Yemeni criminal investigator gunned down in Taiz

Yemeni criminal investigator gunned down in Taiz

BEIRUT: Offshore oil and gas exploration in Lebanese waters is expected to begin within weeks following the arrival of a drilling rig at the project site on Wednesday.

The rig, the Transocean Barents, will begin work at the offshore site, known as Block 9, later this month, French energy group TotalEnergies announced.

The company is leading a consortium on the project that includes Italian oil giant ENI and state-owned QatarEnergy.

A helicopter also arrived at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday to transport crews to and from the drill site, about 120 km offshore from Beirut. 

The start of drilling follows a landmark agreement last year that set a maritime border between Lebanon and Israel for the first time.

Lebanon is hoping the discovery of oil and gas will help reverse an economic crisis that has sent its currency plummeting, caused rolling blackouts across towns and cities, and resulted in a shortage of essential goods and medicines.

The arrival of the drilling rig coincided with the government’s approval of an environmental impact report on Wednesday.

Nasser Yassin, the caretaker environment minister, said that he had asked the Ministry of Energy to ensure that “the operating companies adhere to the Ministry of Environment’s observations.”

In February, the survey