New data published on the Sunday Times of Malta shows that over 85,000 tankers and large vessels sail through the waters between Malta and Sicily annually. This makes the region one of the busiest shipping regions in the world.

The monitoring of marine traffic by University of Malta geosciences researchers has revealed that over 200 vessels sail by Malta’s shores everyday, many of which are tankers and cargo ships.

The Mediterranean sea is a major route for oil and cargo vessels from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe and North America.