Shell is preparing a new offshore drilling campaign in Petroleum Exploration Licence 39 (PEL 39) offshore Namibia, scheduled to begin in April 2026, according to Shell’s own statements, confirmed by Reuters reporting.
According to Eduardo Rodriguez, Shell’s Namibia country chair, the London-listed energy group has awarded a contract for the Deepsea Mira drilling unit to conduct the campaign in partnership with QatarEnergy and Namibia’s national oil company, Namcor.
The Deepsea Mira rig is a semi-submersible unit owned by Northern Ocean and operated by Odfjell Drilling, and Shell has contracted it specifically for the start of its 2026 programme. Rodriguez said the company had awarded the contract and was preparing operations for the licence’s next phase of exploration.
Shell’s planned drilling programme for 2026 returns the company to an area it has actively explored for several years. The PEL 39 licence lies in the Orange Basin, a deepwater offshore region that extends into South African waters and has been a focus of exploration by international oil companies following initial hydrocarbon discoveries.
The upcoming campaign continues Shell’s exploration strategy in the Orange Basin. It follows the company’s early 2025 announcement that it would take a $400 million write-down on its offshore discoveries, which it determined were not currently commercially viable.
Shell said at that time that while the discovered resources could not be confirmed for commercial development under then-current conditions, the extensive data collected indicated that there remained opportunities to explore potential commercial pathways and to pursue further drilling activity.
Under the 2026 plan, the Deepsea Mira rig is engaged under a firm commitment for one exploration well, with an option for a second well, subject to operational outcomes and company decisions.
This structure reflects Shell’s measured approach to drilling, enabling the company and its partners to test targeted prospects while retaining flexibility within the campaign framework. Industry reports indicate that the initial firm well contract is expected to span approximately 45 days.
However, Shell has not publicly disclosed the detailed contract terms beyond confirming the rig award and the planned April start.
Shell operates PEL 39 with a 45 per cent participating interest, alongside QatarEnergy, which also holds 45 per cent, and Namcor, which has 10 per cent.
The block covers approximately 12,000 square kilometres in the Orange Basin and lies roughly 230 kilometres offshore from the southern Namibian coast, near Oranjemund.
Over the previous three years, the joint venture has drilled multiple exploration and appraisal wells across the licence as part of efforts to delineate and understand the basin’s petroleum systems.
Shell’s 2026 drilling programme is explicitly designed to contribute new subsurface data and to test additional prospects identified through seismic interpretation and prior drilling results.
The company’s country chair has emphasised Shell’s continued focus on “operational excellence, safety, environmental performance, and creating opportunities for local participation” as part of executing the campaign and delivering shared value for Namibia and its partners.
Namibia has not yet recorded commercial oil production, but the government has set a goal of first output by the end of the decade.
The Orange Basin’s exploration activity, including Shell’s 2026 campaign, is part of a broader industry push by major international companies seeking to define commercially viable resources off the country’s coast.
Shell’s decision to return to active drilling in 2026 follows both the technical challenges encountered in previous wells and its strategic importance of understanding the basin’s complex geology.
By mobilising the Deepsea Mira rig in April 2026, Shell and its partners will be testing targets that may clarify the basin’s potential and the licence’s long-term prospects.
The outcomes of the 2026 campaign are expected to inform future drilling decisions, potential appraisal programmes, and broader assessments of commercial viability within PEL 39.
As the planned start date approaches, operational preparations, rig mobilisation and coordination with offshore service providers will take place alongside regulatory clearances.
Shell’s announcement of the contract and scheduled start confirms that the company is moving from planning and assessment toward execution, marking a significant step in Namibia’s offshore exploration timeline as the country and its international partners pursue a deeper understanding of its hydrocarbon potential.
