Italy’s Eni is diverting a drillship that had been preparing to explore for gas in Block 3 offshore Cyprus after a standoff with Turkish military vessels in the area, a company spokesman said Friday. The Saipem 12000 was expected to drill the Cuttlefish-1 well in Block 3, but Eni has now opted to put the exploration on hold while a diplomatic solution over the dispute is sought. The confrontation comes after Eni and its partner Total made a major gas find offshore Cyprus with the Calypso well, which reignited tensions with Turkey that believes its citizens in northern Cyprus have an equal right to the island’s offshore resources. According to S&P Global Platts trade flow software cFlow, the Saipem 12000 is now headed west away from the East Mediterranean. Turkey’s energy minster Berak Albayrak on Thursday was cited in the Turkish media as saying Ankara would not allow “unilateral” […]