Oil hopes rest on Ħaġar Qim

Ħaġar Qim is a magnificent example of megalithic architecture but shortly the prehistoric temple will lend its name to an oil well. Situated out at sea, about 150 kilometres southward of the ancient site, the drilling of the deepwater oil well is expected to start in the final three months of this year. The exact location of Ħaġar Qim 1, as the oil well will be known, will be determined after data from a seabed survey concluded last month is analysed. In a recent operational update, Mediterranean Oil and Gas said the data would assist the operational team to determine the “most suitable location” for the well. Mediterranean Oil and Gas is a minority shareholder in the company licensed by the Government to look for oil in Area 4, where a dispute over the offshore boundary with Libya was settled in the 1980s. The oil rig tasked to drill the exploration well, the Paul Romano, will shortly start making its journey towards the site after undergoing maintenance work at the Palumbo shipyard. The Paul Romano, a deep-water semi-submersible rig, tilted in port last month when a ballasting operation went awry. The rig has since been stabilised and over the weekend sailed outside Grand...