The government of Zanzibar has disclosed their intention to launch a new international bidding round to promote oil and gas opportunities. The first licensing round is expected to take place in Q4 2023, and SLB is collaborating with Zanzibar Ministry and Zanzibar Petroleum (UPSTREAM) Regulatory Authority (ZPRA) to uncover the basin’s potential.

SLB has completed a prospectivity assessment of offshore Zanzibar with encouraging results. The resulting data and insights will be used by the ZPRA to define the upcoming bid round areas. 

The 2D seismic data, totaling nearly 9,000 linear km, and prospectivity assessment provide valuable insight into the basin’s hydrocarbon potential.

The offshore Pemba-Zanzibar sub-basin is located along the East African coast, with the Lamu Basin to the north and the Mafia sub-basin to the south. Several exploration wells have encountered oil and gas, and numerous oil seeps across the archipelago point to a functioning petroleum system. This deepwater offshore basin is considered a frontier zone and remains largely unexplored, promising significant exploration potential.