TotalEnergies is preparing to spud its highly-anticipated Qana wildcat on Lebanon’s Block 9.

The Transocean Barents rig arrived off Lebanon this week with much fanfare: Lebanese officials including caretaker energy minister Walid Fayyad held a 16 August ceremony to mark the departure of a helicopter with the rig’s crew from a freshly-inaugurated logistics base at Beirut airport. Total says drilling will begin “towards the end of August.” (CONTINUED - 238 WORDS)