Sicily & Malta Channels (Update 2015)

The Sicily Channel Report is the second in a series of regional reports made by GEPlan on the main petroleum provinces of the Mediterranean Region and follows on from the successful Adriatic Report published in 2010. The Sicily Channel Report covers the offshore petroleum potential of southern Sicily, Malta and Tunisia. The report is a compilation of public domain, government and corporate geological and geophysical information, relations, including the stratigraphy, the tectonic history and the geochemistry of the area.

Onshore exploration has been conducted in all the adjacent onshore areas for over the last 100 years resulting in the significant oil and gas discoveries of Ragusa in Sicily during 1953 and El Borma in Tunisia in 1964 .Early offshore exploration also resulted in significant discoveries at Vega ,offshore Sicily and Ashtart and Miskar in offshore Tunisia. A further 20-30 discoveries have been made all of which have been less than 30 MMBOE.

In the last 5-10 years, and particularly in the last few years, a resurgence of activity and interest have been showed both from independent and major companies. In offshore southern Sicily, ENI\Montedison has made significant biogenic gas discoveries at Panda, Argo and Cassiopea (reported reserves of 98 MMBOE). In addition, the Northern\Shell Group has conducted an extensive 3D seismic survey in the offshore thrust zone.

BG has developed the offshore gas discoveries at Miskar and Hazdrubal but  the recent gas discoveries by Australian independent Audax at Dougga and Lambouka have been the catalyst to renewed interest in the region.

These existing and new exploration developments are discussed and assessed in this report together with their importance to future exploration of the offshore areas of Malta, Tunisia and Italy.

New updates are now available! 

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