Malta to benefit when offshore gas drilling starts next year

The development of an extension to a gas field in the offshore area north-west of Tripoli, combined with new exploration in the same area, are likely to become the first major projects to go ahead in post-revolution Libya’s gas sector. The projects will be carried out by Italy’s Eni and its Libyan joint venture Mellitah Oil and Gas (MOG), and will probably be serviced from marine bases in Malta, which may also play a role in proposed joint exploration between the two countries. One of the reasons why attention is likely to return to Libya’s offshore in the near future is that onshore projects are fraught with security difficulties and most planned developments are still on hold. BP, the other company with major offshore exploration ahead of it, also hopes to start drilling later in 2014, while its onshore Ghadames Basin exploration has been put off.