State-owned Maharatna explorer Oil India Limited (OIL) has officially confirmed a significant natural gas discovery at its third exploratory well, Vijayapuram-3, located within the Offshore Andaman Block AN-OSHP-2018/1. Situated approximately 15 kilometers off the eastern coast of the Andaman Islands, the well was successfully drilled at a water depth of 355 meters under the central government’s Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP). Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced the breakthrough, highlighting it as a major validation of the region’s vast energy potential under the national “Samudra Manthan Mission”—a strategic exploration push aimed at boosting domestic production and curbing India’s dependency on imported hydrocarbons.
Initial production testing conducted at a depth exceeding 1,900 meters within the Eocene geological formation definitively established the presence of natural gas, characterized by immediate post-perforation pressure build-up and continuous flaring. This milestone marks the second successful hydrocarbon strike out of three exploratory wells drilled in the current campaign, closely following the Vijayapuram-2 find recorded in late 2025. While certified commercial reserve sizes are yet to be finalized, OIL has already initiated a robust regional appraisal program—including the acquisition of 600 square kilometers of new 3D seismic data—to properly map out the reservoir boundaries and strategize future drilling campaigns alongside global deepwater exploration experts.
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