Revisited Exploration Potentials in the Area between Sicily, Tunisia and Malta

The triangle among Sicily, Malta and Tunisia is an area where hydrocarbon exploration has been very intense during the last 50 years. The water depth is reaching more than 1400 meters in the Pantelleria Graben, while in the Malta and Medina grabens the water depth reaches more than of 1200 meters. The maritime state boundaries in some cases are still uncertain, with disputed waters especially around Malta, with Italy and Libya claiming some parts of the Maltese waters. Over the entire area of the Sicily and Malta Channels, the previous exploration activity has proved the presence of at least five different play types, mainly working in the offshore of Sicily and Tunisia/Libya. The extensive exploration, however, did not cover some portion of the Linosa and Malta grabens, including the associated horsts, that were open to exploration in 2010. Here, due to the distribution of mesozoic source rocks, some structural traps can develop. Another interesting area is represented by the submerged inner portion of the Maghrebian-Sicilian Thrust Belt: the amount of direct geological informations is low and there are no clear hydrocarbon systems. The lattest is an area where real frontier exploration can occur, with difficult geology.