Israeli Ministry Won't Allow Oil Tankers to Enter Red Sea Resort, Potentially Blocking UAE Pipeline Deal

Ari Rabinovitch
Friday, December 17, 2021

Israel's Environmental Protection Ministry said on Thursday that it would not allow oil tankers to enter its Red Sea resort of Eilat as planned under a deal with partners from the United Arab Emirates to transport crude from the Gulf to Europe via Israel.

The announcement could lead to the cancellation of the deal, one of the biggest to emerge from the normalization of ties between Israel and the UAE last year. Environmentalists had petitioned Israel's Supreme Court to block the agreement.

Signed between an Israeli state-owned company and a venture with Emirati and Israeli owners, the deal allows for oil unloaded from tankers in the Red Sea port of Eilat to be moved across Israel in an existing pipeline to the Mediterranean coast.

Responding on Thursday to the Supreme Court petition, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's government said it would not intervene and would instead allow the Environmental Protection Ministry to play its regulatory role limiting activities that pose ecological risks.

"We blocked the entry of dozens of oil tankers into the Gulf of Eilat," Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg said in a statement, adding that Israel "will not become a bridge of pollution in an era of climate crisis".

Israel's energy minister had previously come out against the deal, citing ecological risks to Eilat's fragile coral reefs.

The Israeli state-owned company involved in the deal, Europe Asia Pipeline Company (EAPC), said the deal has "significant geopolitical and economic advantages for Israel and its citizens."

EAPC said it was committed to protecting the environment and would continue its dialogue with the Environmental Protection Ministry over its pipeline activities.

The other company involved in the deal, MED-RED Land Bridge, did not immediately provide a comment. 

(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Writing by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Diane Craft and Howard Goller)

Categories: Coastal/Inland Pipelines Oil Tankers

Related Stories

Woodside to Shed Some Trinidad and Tobago Assets for $206M

Shell Predicts 60% Rise in LNG Demand by 2040 with Asia Leading the Way

Tokyo Gas Enters LNG Market in Philippines

Japan's Mitsui Eyes Alaska LNG Project

Shell Shuts Down Oil Processing Unit in Singapore Due to Suspected Leak

Subsea Redesign Underway for Floating Offshore Wind

ABS Approves Hanwha Ocean’s FPSO Design

Sembcorp Signs 10-Year LNG Supply Contract with Chevron

Yinson and PetroVietnam JV Get FSO Contract for Vietnamese Field

Valeura Boosts Production at Jasmine Field with Five New Wells Now Onstream

Current News

CNOOC Makes Major Oil and Gas Discovery in South China Sea

Valeura’s Assets in Gulf of Thailand Remain Operational After Earthquake

Op-Ed: Kazakhstan’s National O&G Firm Positioning Itself as Global Energy Player

Woodside to Shed Some Trinidad and Tobago Assets for $206M

CNOOC Sees 11% Profit Growth in 2024 Driven by Record Oil Production

‘Ultra-Mega’ Offshore Deal for L&T at QatarEnergy LNG’s North Field Gas Scheme

Keel Laying for Wind Flyer Trimaran Crew Boat

MODEC Gets Shell’s Gato do Mato FPSO Ops and Maintenance Job

EnerMech Names APAC Regional Chief

CIP Reaches Financial Close for Offshore Wind Farm in Taiwan

Subscribe for AOG Digital E‑News

AOG Digital E-News is the subsea industry's largest circulation and most authoritative ENews Service, delivered to your Email three times per week

https://accounts.newwavemedia.com