The Ministry of Public Works & Transport declared that it has allocated 34,000 square meters at the Port of Beirut for petroleum activities related to exploration and drilling for oil and gas in Lebanon's offshore territorial waters.  It said that it selected docks 3, 4 and 5 for this operation, given their strategic location for vessels and other services.  It added that international standards for logistical services indicate that each offshore block requires 50,000 square meters of land for its logistical needs.  Further, the ministry revealed that the State Consultative Council approved a project decree to establish a new specialized port.  In parallel, TotalEnergies EP Block 9 (TotalEnergies), in its capacity as the operator of Block 9 in Lebanon's offshore territorial waters, announced that it is seeking expressions of interest for potential participation in the upcoming calls for tender covering logistics services.  It said that the services that are required to conduct petroleum activities in Block 9 consist of Logistics Base Services, Marine Gas Oil Supply, Vessel Support Services, and Helicopter Services.  It added that eligible firms must be Lebanese companies that are majority-owned or controlled by Lebanese nationals, and must have the capability to perform properly the services described in the relevant Call for Tender.  TotalEnergies EP Liban sal announced on January 29, 2023 that it will start offshore drilling in Block 9 of Lebanon's territorial waters in the third quarter of this year, following the U.S.-brokered maritime agreement to delineate the maritime border between Lebanon and Israel that was sealed last October.  It indicated that it launched the call for tenders to lease a drilling rig and expected to select the rig in the first quarter of 2023.  It said that it has placed pre-orders with supplies for the equipment it needs to begin in the exploration of oil and gas, and pointed out that it will finalize the environmental studies' phase of the project by the end of June 2023.  Earlier this year, the specialized French company Créocean conducted an Environmental Baseline Survey (EBS) in Block 9 as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment ahead of the planned offshore activities.  The EBS aims to confirm the acceptability of the gas exploration project and will identify mitigation measures according to the environment.  The Right Holders in Block 9 are the operator TotalEnergies EP Block 9 that holds a 35% stake, as well as the non-operators Eni Lebanon BV that has a 35% interest and QatarEnergy International Investments (2) LLC that holds a share of 30%. (ICE BEIRUT)

Fonte notizia: Byblos Bank, Lebanon This Week, 27 Feb - 4 March 2023