Shell has filed plans for a multi-well drilling campaign in an ultra-deepwater Orange basin block in South Africa, adjacent to Namibian acreage where the supermajor and TotalEnergies have made some huge discoveries.
The UK-based giant is following in the footsteps of TotalEnergies, which looks set to begin wildcatting next year in two other blocks offshore South Africa, lying south of the area that Shell is interested in but in the same basin.
Shell’s Northern Cape Ultra Deep (NCUD) block has flown below the exploration radar compared to its French rival’s high-profile 3B/4B and Deep Water Orange Basin blocks, but its location looks particularly promising.