Lebanon warns Israel after FPSO arrives in contested waters
The Lebanese president's office issued a warning to Israel on June 5 that it would treat any activities in their disputed maritime territory as "a provocation and a hostile act," following the arrival of a floating production and offloading (FPSO) vessel that will be used to develop the Karish gas field in the contested zone.
The 1.4 trillion-ft3 Karish field is due to enter production in the third quarter of this year. Project operator Energean said on June 6 that it expected to commission the FPSO, which has arrived from Singapore to exploit the deposit, within three or four months.
However, the field lies in waters that Lebanon says are disputed. The government in Beirut on June 6 called on the US to mediate maritime border talks between the two countries. Israel claims that the field is within its exclusive economic zone.