US supermajor Chevron is drilling ahead on an exploration well in potentially gas-rich waters offshore the Sinai peninsula in Egypt.
The East Mediterranean is becoming a core gas play for the US giant, built on its huge Leviathan field in Israel, a gas discovery in Cyprus and exploration acreage in Egypt.
Drillship Stena Forth is currently operating on the Nargis Offshore block, some 60 kilometres from shore, about 80 kilometres east of the nearest Egyptian gas infrastructure and 70 kilometres west of the long dormant Gaza Marine gas discovery offshore Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave.