Pancontinental Energy has launched a feasibility study to identify the best way to improve the quality of seismic data collected over its offshore Namibian licence as it prepares for the next stage of exploration in the Orange Basin.
The Australian Securities Exchange-listed company said in its June 2026 quarterly report that it has begun assessing different methods of processing the existing three-dimensional seismic data covering Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL) 87.
The work forms part of the commitments attached to the Namibian government’s decision to extend the licence until 22 January 2027.
Seismic surveys use sound waves to create images of the rock formations beneath the seabed.
The clearer those images are, the easier it is for geologists to identify potential oil and gas reservoirs and decide where to drill.
Pancontinental said it is comparing different processing methods to determine which produces the clearest images of the underground geology.
The company has invited specialist geophysical contractors to process a small section of the existing seismic data using different techniques before selecting the most suitable method for the full dataset.
The study is intended to make better use of information that has already been collected rather than acquire new seismic data.
Improvements in seismic processing technology can reveal geological features that may not have been visible when the data was first processed, helping companies reduce exploration risk and improve drill target selection.
The work comes as exploration success across the Orange Basin continues to increase confidence in the region. Recent discoveries and appraisal results by neighbouring operators, including Shell’s Merlin-1X and Rhino Resources and Azule Energy’s Capricornus-1A, together with planned drilling by Galp Energia, Chevron and TotalEnergies, continue to strengthen the basin’s reputation as one of the world’s leading frontier oil provinces.
Pancontinental is also continuing discussions with several companies interested in farming into PEL 87, although it has not identified them because the negotiations remain confidential. Once a partner is secured, the company intends to proceed towards drilling the licence’s first exploration well.
By improving the quality of its seismic data before drilling, Pancontinental hopes to build a clearer picture of the subsurface and increase its chances of identifying a commercially viable oil discovery in Namibia’s rapidly emerging offshore basin.
