Dual Rigs in Operation for TotalEnergies in Namibia
Namibia is swiftly establishing itself as a coveted exploration destination, primarily due to significant oil discoveries such as TotalEnergies’ Venus-1 and Shell’s Graff-1, La Rona-1, and Jonker-1. These discoveries provide concrete evidence of a functioning light oil system off the coast of Namibia, prompting major oil corporations and industry participants to intensify their drilling activities within the country.
TotalEnergies’ ultra-deepwater exploration well, Venus-1X, commenced drilling in early December 2021 using the Maersk Voyager drillship. The Venus discovery, situated in the Orange Basin roughly 290 kilometers off the southern Namibian coast, is an area rich in light oil and associated gas reserves. The well, located in Block 2913B, reached a total depth of 6,296 meters and encountered a high-quality sandstone reservoir filled with light oil of Lower Cretaceous age. Covering around 8,215 km2 offshore Namibia, Block 2913B is operated by TotalEnergies with a 40 percent working interest, along with partners QatarEnergy (30 percent), Africa Oil’s Impact Oil and Gas (20 percent), and Namibia’s NAMCOR (10 percent).
TotalEnergies’ strategic plan included initiating a multi-well drilling program in Namibian waters by the end of February 2023. This program targeted up to four wells, which encompassed the re-entry of the Venus-1X discovery well in Block 2913B to appraise the Venus discovery and explore the Nara prospect, previously referred to as West Venus, in Block 2912.
Aligned with these objectives, Vantage Drilling’s Tungsten Explorer drillship successfully drilled and completed the Venus-1A appraisal well during the second quarter of 2023. This well, located approximately 13 km north of the Venus-1X discovery well, now awaits its drill stem testing (DST) program, to be executed by Northern Ocean’s Deepsea Mira semi-submersible rig, managed by Odfjell Drilling. The same rig is currently conducting DST work on Venus-1X, including sidetrack drilling.
Prior to the end of the second quarter of 2023, the Tungsten Explorer drillship was relocated to the Nara-1X exploration well site, situated roughly 30 km northwest of Venus-1X in Block 2912. The ongoing drilling efforts aim to uncover potential discoveries, with a DST contingency plan in place for further appraisal, contingent on positive results from the Nara-1X operations.
Africa Oil, through its subsidiary Impact Oil and Gas Namibia, holds an 18.89 percent working interest in the adjacent Block 2912 (PEL 91), collaborating with TotalEnergies (37.78 percent working interest), QatarEnergy (28.33 percent), and NAMCOR (15 percent) in this endeavor.
