Keyna drills for oil in contested area of Indian Ocean

Keyna drills for oil in contested area of Indian Ocean

Kampala, 14 January (Argus) — Kenya has continued oil and gas exploration activities in a disputed part of the Indian Ocean after rejecting an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that awarded half of the offshore area to neighbouring Somalia.

Italian firm Eni started drilling the Mlima 1 deepwater exploration well in block L11B in the Lamu basin last month. The block is located within a 100,000km² triangle of the Indian Ocean that is believed to be rich in oil and gas and has long been contested by Kenya and Somalia.

Kenya maintains that the maritime border runs due east from where the two countries meet at the coast, whereas Somalia argues that it should follow on in the same direction as their land border. In 2019 Kenya accused Somalia of auctioning exploration rights in the contested region, leading to Nairobi recalling its ambassador to Mogadishu.