UK-based energy company Energean announced Sunday that it had started conducting testing procedures by pumping gas to the disputed offshore Karish gas field, after receiving approval from Israel, The New Arab reported.
Israel says the Karish field in the eastern Mediterranean is located entirely within its exclusive economic zone, but Lebanon insists that part of the field falls within its own waters.
#Israel: The company Energean announced on the #TelAviv and #London stock exchanges that its exploratory well called Hermès, located in Israeli waters southeast of the Karish field, had revealed a gas reserve of around 7 to 15 billion cubic meters. pic.twitter.com/eXu1Pf1n1I
— ECOMNEWSMED (@ecomnewsmed) October 10, 2022
“Following approval received from Israeli Ministry of Energy to start certain testing procedures, the flow of gas from onshore to the FPSO has commenced,” the company stated.
The move is part of reverse flow testing procedures, which is an “important step” in the commissioning process of its FPSO facility, according to the firm.
Tensions between Israel and Lebanon over Karish and their maritime boundaries have even drawn threats of war from the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement.
#Hizbollah's video with a threatening message to the Zionists regarding the Karish gas field. pic.twitter.com/8Kc3cSzcO5
— Qasemebnolhasan (@Qasemebnlhasan) October 8, 2022
Last week, Israel rejected revisions to a draft agreement on the demarcation of the two countries’ maritime borders at a critical phase of negotiations.
Energean has said its FPSO vessel is due to start production at Karish in the third quarter, and on Saturday Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said Israel was “nearing production” at the site.
(The New Arab, PC, SOCIAL)
