Venezuela’s navy has taken custody of two Guyanese fishing boats in the latest flare-up of a protracted border dispute that encompasses oil-rich deepwater acreage.
The Venezuelan foreign ministry today refuted yesterday’s statement from Guyana alleging that the two vessels were in Guyanese waters when they were intercepted on 21 January. It identified the seized boats as the Nady Nayera and Sea Wolf.
Guyana said the Venezuelan navy subsequently forced the two boats into the Venezuelan port of Guiria.
The seizure of the vessels “is a wanton act of aggression by the Venezuelan armed forces,” Guyana’s foreign ministry said.
In response, Venezuela’s foreign ministry said the operation was conducted in an area of “indisputable Venezuelan sovereignty”, respecting current legislation and guaranteeing due process for the detained crew.
It went on to accuse Guyana’s government of conspiring with ExxonMobil and other international oil companies to control Venezuelan territory.
Under contract with Guyana, ExxonMobil is currently producing 120,000 b/d of crude from the deepwater Stabroek block, part of which lies in the disputed border territory known as the Essequibo. By 2026, the US major forecasts production of 750,000 b/d, almost double the volume that Venezuela’s much-diminished national oil industry is currently producing. ExxonMobil is exploring nearby offshore blocks as well.
ExxonMobil’s significant oil discoveries off Guyana’s coast since 2015 have heightened tensions over the unresolved frontier, a legacy of British colonialism in the late 19th century.
Last month, the UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) agreed to arbitrate Guyana’s request for validation of its border with Venezuela, but a ruling could take years.
Caracas maintains the ICJ has no jurisdiction in the matter, and has long pressed for bilateral negotiations. The resource-rich Essequibo over which Caracas claims sovereignty makes up two thirds of Guyana.
In early January, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro vowed to “reconquer” the Essequibo, prompting Guyana to deploy more troops on the border. The US and Guyana recently carried out joint coast guard patrols.
In 2013, Venezuela’s navy briefly seized a research vessel working in the Roraima block under contract from US independent Anadarko. And in December 2018, ExxonMobil suspended seismic surveys on a part of its acreage license after a research vessel it contracted was approached by a Venezuelan navy ship.
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