Shell is getting ready to start a fresh drilling expedition off the coast of Namibia

Shell is set to initiate a new drilling campaign in the PEL 39 exploration block offshore Namibia starting in April 2026, collaborating with its partners QatarEnergy and Namibia’s national oil company Namcor.

Eduardo Rodriguez, Shell’s Namibia country chair, announced on LinkedIn on Thursday that the London-listed energy group has awarded the contract for the Deepsea Mira drilling unit, which is operated by Odfjell Drilling and owned by Northern Ocean.

The company is revisiting the Petroleum Exploration License (PEL) 39 block offshore Namibia after recording a write-down of approximately $400 million in January due to an oil discovery it considered commercially unviable.

The Orange Basin, home to the block in question and extending into South African waters, has emerged as a prominent exploration area for energy companies following significant discoveries made by Shell, TotalEnergies, and Galp.

Namibia has not yet produced any oil, but it is targeting its first output by 2030.