So far, no oil and gas have been discovered in Western Sahara. Two exploration licences are today operated by foreign companies, both from Israel, both offshore.
Israel's NewMed Energy today announced it has signed a deal with Morocco to produce natural gas offshore Boujdour, bringing former Cairn Energy back into the occupied territory.
17 years of US private company engagement in exploring the oil potential of Western Sahara has come to an end.
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 and Cairn Energy are exploring for oil offshore Western Sahara, occupied by Morocco. This photo taken yesterday shows one of their supply vessels.
Kosmos and Cairn have renewed their licence - but did San Leon Energy abandon one of its licences? A new map from ONHYM suggests changes to the highly controversial oil exploration in the occupied territory.
Cairn Energy consistently includes occupied Western Sahara as part of Morocco.
Scotland's Cairn Energy states that its joint venture with American firm Kosmos Energy has dropped the oil exploration licence in occupied Western Sahara, but ... that it is now reapplying for part of the very same area.
"A hostile act likely to perpetuate the conflict and colonialism in Western Sahara". The Peace and Security Council of the African Union reiterates its position on the illegal exploitaiton of Western Sahara's natural resources.
"No oil drilling should take place in the territory until the Saharawis have had the chance to exercise their right to self-determination and have freely and fairly decided the political status of their homeland", the appeal to the Security Council writes. Read the full letter, and list of signatures, here.
In celebration of International Women's Day, yesterday 8 March 2014, the women of the Saharawi refugee camps held a protest against foreign companies that are complicit in Morocco's plunder of their occupied homeland: Western Sahara.
On 19 December 2014 , the American oil company Kosmos Energy began to drill for oil in occupied Western Sahara, through an illegal deal with the occupying regime, Morocco. "The company is adding fuel to the fire", stated WSRW.
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.
The drillship 'Atwood Achiever' has today entered the port of Las Palmas, Canary Islands. There it will do its final adjustments before starting the drilling in occupied Western Sahara.
The oil platform ‘Atwood Achiever' late last night entered the waters of occupied Western Sahara. “Kosmos Energy is to undertake the first drilling in Western Sahara ever. It is hard to imagine a more brutally unethical oil drilling, anywhere in the world”, WSRW states.
The oil plattform 'Atwood Achiever' could arrive occupied Western Sahara Friday 15 November. There it will do the first drilling in occupied territory, ever.
A demonstration against the Scottish company Cairn Energy took place yesterday in front of its offices in Stavanger, Norway.
Western Sahara Resource Watch has today launched a report on Kosmos Energy’s unscrupulous plans for test well drilling in occupied Western Sahara. In a few weeks time, the company may permanently damage the Saharawi people's aspirations and rights to freedom and independence, as it commences unethical and illegal oil drilling in Africa's last colony.
The vessel 'Atwood Achiever' which will drill in occupied Western Sahara is getting closer. After some ten days under the radar, crossing the Indian Ocean, the vessel has now appeared off the coast of Madagascar.
Article published by AFP 19. november 2013
The “on-the-ground” partners of oil company Kosmos Energy in occupied Western Sahara do not base their work on local expertise. Far from it. They are led by directors with a clear pro-Moroccan approach to the conflict. Kosmos Energy is looking for the answers they want to hear - from the wrong people.
The oil rig Atwood Achiever is only a few weeks away from arriving Western Sahara. After a stop-over in Singapore, it is now heading towards the occupied territory.
Kosmos Energy's supply vessel Geo Service 1 was observed yesterday in occupied Western Sahara.
The rig ship 'Atwood Achiever', which will drill in occupied Western Sahara in a few months, is soon to travel to the territory. Now it is testing offshore Korea.
At the Spanish government owned harbour of Las Palmas today, Geo Service 1 is bunkering supplies for the illegal Moroccan oil studies offshore occupied Western Sahara. The studies take place not too far away from Spanish waters.
A subsidary of the Chinese national oil company CNPC this month started a new study offshore occupied Western Sahara on behalf of Kosmos Energy. "Severely undermining the UN peace efforts for the occupied territory", stated WSRW, condemning the operation.
The US company Kosmos Energy is going to drill in Western Sahara for the first time since the Moroccan occupation. In six months time, it might be too late to stop the company.
Dutch seismic services firm Fugro NV, and its Norwegian subsidiary Fugro-Geoteam, state they do not want to undertake any more assignments in Western Sahara under the current political situation in the country.