Shell, in collaboration with partners QatarEnergy and Namibia’s national oil company NAMCOR, has announced positive outcomes from the Merlin-1X exploration well located in Petroleum Exploration License 0039 (PEL 0039) offshore Namibia. The results from this well are considered the most promising subsurface findings to date within the license area.
The Merlin-1X well, which is the tenth to be drilled under the license and was operated by Shell, commenced drilling on 8th April 2026. It successfully penetrated the Coniacian play and revealed a reservoir of good quality. The findings included light oil and a limited amount of associated gas, marking a significant development compared to previous results in the license.
This latest Namibia offshore oil discovery further aids the partners in their assessment of the Orange Basin block and supports the ongoing evaluation of the resource’s potential for commercial viability. The Namibia oil discovery is a testament to the collaborative efforts in the region.
“These are encouraging results that add to our understanding of the Orange Basin potential. We are progressing this opportunity through a disciplined, data-led approach to establish commerciality, focusing our investment on options that are material, competitive and resilient within our portfolio,” said Eugene Okpere, Shell’s Executive Vice President for Exploration, Strategy and Portfolio.
“This is built on strong partnership and alignment, and I thank the Government of the Republic of Namibia, our partners and all teams involved,” he added on the Namibia offshore oil discovery.
QatarEnergy said the Merlin-1X Namibia offshore oil discovery has bolstered confidence in the Orange Basin as a developing hydrocarbon province.
“We are pleased with this discovery, which follows three earlier discovery announcements 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,” said Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and President and CEO of QatarEnergy.
Looking ahead, Shell has indicated that further drilling later in 2026 is under consideration as part of a comprehensive exploration and appraisal program. The PEL 0039 license encompasses an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometers in deep water, situated more than 250 kilometers offshore Namibia. Over the past four years, the joint venture has undertaken drilling activities at ten different wells within this license, including notable sites such as Graff-1X, La Rona-1X, Jonker-1X, Graff-1A, Lesedi-1X, Cullinan-1X, Jonker-1A, Jonker-2A, Enigma-1X, and Merlin-1X.
QatarEnergy holds a 45% stake in PEL 0039 and also possesses interests in three other offshore Namibian exploration licenses, bringing its total acreage in the country to approximately 34,000 square kilometers.
