Government says it will vigorously challenge an application brought by the Ivorian government seeking to suspend oil production in the disputed waters.

 The two countries have been in dispute for several years over a maritime boundary dispute at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

Government has confirmed receiving a notice from the International Tribunal that its neighbor, Cote d’Ivoire, has applied for the provisional measures for a delimitation decision.

Ghanaian authorities are bracing for a ruling which could see Tullow Oil suspend exploration in disputed territories at the request of Côte d’Ivoire.

The International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea has received the application from Côte d’Ivoire and is set to give a ruling by April 2015.

Ghana’s western neighbor is arguing that because the TEN territories are in dispute, Ghana should not drill oil until the longstanding dispute is finally settled.

The Dzata-1 deepwater well is at the heart of the dispute with the Ivorian authorities convinced that it lies within their maritime boundary.

In a statement, Communications minister Edward Omane Boamah says Ghana will not stop its petroleum operations in the disputed waters.

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