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LATIN AMERICA

Guyanese government objects to seizure of research ship by Venezuela

Officials from both countries will meet in Trinidad to resolve dispute

A photograph of the ship seized by Venezuela.
A photograph of the ship seized by Venezuela.EFE

A long-standing territorial dispute between Venezuela and its neighbor to the east, Guyana, reached new heights last week when the Venezuelan navy seized a ship that was conducting a seismic study for a Texas-based oil company in waters claimed by the Caracas government.

Officials at Anadarko Petroleum Corporation of Houston said Tuesday that they expected Venezuelan authorities to soon release the Teknik Perdana research ship and its international crew, which includes five US citizens and two Brazilians.

The Guyanese government had hired Anadarko to conduct studies for future oil concessions in the so-called Roraima Block, where the government in Georgetown is currently concentrating on petroleum exploration.

Lawmakers in Caracas have objected to the ongoing oil exploration because it considers that sector of the Caribbean as part of its exclusive economic zone. The waters lay off the so-called Essequibo region, a desolate, mineral-rich territory measuring around 156,000 square kilometers. Venezuela has claimed the region since the 19th century, when the British controlled Guyana.

On Thursday, the Venezuelan navy escorted the ship into port at Venezuela’s Margarita island. The captain, a Ukrainian national, was charged with violating Venezuela’s exclusive economic zone. The rest of the crew were released.

Diplomats from the two countries, each of which claims that the ship was in its territorial waters when seized, are to meet Thursday in Trinidad and Tobago to discuss the situation. “The government of Guyana is of the firm belief that the actions taken by the Venezuelan navy vessel constitute a serious threat to the peace of this sub-region and the government of Guyana therefore strongly condemns these actions,” the Guyanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

In Caracas, officials believe that this incident is the latest in a series of attempts made by their English-speaking neighbor to expand its influence in the eastern Caribbean — taking advantage of the economic potential of the region by granting concessions to multinational energy companies.

The Venezuelan opposition claims that the government of Nicolás Maduro is now in favor of the idea of Guyana exploring for oil in waters off the Essequibo. At the same time, experts believe that the Roraima Block is located in Venezuelan waters off Delta Amacuro state, in eastern Venezuela. “This territory is not part of the area that is under reclamation [Essequibo region],” said opposition Deputy María Corina Machado.

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