The Venezuelan patrol ship that entered Guyana’s waters Saturday and positioned itself near a vessel contracted by Exxon Mobil Corp. in the Stabroek oil block has departed the area, according to the Guyana Defence Force.

The South American neighbours are involved in a long-running dispute about which country owns the oil-rich Essequibo area.

Venezuelan coast guard vessels entered Guyana’s waters near Exxon Mobil Corp.’s offshore drilling site over the weekend and transmitted a radio message claiming it was patrolling a “disputed international” maritime zone.