Al Qantara News

Fifteen tonnes of a material used to make explosives have been seized in a town straddling the Suez Canal, the Egyptian army said on Wednesday, one of the biggest such hauls since the start of a campaign against Islamist militants in the nearby Sinai. Five tonnes of the material were seized in a truck in Al Qantara East on the eastern bank of the canal, leading to a second seizure of 10 tonnes of the same material held in storage at an undisclosed location in Al Qantara West, on the opposite bank. In a short statement, the army said the truck was being driven by two men from the town of El-Arish, which borders the Palestinian Gaza Strip at the eastern edge of the Sinai Peninsula. The army gave no further details.

Dana Gas said it has signed an agreement for the North El Arish (Block 6) Concession Area, offshore the eastern Nile Delta. The 2,980 sq. km block was awarded in April 2013 as part of a competitive bidding process. This is the company’s first offshore block in Egypt, covering water depths from 20 up to a 1,000 m. Multiple play types have already been identified within the acreage and plans for the first exploration phase of four years, which has now commenced, includes seismic acquisition and the drilling of one exploration well.