posed by its neighbor to the economic development of Guyana. Guyana "to the west" and "violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country".
The ministry also said it would inform the United Nations of the incident and send an official communication to the Venezuelan government. He also said that he would inform the governments of the countries of origin of the 70-member crew aboard the Bahamian-flagged vessel of "threats to their safety".
An Exxon spokeswoman said that seismic explorations in the western part of Stabroek Block in Guyana "were paralyzed until they could be recovered safely" and that the ship operated in Guyana's exclusive economic zone.
The Venezuelan Ministry of Communication did not respond to a request for comment on the case. The Venezuelan government announced that it was convening the ambbadador in Georgetown for consultations.
International Tribunal
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had previously criticized Guyana's decision to allow oil exploration in the coastal waters of the Essequibo region – a dense forest area and sparsely populated which represents about two thirds of the territory of Guyana, but which is also claimed by Venezuela.
Guyana says that Caracas agreed to leave the region as a result of a decision of an international court in 1899, but Venezuela later came back on that decision. Earlier this year, the United Nations referred the dispute to the International Court of Justice, a decision welcomed by Georgetown but criticized by Caracas.
The conflict intensified in recent years, with Exxon announcing the discovery of more than 4 billion barrels of oil on the Guyanese coast, an English-speaking country of 750,000 people with no history of oil production.
The latest incident came less than a day after the Parliament of Guyana overthrew the current government with a vote of mistrust, paving the way for new elections within three months.
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