The recent discovery follows two other QatarEnergy discoveries in the same country in February 2022.
QatarEnergy has discovered new oil in an exploration well off the coast of Namibia using the Northern Ocean’s Deepsea Bollsta semi-submersible drilling rig.
This marks the third oil discovery in the African nation since February 2022, when another one was discovered in a deep-water exploration well drilled in the PEL-39 license around Orange Basin, offshore Namibia.
The Jonker-1X deepwater exploration well, part of the PEL-39 exploration license, is situated 270 kilometers off the coast of Namibia, and it is where light oil was discovered by UK-based company Shell.
According to QatarEnergy, one of Shell’s license partners, the drilling operations began in December 2022 and were successfully completed recently.
A group led by Shell (operator with a 45% interest), QatarEnergy (45% working interest), and the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR) holds the PEL-39 exploration license (10% working interest).
“We are pleased with this encouraging discovery, which is our third in Namibia. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our partners Shell and NAMCOR, and to congratulate and thank the government of the Republic of Namibia, which has been very supportive of this exploration effort,” said Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs, President and CEO of QatarEnergy.
Qatar explained that the Jonker-1X well was drilled to a total depth of 6,168 meters under 2,210 meters of water.
The energy giant emphasised that the data collected is currently being assessed and that additional analysis is planned to ascertain the scope and recoverable potential of the discovery.
In August 2022, Shell hired the Deepsea Bollsta semi-submersible rig.
As operations manager, Odfjell Drilling moved to reactivate the rig so that operations could begin in the fourth quarter of 2022, and Northern Ocean conducted a private placement to raise gross proceeds of about $40 million to fund the reactivation.
In November 2022, Offshore Energy reported that the rig was en route to Namibia to begin the oil company’s drilling assignment there.
140 people can be accommodated on the 2020-built Deepsea Bollsta sixth-generation semi-submersible rig, which is of Moss CS60E design. The rig can operate in both hospitable and challenging conditions in up to 3,000 meters of water.
