The oil project's riches have not only attracted the attention of oil majors such as Chevron but also that of countries such as Venezuela.

Chevron completed its $53 billion acquisition of Hess on Friday, ending a legal battle with Exxon Mobil over offshore oil assets in Guyana. A ruling this week from an arbitration panel of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris cleared the way for Chevron to tap Hess's 30% stake of the Stabroek Block,