BP's Offshore Drilling in Libya Delayed

UK supermajor BP which last week plugged its blown-out Gulf of Mexico oil well that caused the US's worst oil spill, said it has delayed plans to drill offshore Libya. Spokesman David Nicholas told Reuters BP was now expecting to drill later this year, after predicting on 1 July that BP would begin in a "few weeks". "We're working through the detailed planning," Nicholas said.

BP's Libyan plans have aroused suspicion in the US where politicians are pressing for an inquiry into whether BP pressured Scotland's regional government into releasing the convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi in order to smooth an oil deal with Libya. The Scottish executive has denied the allegation. - Uptream