Egypt's North Safa oil field starts production

CAIRO, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The first well of Egypt's offshore North Safa oil field in the Gulf of Suez started production on Monday, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources.

In a statement, the ministry said the move falls under its plan to fast-forward the development of Egypt's explored wells, in a bid to reinforce national energy security and potentially boost export revenues.