A firm called Teredo Morocco Ltd has got the right to explore for oil offshore Western Sahara in violation of international law. If you know the company, please send us a mail.
The Moroccan state oil company ONHYM this week announced on its webpages that a firm with the name Teredo Morocco Limited received a licence to explore for oil in a block called Boujdour Offshore Shallow. The information was added to a list of licences that Morocco holds with foreign firms.
An oil news service already in August this year announced that a “520km 2D survey was completed in the Boujdour Shallow offshore block, Tarfaya Basin, which comprises 5 sub-units totalling 9,056 sq km. ONHYM 25% partner.”
According to the Moroccan official gazette of 16 June 2011, the agreement with Teredo was signed already on 21 February 2011 . The agreement was signed by the firm “Teredo Morocco Limited” , part of the group “Teredo 1” . No more is known about this study or firm. It is not known which seismic survey contractor carried out the offshore programme.
The information is also mentioned in the gazette of 1 September 2011 and 16 June 2011.
Despite the name of the block being "Boujdour Offshore Shallow", the 5 Teredo units are probably not located next to the town of Boujdour/Bojador, but further north, directly to the west of the capital El Aaiun.
The UN legal office stated in 2002 that further Moroccan exploration in Western Sahara would be in violation of international law, unless the Saharawis had given their consent.
It has still not been possible for WSRW to identify the owners or country of origin of the firm. If you know anything, please contact us at coordinator@wsrw.org.
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