The deepwater Capricornus 1-X exploration well offshore Namibia found light oil, partners in the license reported 24 April.
BP and Eni, which are 50/50 partners in Azule Energy, both confirmed the discovery in Block 2914A located in Petroleum Exploration License (PEL) 85, which is operated by Rhino Resources with 42.5% interest on behalf of partners Azule Energy with 42.5% interest, Namcor with 10% interest, and Korres Investments with 5% interest.
PEL 85 is in the Orange Basin. Elsewhere in this basin, TotalEnergies found exploration success with its Venus well, Galp Energy struck oil with its Mopane wells, and Shell found oil with its Lesedi-1X, Jonker-1X, and Graff prospects.
Partner Namcor said the Capricornus 1-X well is thought to be in a different fairway than the recent Sagittarius 1-X well drilled by Rhino and its partners as part of the two-well exploration program that started in December 2024.
The Noble Venturer drillship spudded the Capricornus 1-X well on 17 February and reached total depth on 2 April. It successfully penetrated the Lower Cretaceous target and found 38 m of net pay. The partners said the reservoir showed good petrophysical properties and no observed water contact. Hydrocarbon samples and sidewall cores were collected through wireline logging operations.
During a production test, the well achieved a surface-constrained flow rate exceeding 11,000 BOPD of 37 °API oilon a 40/64-in. choke. The light oil exhibited limited associated gas with less than 2% CO2 and no hydrogen sulfide. The partners said laboratory studies will be conducted on collected fluid samples.
The well will be temporarily plugged and abandoned, and the rig will be released.
Azule Energy’s Adriano Mongini, CEO, said in a news release the Capricornus result “represents another significant step” in Azule Energy’s exploration strategy.
Azule Energy announced plans to farm into the license in May 2024 and completed the deal in December 2024. Prior to the deal, Rhino held 85% interest in the license. Under the farm-out agreement, Azule Energy has the option to become operator for the development phase.
Partner Namcor said in mid-January the Noble Venturer drillship had spudded the first target, the Sagittarius-1 exploration well, in mid-December 2024. In February, Namcor said drilling operations had concluded with the well reaching total depth on 6 February.
That well targeted Upper Cretaceous reservoirs and encountered a hydrocarbon-bearing formation with no observed water contact. Wireline logging operations were conducted, enabling collection of hydrocarbon samples and sidewall cores for further analysis. Laboratory evaluation was planned to confirm fluid and reservoir properties.
At the time, Namcor’s Victoria Sibeya, then upstream exploration executive and recently named acting director, said in a news release that the well “marks a significant step for Namibia’s upstream sector, further strengthening the country’s position in the Orange Basin. The presence of hydrocarbons is an encouraging indicator of the basin’s potential.”
Halliburton handled well construction for the two-well drilling campaign.
