Repsol Oil Rig Arrives in Cuba

Foto: Cubadebate.cu

HAVANA TIMES, Jan 19 (dpa) — The oil rig that will be involved in the offshore drilling project in Cuba, led by the Spanish multinational Repsol, arrived Thursday off the coast of Havana, reported the official Cubadebate website.

The Italian platform “Scarabeo 9” was in front of the Malecon seawall in Havana this morning, according to the website. Scarabeo 9 will begin its work 22 miles off the Cuban coast, said the site, without giving a specific date.

The moveable rig was built in China at a reported cost of $750 million USD.

The project is creating concerns in the US, where there is fear of a possible accident and an oil spill reaching its shores, similar to what occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

However, US authorities inspected “Scarabeo 9” in recent weeks when it was in Trinidad and Tobago. This was an attempt by Repsol to allay those concerns held by Washington in relation to the project.

The inspection ended this past Monday and was “successfully” conducted, according to information from the US Department of the Environment, cited Cubadebate.

Cuba and the United States also participated in a meeting last year in Nassau, Bahamas, where they analyzed dangers posed by an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Recent Posts

Ruben Blades: Panama’s Elections & Martinelli’s Replacement

“The Supreme Court has chosen to endorse the aspirations of a man guilty of corruption,…

Cuban University Alarmed After Studying the “Migrant Dream”

The "migrant dream" of Cubans is under the scrutiny of researchers from the University of…

Monsieur Periné – Song of the Day

Today’s featured band is Monsieur Periné from Colombia with the song “Mi Libertad”  from their…

In order to improve navigation and features, Havana Times uses cookies.