Shell is preparing to start a new drilling campaign in the PEL 39 exploration block offshore Namibia from April 2026, in partnership with QatarEnergy and Namibia’s national oil company, Namcor.
Eduardo Rodriguez, Shell’s Namibia country chair, announced that the company has awarded the drilling contract for the Deepsea Mira unit, which Odfjell Drilling operates and Northern Ocean owns.
The company is returning to the PEL 39 block after writing down roughly $400 million in January due to an oil discovery it considered commercially unviable.
The Orange Basin, where PEL 39 lies and stretches into South African waters, has become a global hotspot for energy exploration following discoveries by Shell, TotalEnergies, and Galp
Namibia has not yet produced oil but aims to reach its first output by 2030.
source: www.reuters.com
African Energy Council