Upstream Exploration

Namibia offshore is divided into 4 basins namely Orange basin to the south bordering South Africa, Lüderitz, Walvis and Namibe basin in the north bordering Angola. The offshore basins cover an area of about 825, 418 km² with a water depth ranging from 0-4,000m, extending from South Africa maritime border in the south to Angola in the north. Most exploration activities took place in the Orange basin resulting in the Kudu gas discovery in 1974 and in more recent years light oil discoveries by Shell, Total Energies and Galp Energia. These discoveries opened a new deepwater play leading to increased exploration activities across the offshore Namibia margin.

In addition, Namibia has 2 main onshore basins in the north and south, namely the Owambo-Etosha basin and Nama basin respectively. The two vast Neoproterozoic/Early Cambrian Basins has a total area coverage of over 470,000 km² flanked by early Cambrian pan-African orogenic belts. In recent years, the northern Owambo basin has experienced exploration activities that includes a substantial coverage of 2D seismic survey and drilling of stratigraphic wells.