Venezuela Seeks Details on Exxon Mobil’s New Exploration Near Maritime Border with Trinidad

By Staff, Agencies

Venezuela has formally requested detailed information from Trinidad and Tobago regarding Exxon Mobil’s upcoming oil and gas exploration in a newly awarded ultra-deepwater block near their shared maritime border, according to diplomatic sources and internal documents cited by Reuters.

Vice President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodríguez raised concerns that potential discoveries in the area could encroach on Venezuelan territorial waters.

She made the demand during a recent meeting in Caracas with Trinidad’s acting head of mission, Dayne-Marc Chin Slick, according to a diplomatic note sent to Trinidad’s foreign minister.

The offshore block, recently awarded to Exxon Mobil by Trinidadian authorities, marks the company’s return to the country’s energy sector.

It lies close to the maritime boundary with Venezuela and northwest of Guyana’s Stabroek block—a region that has long been a flashpoint for geopolitical tension.

Rodríguez cited Article 8 of the border delimitation treaty between the two nations, which requires mutual notification of any planned exploration activities within 500 meters of the maritime boundary.

Caracas is seeking clarification on whether Exxon’s field tests or potential discoveries could extend into Venezuelan waters.

The request comes shortly after Venezuela suspended a wide-ranging energy cooperation agreement with Trinidad and Tobago.

The suspension, which includes several joint gas ventures, followed President Nicolás Maduro’s criticism of Port of Spain’s pro-US stance amid rising regional military tensions.

At their narrowest point, Trinidad and Venezuela are separated by just six miles (9.7 kilometers).