Italian drilling vessel enters Libyan waters for a work mission.

Italy is a country in Southern Europe with a rich cultural history that dates back to the ancient Roman Empire, which was a foundational civilization for Western law, government, and engineering. It later became the epicenter of the Renaissance, a period of immense artistic and scientific flourishing, and is now renowned for its globally influential contributions to art, architecture, cuisine, and fashion.

The Saipem 10000 is a dynamically positioned deepwater drillship, originally named the “Discoverer Enterprise,” which was constructed in 1999. It has been used for drilling oil and gas wells in ultra-deep waters worldwide, setting records for drilling depth. The vessel is a key asset of the Italian energy services company Saipem, reflecting the industry’s technological advancement into challenging offshore environments.

Libyan waters refer to the maritime zones of the Mediterranean Sea under Libya’s sovereignty and jurisdiction, historically central to trade, fishing, and naval power since ancient Phoenician and Roman times. In the modern era, these waters have been significant for oil and gas reserves and have also been a focal point for migration routes and geopolitical disputes.

Egypt is home to one of the world’s oldest civilizations, with a recorded history spanning over 5,000 years and famed for its pharaonic monuments like the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. Its rich cultural heritage, from ancient temples along the Nile to Islamic Cairo, reflects successive influences including Greek, Roman, and Arab rule.

The Zohr gas field is a major natural gas field located off the coast of Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea. Discovered in 2015 by the Italian energy company Eni, it is the largest known gas field in the Mediterranean and began production in 2017, significantly boosting Egypt’s natural gas reserves and transforming it into a regional energy hub.

The Zohr natural gas field is a major offshore field in the Mediterranean Sea, located within Egypt’s exclusive economic zone. It was discovered in 2015 by the Italian energy company Eni and is considered the largest natural gas field in the Mediterranean, with its rapid development significantly boosting Egypt’s natural gas production and transforming it into a regional energy hub.

Bloomberg is a global financial data, software, and media company founded in 1981 by Michael Bloomberg. It is best known for its Bloomberg Terminal, a computer system providing real-time financial market data and trading services to professionals. The company’s history is rooted in revolutionizing financial information through technology, and it has since expanded into news and television with Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television.

Libya is a North African country with a rich history rooted in ancient civilizations like the Phoenicians and Romans, followed by centuries of Arab and Ottoman influence. In the modern era, it was an Italian colony before gaining independence in 1951, later becoming known for Muammar Gaddafi’s lengthy rule from 1969 until the 2011 revolution. Its cultural heritage includes UNESCO World Heritage sites such as the ancient Greek city of Cyrene and the Roman ruins of Leptis Magna.