Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel has encountered difficulty in offshore natural gas
exploration.

A prime contractor of Israel’s gas project in the Mediterranean has been
forced to suspend drilling at the offshore Leviathan-1 well.

Noble Energy said the drilling, meant to reach 21,400 feet, was halted because of high pressure as well as limits of the wellbore design.

“Although the well did not reach the planned objective, we are
encouraged by the possibility of an active thermogenic petroleum system at greater depths within this basin,” Noble vice president Susan Cunningham said.

“We will integrate the data from the Leviathan deep well into our model to update our analysis and design a drilling plan specifically to test the deep oil concept.”

On May 2, Ms. Cunningham said Noble has assessed that it could find
significant oil resources in its exploration in the eastern Mediterranean.

Industry sources said Noble was not expected to resume drilling before 2013.

  drilling stopped due to high pressure, eastern Mediterranean, Noble Energy, Offshore drilling for Israel halted; ‘deep oil’ test planned, Susan Cunningham