The oil plattform 'Atwood Achiever' could arrive occupied Western Sahara Friday 15 November. There it will do the first drilling in occupied territory, ever.
In two to three days, the vessel 'Atwood Achiever' will enter the waters of occupied Western Sahara. A few weeks later, the drilling will commence.
The platform will most probably arrive Western Sahara waters on Friday, 15 November 2014, depending on the length of the stop-over offshore Senegal.
It was last seen departing from Namibia two weeks ago (see video below).
The vessel has sailed directly from there in the direction Western Sahara and is now offshore the Senegalese city of Saint Louis, where it is apparently bunkering supplies. It is accompanied by two anchor handling/supply vessels, Eland (IMO 9653757) and Springbok (IMO 9683996) who have sailed in from Mauritanian waters. The two latter vessels are owned by US company Edison Chouest Offshore LLC.
Any new oil exploration in Western Sahara is in violation of international law, according to the UN. The people of the territory protest the engagement, which the operator, Kosmos Energy, is undertaking in partnership with the occupying power of Morocco. Read more about the controversial and illegal oil programme here in our report A Platform for Conflict.
Both supply vessels, Eland and Springbok, sailed southwards from Mauritanian waters today down to Saint Louis to assist the vessel.
Kosmos surveying oil potential near Dakhla again?
Over the past 24 hours, WSRW has observed a resumed seabed exploration north of Dakhla, in the block operated by American oil company Kosmos Energy in collaboration with Scotland's Cairn Energy.
Kosmos expects occupied Western Sahara drill results in early March
Kosmos has begun to drill in occupied Western Sahara
The Kosmos Energy platform has left Las Palmas
The drillship Atwood Achiever - which is to undertake drilling in waters of occupied Western Sahara - is no longer in Las Palmas and has vanished into thin air.