The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has granted an injunction requested by Cote d’Ivoire  against Ghana in the on-going maritime boundary dispute between the two countries.

Ghana went to the Tribunal fully armed with expert lawyers led by Attorney General Marrieta Brew Appiah-Oppong but Tribunal has ruled that, Ghana must stop drilling oil in the disputed region until the substantive dispute is resolved.

Ruling on the injunction today, the judges said, “Ghana shall take all necessary steps to ensure that no new drilling either by Ghana or under its control takes place in the disputed area.”

Cote d’Ivoire is laying claim to Ghana’s territorial waters at West Cape Three points currently being operated by  oil giants Tullow under the Tweneboah-Enyera-Ntoumme (TEN) project while Ghana is contesting the claim.

Now that injunction has been placed on new drilling, Ghana cannot start any new activity of drilling but can continue the already on-going ones.