{"id":80834,"date":"2026-06-06T11:21:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T05:51:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/?p=80834"},"modified":"2026-06-06T11:21:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T05:51:49","slug":"oil-india-strikes-gas-again-inside-the-andaman-offshore-vijaypuram-3-discovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/matribhumisamachar.com\/en\/2026\/06\/06\/oil-india-strikes-gas-again-inside-the-andaman-offshore-vijaypuram-3-discovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Oil India Strikes Gas Again: Inside the Andaman Offshore Vijaypuram-3 Discovery"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Mumbai. Saturday, 6 June 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

State-owned Maharatna oil and gas major, <\/span>Oil India Limited (OIL)<\/span><\/b>, has officially announced its second consecutive natural gas discovery in the highly anticipated Andaman offshore region.<\/span> The landmark breakthrough occurred at the Vijaypuram-3 exploratory well<\/b>, significantly raising expectations that the frontier Andaman basin will evolve into India’s next massive domestic hydrocarbon-producing hub.<\/p>\n

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, lauded the achievement, emphasizing that the discovery marks a turning point for India’s deepwater exploration campaign.<\/p>\n

Key Technical Specifications of the Discovery<\/h2>\n

In its regulatory filings submitted to the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), Oil India outlined the exact parameters of the successful drilling operation:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Parameter<\/strong><\/td>\nSpecification<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Exploratory Well<\/b><\/span><\/td>\nVijaypuram-3 (Location OAEB)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Offshore Block<\/b><\/span><\/td>\nAN-OSHP-2018\/1<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Licensing Regime<\/b><\/span><\/td>\nOpen Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Location<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n~15 kilometers off the eastern coast of the Andaman Islands<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Water Depth<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n~355 meters (Deepwater\/Shallow offshore margin)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Target Formation<\/b><\/span><\/td>\nEocene formation (Geological layer from 34\u201356 million years ago)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Testing Depth<\/b><\/span><\/td>\nExceeding 1,900 meters<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Verifying the Find: Continuous Gas Flaring and Seismic Data<\/h2>\n

During initial production testing, engineers perforated the Eocene formation at a depth of over 1,900 meters.<\/span> The well responded with an immediate and robust reservoir pressure build-up, initiating active gas production.<\/span> The presence of a viable commercial gas resource was verified on-site through <\/span>continuous gas flaring<\/span><\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Oil India is now actively collecting gas samples to evaluate the specific gas composition and calorific (heating) value.<\/span> Additionally, scientists are initiating <\/span>isotope studies<\/span><\/b> to map out the exact genesis (origin) of the hydrocarbons.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What’s Next?<\/b> Following a successful discovery, an operator does not immediately build production pipelines. Oil India has already fast-tracked a comprehensive appraisal program.<\/span> The company has reprocessed vintage 2D data and finalized the acquisition of <\/span>600 square kilometers of high-resolution 3D seismic data<\/span><\/b>, which is currently being processed to plan upcoming appraisal wells.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Why the Andaman Basin is India’s “Guyana Moment”<\/h2>\n

For decades, the Andaman offshore basin was classified as a high-risk, unproven frontier.<\/span> However, at India Energy Week (IEW) 2026, Oil India\u2019s Chairman and Managing Director, Ranjit Rath, highlighted why the company’s confidence in the region has surged.<\/span><\/p>\n

Geologists have mapped structural parallels between the Andaman-Nicobar block and highly prolific neighboring international energy hubs:<\/span><\/p>\n