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| Syria-Lebanon |
| US Firm Signs Offshore Oil Exploration Deal with Syria |
| 2003-12-01 |
| From Middle East News Line Syria has signed a contract with a U.S. company as part of an effort to search for additional oil reserves. They would naturally want to replace the oil from Iraq valved off by the Great Satan™ The contract calls for the U.S. firm, Veritas, to search for crude oil resources off the Mediterranean coast. The cost of the contract was reported at $4 million. Syria better behave. Offshore oil platforms are vulnerable to attack by pissed off neighbors. The contract for the marine survey was signed on Saturday by Syrian Oil Minister Ibrahim Haddad and Veritas chairman Ian Edward. Under the contract, Veritas will have exclusive rights to survey Syrian territorial waters for energy. Hey, have a ball. The results of the maritime oil survey will be made available to international oil companies for a tender to explore and develop energy resources in the Mediterranean. TotalElfFina here is your golden opportunity. Haddad said the congressional passage of the Syrian Accountability Act would not affect the contract. President George Bush has not yet signed the legislation into law. The Syrian govt is noted for overpumping their oil fields in the face of strong recommendations of moderation from oil company petroleum engineers, thus losing much of the reserves in the long term. So many issues, so many nutcases, so slim a chance for success. |
| Posted by:Alaska Paul |
| #6 Got the dough? Yep. Gimmee. Ok. Where's the oil? In Louisiana. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-12-1 8:00:16 PM |
| #5 snellenr---probably the figure includes many multiple passes by the geophysical ship. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-12-1 5:59:54 PM |
| #4 4,700 kilometers (2,937 miles) of Syrian coast? This is a somewhat optimistic estimate of the length of Syria's coast -- just by eyeball on a crude map, it's only 70 km (including Lebanon adds another 150 km)... |
| Posted by: snellenr 2003-12-1 5:37:28 PM |
| #3 The state-owned Syrian Oil Company signed a US$4 million contract Saturday for a U.S. oil company to survey its territorial waters. The contract with Veritas DGC Inc., a company based in Houston, Texas, was signed at the Oil Ministry in Damascus by the company's vice president, Ian T. Edwards, and Oil Minister Ibrahim Haddad.The contract stipulates that Veritas must conduct the survey along 4,700 kilometers (2,937miles) of Syrian coast within one year. The survey will look for seismic, geological and geophysical data. Houston oil firm, huh? What's the over/under on how long before Bush is accused of wanting to steal the Syrian oil for his Texas friends? Not that it's not a bad idea. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-12-1 2:58:57 PM |
| #2 I can think of another Maritime company that would like to hafve tht survey -- the U.S. Navy Seals. Good reading for them as they |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-12-1 2:29:16 PM |
| #1 Anyone in Foggy Bottom have any interest in this? |
| Posted by: Barry 2003-12-1 2:23:44 PM |