Oil drilling near Haifa halted

Oil drilling in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Haifa was frozen as the investment partners prepare to put a new oil rig in place.

Drilling in the Leviathan oil field, which began more than a year ago, has not yet produced any oil. But it is believed that oil will be discovered at a different depth in new drilling that will not begin for another year, Ynet reported.

The partners, including Noble Energy and the Delek group, say that estimates show at least 600 million barrels of oil in the field. The field also contains a large natural gas reserve.