Guyana's president Saturday denounced an incursion by an armed Venezuelan naval vessel in disputed waters that are home to a mammoth offshore oil deposit being developed by ExxonMobil. President Irfaan Ali,

A diplomatic spat is brewing after Venezuelan naval vessels entered ExxonMobil’s Stabroek block offshore Guyana, reportedly threatening its floating production, storage and offloading vessels operating there including the Prosperity FPSO amid an escalating territorial dispute between the two nations.

Guyanese President Irfaan Ali said on Saturday that a Venezuelan coast guard patrol entered Guyanese waters earlier in the day, approaching an output vessel in an offshore oil block managed by Exxon Mobil .

Guyana and Venezuela have seen heightened tensions over control of the disputed Essequibo territory, a sprawling region rich in natural resources