GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — The
latest effort to find oil and natural gas in disputed waters off Guyana
is showing promise, a representative of Exxon Mobil in the South
American country said Thursday.
Exxon
Mobile country manager Jeff Simons said a bore hole in the Atlantic
Ocean in an area claimed by Venezuela has produced positive results
though he declined to discuss specifics about what had been found.
"We
have found hydrocarbons but we are still evaluating to see to what
extent it is in commercial quantities," Simons said. "We do not want to
go too far down the road at this point. We will know after the testing
and evaluation are done."
Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud planned to meet with company officials and discuss the find.
Decades
of exploration in Guyana have yet to locate a viable source of oil or
gas despite the proximity of energy-rich Venezuela and Trinidad and
Tobago.
Venezuela has long
claimed about two-thirds of Guyana's territory as well as the offshore
area where Exxon Mobil began drilling in March.
In
October 2013, the Venezuelan navy detained an oil research vessel
operating under contract for U.S.-based Anadarko Petroleum Corp. Guyana
Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett said in March that the
country would push ahead with exploration in the area despite protests
by the Venezuelan government.