Oil exploration commences in the Florida Strait

The Scarabeo 9 has arrived in the Florida Strait, just off the coast of Cuba, to begin searching for deep sea oil deposits, it has been reported by the BBC.

The first destination for exploration is a well around 100km (62 miles) from the Florida Keys, with Spanish oil company Repsol YPF commencing drilling activity in the area. There are several other international companies that will use the Chinese-built rig in months to come.

Repsol spokesman Kristian Rix commented from Madrid that: "The geologists have done their work. If they've done it well, then we'll have a good chance of success.

"It's been a long process, but now we're at the point where we discover whether our geologists have got it right. It's a happy day."

There have been many complications that have delayed drilling commencing. US trade embargos don’t allow US companies to do oil business with Cuba, and have in place severe sanctions to distract such actions. This made it far more arduous to acquire equipment and resources for the project. The Chinese-built rig qualifies for the Cuba project because it was built with less than ten per cent of US made parts.

Posted by Lauren Steadman