It is of major concern that Peter Gatt (“We Are Drilling In The Dark”, September 15) has either with intent or inadvertently through lack of knowledge and proper research, failed to correctly represent Malta’s continental shelf claims. He used an incorrect map to represent his studies, thereby prejudicing Malta’s sovereign rights.
A little knowledge is very dangerous. Malta has “a very large continental shelf” thanks to the continuous commitment of the Government in protecting its sovereign rights, and inaccurate studies like Dr Gatt’s are a detriment to its genuine efforts in this field.
It is a pity that a professional like him is not in touch with today’s reality and failed to check the facts. This clearly reflects an attempt to discredit the work being undertaken in oil exploration.
Fortunately for Malta, the facts are quite different. The geology of the central Mediterranean has been studied over the years by well recognised geologists and documented in international geological journals. These geological studies combined with geophysical studies and well data have formed the basis of initial information given to oil companies interested in carrying out exploration offshore Malta. All drilling operations in the past and that are likely to take place in the future are based on the independent and professional assessment of the hydrocarbon prospectivity of the licensed areas through the interpretation of extensive geological and geophysical data, particularly 2D/3D seismic data, together with well data.
Dr Gatt should realise that before an oil company invests tens of millions in drilling an oil well it carries out very detailed seismic and geophysical studies in order to thoroughly assess the potentiality of the prospects in accordance with its requirements. In most instances, even when seismic data is already available, an oil company still invests very heavily prior to drilling an oil well, by acquiring additional seismic and other geophysical data using modern technology, to properly identify “drillable prospects” and increase the probability of success. Gone are the days when oil companies “drill in the dark”.
In addition, the Malta Resources Authority is officially recognised as the Geological Survey of Malta and in September 2011 it was accepted as a member of the Geological Surveys of Europe (EuroGeoSurveys - EGS). Over the last few months a number of personnel from the authority have participated in activities and fora organised by the EGS. A simple check on the website of EGS would have provided Dr Gatt with this information.
It is a pity that a publicly funded MCST seminar provided a forum for such misinformation, which clearly needed a reply to ensure that the public is informed of the basic facts relating to oil exploration and geological surveys.