Exploration and production (E&P) company BW Energy, in collaboration with the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR) E&P, has unveiled a contract for the Deepsea Mira semi-submersible rig.
This rig is set to commence drilling operations at the Kharas appraisal well within Kudu Petroleum Production Licence 003 (PPL003) in the Orange Basin, offshore Namibia, with activities planned for the latter part of 2025.
The contract is a component of a rig-sharing arrangement with Rhino Resources announced by Northern Ocean.
It provides BW Kudu with access to a local rig and a services team experienced in the Orange Basin. The contract also emphasises a high level of local content.
BW Energy is the operator of PPL003 and holds a 95% working interest, with NAMCOR holding the remaining 5%.
PPL003 covers an area of 4,567km² and contains the Kudu field in water depths of approximately 170m.
The field was discovered in 1974 with the Kudu-1 well and has been delineated by seven additional wells.
Earlier in the year, BW Energy revealed the final investment decision for the Maromba field development offshore Brazil.
The project is expected to tap into an estimated 500 million barrels (mbbl) of oil and boost BW Energy’s net production by 2028.
Additionally, the company reported a substantial oil discovery at the Bourdon prospect within the Dussafu Licence offshore Gabon.
The second sidetrack well, DBM-1 ST2, has shown encouraging results, with management estimating that there are 56mbbl of oil in place, of which approximately 25mbbl are deemed recoverable.
