Photo: Enrique de la Osa/ Reuters

For those who doubted this day would come, the skeptics who said Cuba didn’t have enough off-shore oil to attract foreign investors, the pictures posted by CubaDebate must be a little sobering.

Photo: Enrique de la Osa/ Reuters

Scarabeo-9, the Chinese-built oil rig has arrived in Cuba’s waters.  Estimates by experts say Cuba’s continental shelf contains 5-20 billion barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas. Reuters is reporting today that drilling commencing initially by the Spanish company Repsol could start as early as next week.  A major oil strike would have repercussions for Cuba’s economy, its foreign policy, and its relationship with the United States.

Repsol invited a team from the U.S. Coast Guard and Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to inspect the rig and the inspectors, as Reuters reported, found it to “generally comply with existing international and U.S. standards.”  Yet, the U.S., because of economic sanctions and Florida politics, remains behind the curve in areas like licensing, crisis response coordination, and other issues which are relevant in the event an accident occurs.

This development, however, has been long in the making.  Perhaps the sight of the rig off Cuban shores, and the beginning of exploration, will inspire greater action by the political system in the U.S.  In the meanwhile, it’s ready, set, drill.

Scarabeo-9 from the Malecón. Photo: Ivan Ferrer Arenas/ Twitter

An article from the Associated Press on the rig’s arrival can be found here.

For the CubaDebate article, click here.