Guyana on Thursday asked the International Court of Justice to order Venezuela not to proceed with plans to hold elections in the disputed region of Esequibo, saying a vote would violate a prior court ruling,

Guyana’s president has denounced an incursion by an armed Venezuelan naval vessel in disputed waters and home to a mammoth offshore oil deposit being developed by ExxonMobil.

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.