ExxonMobil begins drilling as US hails 'promise' of East Med

As ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum began exploratory drilling in Block 10 of Cyprus's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) on Friday, the US assistant secretary of state responsible for energy expressed Washington's "excitement" over the catalytic role the exploitation of natural energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean will have in the region's development. 

"We are very excited about developments ongoing in the region and we see great promise," Francis Fannon said after a meeting with Cypriot Energy Minister Georgios Lakkotrypis in Nicosia. 

"We view energy as a catalyst for cooperation and economic development to benefit all the people in the region and Cyprus has a meaningful role to that end," said Fannon. 

The Cypriot Energy Ministry said that the Stena-Icemax drillship will drill at the Delphyne-1 site - at a depth of nearly 2 kilometers below the seabed. 

...