Malta could attract considerably more rigs for lucrative overhauls if the owners were given more leeway to outsource contracts, Jonathan Borg, the managing director of Bluhull Group, said.

Rigs need overhauls every five years or so, with contracts amounting to €30-60 million each and lasting an average of five months.

“The owners are not keen to work at yards where they are not given a free choice of engineering and service contractors. I cannot think of any other places were a quay is dedicated to just one operator. Successful rig-stop facilities have got to have the infrastructure, but they also have to have a business-friendly atmosphere, without day-to-day interference in the day-to-day project and assets,” he said.

“The gates need to be open all the time and all contractors should be allowed to work within the yard.”

There are numerous rigs ­working in the Mediterranean and North Africa. Malta could easily cope with four a year- Jonathan Borg

Mr Borg believes that the solution would be for the government to allocate a quay – perhaps in the south – to rig-stops, but not to give it to the private sector “which would turn it into a closed shop”.

“There are numerous rigs ­working in the Mediterranean and North Africa. Malta could easily cope with four a year,” he said.

Mr Borg was one of the first people to bring rigs here for maintenance – 15 years ago. He has been involved with the oil and gas industry for 22 years – 10 of them offshore – and their company now offers a huge range of services, covering engineering and supply chain management, to paintings and coatings and recruitment.

Times have changed. He remembers a time when a box of videos would be delivered to the oil rig every month or so, and dozens of people sat in the theatre arguing about which one to watch. Things have changed now, with wi-fi available and devices which allow them to entertain themselves and to keep in touch with their loved ones. Most rigs have gymnasiums and some even have a sauna. And the food is excellent...

Still, it is not an easy life being away from home for weeks at a time, even if you can Skype every evening. And yet, he would be the first to encourage others to consider a career working in the oil and gas sector.

He and his wife Sharon are doing all they can to raise awareness of the varied careers available, which range from maintenance and hospitality, to engineers and administration.

Over the past three years, it has placed 220 Maltese on rigs around the world.

“Malta has been supplying the oil and gas sector for some time but, until 2003, it was seen as a provider of lower level manpower. But, as a result of the downsizing of a large company here, a number of ­engineers were looking for new jobs.

Malta could attract considerably more oil rigs for lucrative overhauls.

This coincided with a boom in Northern Europe and the traditional recruitment sites in the UK and the Netherlands could not cope with demand,” Ms Cassar Borg said.

“And companies were also impressed by the students graduating from the university and MCAST. Maltese staff are now occupying top offshore posts.”

Over 200 rigs were built between 2006 and 2010, so demand for personnel is going to remain high.

“This is why we need to ensure that we have more students in the pipeline as well as experienced people who can work their way up to managerial positions,” she said, noting that Global College at Smart City Malta was now offering degree courses for petroleum engineers and well drilling engineers.

Academic qualifications are not the only skill required. Working offshore is demanding because of the distance from home, as well as the need to be able to work with so many different nationalities and cultures, in a relatively confined area, for weeks at a time.

“Many people pull out after our induction sessions but this filtering process is very important as the next phase – training – costs thousands,” she added, noting that the recruitment process including personality tests as well as mentoring.

It is a dynamic business with requests requiring immediate action – and short-term definite contracts to provide flexibility.

“We always say that there is no such thing as Christmas Day on a rig. They work round the clock, every day of the year,” Mr Borg said.

Recruitment is just one of the services offered by Bluhull – which was set up in 2011.

At the time, Mr Borg had divested his shareholding in a number of companies and intended to do something different. He wanted to set up a company chartering sailing yachts – hence the name Bluhull – but his clients in the oil and gas sector kept badgering him for help and he eventually relented and set up Bluhull Marine.

The company grew very quickly, and within two years, he opened other companies as subsidiaries and formed the Bluhull Group, catering for provisions, then projects and recruitment, and finally shipping and logistics. Along the way, it picked up some important agencies for marine and drilling equipment, as Mr Borg is a great believer in the ‘one contact, one contract’ approach.

It moved to Balzan last Christmas and with 14 staff it is already outgrowing its premises.

Of course, the crisis in Libya has taken its toll – around 75 per cent of its business is in Libya and North Africa. But the couple are far from discouraged.

“To survive in this business, you need to have energy and connections. But you also have to have the right attitude. If there is a problem, then you have to be able to find a solution,” Ms Cassar Borg said.

“We believe that we can be the leaders in the Mediterranean and North Africa within five years. Even if no oil is found in Malta, it could still be the best hub in Europe for supply services.

“We are up against Cyprus, Sicily and Las Palmas but we could easily compete. If providers operate a closed shop, then the cost pressure is inevitably upward. This is what the government needs to understand,” her husband warned.

“Having said that, I see a change in the way this government looks at this industry. There has recently been less bureaucracy, and more government officials are addressing the needs of the oil industry. There is also more awareness of the need to balance environmental concerns with industrial needs.”