QatarEnergy has discovered oil in an offshore field in Namibia following the successful drilling of the Merlin-1X exploration well in Petroleum Exploration Licence 39 (PEL 39).

According to The Peninsula on June 9, the Merlin-1X well is the tenth exploration well drilled under the licence in the southwestern African nation and has delivered the most promising subsurface results recorded in the block to date.

PEL 39 is operated by Shell Namibia Upstream BV, a subsidiary of Shell (LSE/NYSE: SHEL), which holds a 45% interest in the licence. QatarEnergy holds a 45% stake, while Namibia's state-owned NAMCOR retains the remaining 10% interest. The block covers approximately 12,000 square kilometres in the Orange Basin offshore southern Namibia, one of the world's most closely watched frontier oil exploration regions.

QatarEnergy said the well encountered good-quality reservoir formations containing light oil with limited associated gas, indicating favourable conditions for further appraisal and development.

'We are pleased with this discovery, which follows three earlier discovery announcements in Namibia,' President and CEO Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said, noting it builds on a series of earlier exploration successes in Namibia.

'These results represent a significant step that further strengthens confidence in the Orange Basin as an emerging world-class hydrocarbon province and aligns with QatarEnergy's strategy to expand its international upstream portfolio through high-impact exploration.'

Al-Kaabi also thanked the Namibian government for its support and congratulated partners Shell and NAMCOR on the discovery.

The Orange Basin has attracted growing interest from international energy companies following a string of significant oil and gas discoveries in recent years.

QatarEnergy currently holds interests in four offshore exploration licences in Namibia, including the 45% stake in PEL 39. The company's Namibian exploration portfolio covers approximately 34,000 square kilometres, The Peninsula wrote, highlighting its long-term commitment to the country's expanding upstream energy sector.

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