Egyptian Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi has inspected Shell’s drilling operations at the Velox-1X exploratory well aboard the Stena IceMax drillship in the Herodotus Basin of the Mediterranean, a well set to reach 6,000 metres — the deepest offshore well in the region.
The well is being drilled by Shell in partnership with Chevron, Tharwa Petroleum, the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company and QatarEnergy. Badawi called Velox-1X an unexplored frontier area whose drilling data should open new exploration opportunities and support Egypt’s reserves and production, noting it is the fourth well in Shell’s 2026 drilling programme.
Shell executives also confirmed the completion of drilling at the Mina West-1 and Mina West-2 wells in the Northeast Amriya area, a joint investment with Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company, with both wells expected to be operational later this year. Shell is also drilling a separate well, Sirius, in the same area to boost gas output and exploration. During the visit, Badawi stressed compliance with health, safety and environmental standards across petroleum sector operations.
Source: (egyptoil-gas.com)