The company, Pancontinental Oil and Gas NL, is in its second phase of exploration in the Northern area. The ship used for these surveys, the C-Explorer, is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that allows it to gain information on the rock formations beneath the seabed. The operations include piercing deep into the seabed using powerful airguns with which the ship is equipped. The information gathered during these surveys will be sent to Perth in Australia, where it will be processed and interpreted by specialists. The research will be concluded by the end of the week while the results and analysis should be ready by the end of the year.

Resources and Infrastructure Minister Ninu Zammit was given a tour of the ship when it was still in the harbour by the company’s operations manager and other representatives. An officer from the Oil Searching Department will also be aboard the ship until the surveys last. The closest Malta has ever been to the finding of oil was with the oil well named, Tama, in 1993. The well was dug by the Amoco and Agip companies after an agreement was signed with the government.