AUCTIONThe company, though not responding directly, was referring to Kenya’s claim on Saturday that Somalia had “auctioned” oil blocks belonging to Kenya, during an oil conference on February 7 in London. The data depicted oil stocks in 15 blocks, covering water depths of between 30 metres to four kilometres, analysed using what Spectrum called modern processing algorithms to achieve “optimal imaging of steeply-dipping extensional and compressional features and illumination of subtle amplitude anomalies.”The company confirmed no oil blocks had been auctioned but said the conference had only been a “promotion” of the Somali offshore oil and gas. Spectrum produced a map of seismic study area, indicating all the 15 blocks are in Somali territory, including the three southern blocks in the Jubba-Lamu Basin, but north of the parallel latitude proposed by Kenya. For example, Somalia’s legal team argued Kenya had continued offering offshore blocks based on its claimed boundary, even though Somalia objected. “Kenya awarded it to the French oil company Total SA in 2012.

Source: Daily Nation February 24, 2019 08:00 UTC