Eni rig could head for Morocco

Energy giant says drillship may leave Cyprus, but company won’t abandon project

As Turkish warships continue to prevent a rig from reaching an area in Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to conduct exploratory drilling on behalf of Eni, the Italian energy giant’s chief executive said yesterday that it will probably move the ship to Morocco, but stressed it will not pull out of its project in the country.

“It should be going to Morocco,” CEO Claudio Descalzi said, adding, however, that Eni will not withdraw from the exploration project.

Meanwhile, Turkey said yesterday that as long as Turkish Cypriots don’t also reap the benefits and there is no agreement to reunify the island, it won’t allow Nicosia to conduct a “unilateral” search for gas off the coast of Cyprus.

“As long as a concrete and rational solution is not produced, we have to be effective,” Turkish Energy Minister Berat Albayrak said. “If unilateral exploration is conducted, Turkey will not allow it.”

Turkish warships have cited naval exercises to prevent the Saipem 12000 drillship chartered by Eni to conduct operations in Block 3 of Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) since February 9.

Meanwhile, Eni has denied that there was a meeting between a company delegation led by Descalzi, and Kudret Ozersay, the so-called foreign minister of the entity in the Turkish-occupied north of the island. The response came after reports in Turkish and Turkish-Cypriot media suggested that a meeting had taken place. For his part, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades yesterday informed the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, about Turkey’s behavior in the island’s EEZ.