Oil India Limited (OIL) has announced the presence of natural gas in its third exploratory well, Vijayapuram-3 (Loc. OAEB), drilled 15 km off the east coast of the Andaman Islands at a water depth of 355 meters in the Offshore Andaman Block AN-OSHP-2018/1 under the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP). With this, OIL has established hydrocarbon presence in two out of three exploratory wells drilled so far in the block.
Initial production testing of the well at a depth of over 1,900 meters in the Eocene formation confirmed natural gas through continuous flaring. Post perforation, immediate pressure build-up was observed and the well started producing. Further gas sampling is underway to assess composition, calorific value, and to conduct isotope studies for understanding the genesis of the gas.
The occurrence follows a similar discovery in the second exploratory well, Vijayapuram-2 (Loc. OAEA), reported on September 26, 2025. Following that discovery, OIL initiated an appraisal program. Reprocessing of available 2D seismic data and acquisition of an additional 600 square kilometers of 3D seismic data has been completed, while processing of acquired and vintage 3D seismic data is ongoing.
Post processing and interpretation of the seismic data, drilling of appraisal wells is planned. The preliminary assessment indicates a leading indicator of hydrocarbon presence in the current prospect, which will help in strategizing the future exploratory program in the Andaman Shallow Offshore Block.
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