Africa Oil Corporation, a partner in TotalEnergies’ offshore Namibia venture under Petroleum Exploration License (PEL) 56, announced that the Marula-1X well reached a depth of 6,460 meters in Block 2913B’s southern section. The team had aimed for Albian-age sandstones within the Marula fan system.
Drilling began on February 3, 2025, using the Deepsea Mira semi-submersible rig operated by Odfjell Drilling and owned by Northern Ocean. However, by April 28, 2025, Africa Oil confirmed that the well failed to encounter hydrocarbons in the primary target zone. No drill stem test was conducted, and detailed analysis of the findings is now in progress.
Previously, the Deepsea Mira drilled the Tamboti-1X well, which targeted a potential 1 billion barrels. That well hit black oil across an 85-meter net reservoir, though the sandstones found in the Upper Cretaceous Mangetti fan system were of lower quality.
Africa Oil holds indirect stakes in Blocks 2912 and 2913B through a 39.5% interest in Impact Oil & Gas, which itself owns 9.5% of each block. TotalEnergies operates both blocks with a 47.2% stake in Block 2912 and 50.5% in Block 2913B. QatarEnergy and NAMCOR also hold interests in the licenses.
Block 2913B hosts the Venus field—an internationally significant discovery made in 2022. The Venus-1X well encountered high-quality light oil in Lower Cretaceous sandstones. Since then, three appraisal wells have reduced geological risks and strengthened the development outlook.
In January 2024, Impact and TotalEnergies signed a farm-down agreement, allowing Africa Oil to remain involved in Venus and the broader exploration effort without upfront financial commitments. The deal concluded in November 2024.
Africa Oil’s CEO, Roger Tucker, highlighted that the agreement fully covers Impact’s exploration and development expenses through to first production, offering a cost-free route to test new geological targets in both blocks.
Meanwhile, Rhino Resources and its partners in PEL85 offshore Namibia struck oil last week. They discovered 38 meters of net pay in a reservoir showing strong petrophysical properties with no water contact detected.
source: www.offshore-energy.biz
African Energy Council