Why can't countries "laterally" drill for oil across borders, for example Israel tapping in other's oil?

Question

It seems to me that oil reserves are defined by political boundries. Wouldn't it be possible to go across borders and harvest the oil reserves of other countries. Given the price of crude, this would make a possibly very expensive endeavor seem less prohibitive.

Answer 1

There are many factors to consider.

1. the country may take action against you or worse.
2. being in a foreign country drilling for oil without a permit will raise suspicion and cause many undesired side effects such as:
-sabatoge
-resources being shut down
-shipping lanes closed
-riots
3. there may be the risk you are risking money and other things for an empty site
4.it's usually illegal to drill in a foreign country without a permit, you may be prosecuted by the U.N.
and hundreds of other factors.

Answer 2

Im about to actually go an do this next month. I work offshore as a geologist and the reservoir is in one country and the oil rig in the other, so we are drilling across the border. This is allowed to happen as the country in which we are drilling into to save on building on oil platform will use one that already exists across the border. Money will obviously cross palms but mostly its an economics thing, which is mutually beneficial for both companies involved.

Answer 3

I have heard that it's being done. In fact, interestingly enough, I've heard that Israel is one country at least that's doing it. Not oil, though: water. In the end, more precious. I don't think it's exactly "lateral" drilling, it's angled drilling. Into neighboring aquifers.

Oops: I just saw your addendum about reserves and political boundaries. That might be true sometimes, but it's not consistent at all. Oil reserves weren't completely mapped when most political boundaries were established. And when you add things like water reservoirs and mineral deposits, which are unlikely to exist in exactly the same spaces as oil fields, you'll see that boundaries aren't going to align closely and consistently.

Answer 4

Because it's not nice! It's the kind of thing that neighbors get huffy about, just as your neighbors'd get huffy if you plugged an extension cord into a plug in their bedroom to run your refrigerator. Paying my bills is a very expensive endeavor. Putting a stocking on my face and robbing the bank, right down on the corner from where I live, would make the bill-paying process less prohibitive in the short-run, and, in the long run, would get me a lot of free room and board at the state's expense.

Answer 5

While horizontal drilling is certainly possible (reference 1), there is a greater consideration which is the sovereign state of nations (reference 2). The net upshot is that states (countries) own the land under them, and are allowed to exercise power over that land. As boring holes under other countries is generally interpreted as a violation of this sovereignity, it would constitute an act of war.

Simply put- it's theft.

Answer 6

Kuwait tried this in 1990, and got invaded by Iraq in response.

Answer 7

On the other hand, you don't actually own the minerals under your own house. If international law were based on the same cronyism, we could be in trouble :)

Answer 8

Would you like your neighbour to build a cellar using this tunneling technology under your house? LOL

Better to trade than do this!

Answer 9

go talk to the other oil companys they hold the trump cards

Answer 10

you can't go more than a few miles sideways, and it would make your neighbour angry.