|
Exploration History
Hydrocarbon exploration activity in Malta was triggered
by the discovery of oil in 1953 at Ragusa in nearby SE
Sicily. In 1954, D'Arcy Exploration Co. (BP) was granted
a licence onshore Malta and a well (Naxxar 2) was
drilled in 1958. The well reached a total depth of
2,999m in Cretaceous limestones without reaching the
Triassic objective.
In the
early 1970's, three offshore licences were awarded to
Shell, Aquitaine and Home Oil respectively in Area 1.
Four wells were drilled between 1971 and 1973: Aqualta
1, Home 1, MS-A1 and MS-B1. The Aqualta 1 and MS-B1
wells had a Cretaceous objective whereas the other two
had a Triassic one. The Home 1 well encountered oil
shows but the other three were dry.
In 1974,
the Medina Bank acreage (Area 2) was opened for
exploration and Texaco were awarded four blocks, JOC Oil
three blocks and Aquitaine one block. Texaco spudded
Medina Bank 1 well in 1980 but drilling was suspended
because of a boundary dispute with Libya. This dispute
was subsequently resolved at the International Court of
Justice in 1985.
In 1981,
two awards were made in Area 3 to the north, one to IEOC
and another one to Reading & Bates. By 1985 two wells
were drilled, Gozo 1 by Reading & Bates and Alexia 2 by
IEOC. Alexia 2 tested good oil shows in the Triassic
whereas Gozo 1 was suspended in Cretaceous shales, short
of the Triassic objective.
Four
production licences were awarded in the early 1990’s. In
1990, Blocks 2 and 3 of Area 3 and Blocks 4 and 5 of
Area 3 were awarded to Amoco-BHP and to Texaco
respectively. The former drilled Valletta 1 and
encountered a dry Jurassic objective. In 1992, Amoco-Agip
were awarded two blocks in the south and drilled Tama 1
to a TD of 4064m in the Cretaceous after penetrating a
dry Metlaoui objective. Shell/Nimir were awarded Block 7
of Area 4 in 1993. A 3D seismic survey was acquired but
no wells were drilled.
In 1997
an agreement was signed with AGIP for the exploration of
an area to the north of Malta and two other similar
agreements were signed in 1998, one with ROC Oil for the
exploration of Block 7 of Area 4 and another with
Hardman Resources for the exploration of Blocks 4 and 5
of Area 3.
The
Malta Government drilled the Madonna Taz-Zejt 1
stratigraphic well onshore Gozo in 1998/9 encountering
sub-commercial quantities of gas. The drilling of this
well was partly financed out of the provisions of the
fourth Italian-Maltese financial protocol.
In 2001,
Area 5 and Block 3 of Area 4 were licensed to
Pancontinental Oil & Gas. Anadarko farmed-in this
acreage in 2005. ENI was awarded an exploration and
production licence in an area northwest of Gozo in 2002
and subsequently drilled Lampuko 1, encountering oil and
gas shows in the Mesozoic.
Two
licences were awarded in 2003, one to TGS-Nopec for Area
2 and Area 7 and one to TM Services/Global Petroleum for
Blocks 4 & 5 of Area 3. In 2006, RWE Dea farmed in the
latter two blocks and became the operator.
In 2005,
Malta Oil and Medoil were awarded licences in Blocks 4,
5, 6 & 7 of Area 4 and Blocks 2 & 3 of Area 3
respectively. Malta Oil converted its agreement to an
exploration and production licence in 2008.
In 2007,
Heritage Oil was awarded an exploration and production
licence in Area 2 and Area 7.
Table
summarizing Malta’s exploration history :
>>>
Link (download pdf)
Geology:
>>> Link
(download pdf)
Principal
Terms of Model PSC:
>>> Link (download pdf) |
