BEIRUT, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- TotalEnergies on Wednesday announced the arrival of the Transocean Barents drilling platform to Block 9 in Lebanon's territorial waters, as oil and gas exploration is expected to begin by the end of this month.
Meanwhile, TotalEnergies said it dispatched a helicopter to transport a drilling team newly arrived in Beirut to the offshore drilling platform, according to the National News Agency.
TotalEnergies said the arrival of the platform and helicopter marks a significant step in preparation for drilling the exploratory well in Block 9, scheduled to commence in late August 2023.
"Today we start a new page, and when all logistical matters are ready, the excavation begins, and we expect results to be out in two to three months, depending on the excavation period," Energy Minister Walid Fayyad said at the Beirut airport.
Lebanon and Israel finalized a U.S.-brokered maritime border demarcation deal last October, bringing both countries closer to oil and gas exploration in their waters after years of negotiations.
On Jan. 29, Qatar signed an agreement with Lebanon to join the consortium of France's TotalEnergies and Italy's ENI for oil and gas exploration in Blocks 4 and 9 in the Lebanese territorial waters.
Lebanon needs revenues from the oil and gas sector as the country reels under an unprecedented financial crisis. ■
