TOTAL-ENI drill ship sails for Cyprus

The drill ship West Capella sailed from the Spanish port of Tenerife on Thursday headed for the Cypriot exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The ship, which is flying a Panamanian flag, is expected to arrive at field 11 off the Cypriot coast on July 12 and conduct sea drills on behalf of a consortium by energy giants TOTAL-ENI. The exploration will commence on July 14 and is scheduled to last until October. The concessions of fields in the Cypriot EEZ has caused friction with the northern occupied part of Cyprus, as Turkey has often projected its military power in the region and threatened to prevent drilling in the area as its disputes the right of the Cypriot Republic to move forward with the exploration.