The seismic ship, the Ramform Tethys, which was approached by the Venezuelan navy while conducting seismic surveys offshore Guyana on behalf of ExxonMobil on Saturday, is heading out of the area,the Norwegian company, Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) confirmed.

“We are operating in Guyana under the authority of the Guyana government and has all necessary permits to perform this survey. The vessel has now stopped seismic acquisition and is now heading East,” a company official at PGS  told the Guyana Chronicle via email.

He said the company is working to obtain more clarity of the situation. It was noted by PGS that the safety and well-being of the crew onboard the vessel is its first priority.

ExxonMobil said earlier , that it has put its seismic operations in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana on hold “until they can be safely continued.”

In a statement , the American oil giant said 3-D seismic data acquisition of the western portion of the Stabroek Block began earlier this month.

PGS provides images and 3D data about the subsurface beneath the ocean floor. This assists oil companies in undertaking oil finds.