Petronas Completes First Well in Suriname’s Block 52 Campaign

  • Petronas has completed drilling the Caiman-1 exploration well in offshore Suriname, marking the first well in a four-well drilling campaign planned for Block 52 over 2025–2026. The well represents an important early milestone as Suriname pushes to translate offshore discoveries into commercial development.
  • According to Suriname’s national oil company Staatsolie, the Caiman-1 well was spudded[1] on July 21, 2025, and safely plugged and abandoned[2] on December 6, 2025. The results were described as encouraging and will feed into further appraisal and development concept studies for Block 52.
  • Caiman-1 was drilled in the western portion of Block 52, an offshore area covering around 4,750 square kilometres in water depths ranging from 60 to 1,000 meters. The block lies approximately 140 kilometres off Suriname’s coast and forms part of the rapidly emerging offshore Guyana-Suriname Basin, which has attracted growing international interest following a string of regional discoveries over recent years.
  • Drilling operations were supported from Suriname, with materials, fuel, and provisions supplied locally from Paramaribo. Crew changes and personnel transport to and from the drilling unit were also conducted via Suriname, reinforcing local content participation and creating business opportunities for domestic suppliers and service companies.
  • Block 52 is one of several offshore areas where Suriname is seeking to replicate the exploration success seen in neighbouring Guyana. Beyond Petronas’ activity, Staatsolie continues to expand its offshore portfolio through partnerships with international operators. In a separate block, Block 61, Staatsolie signed a production-sharing contract with Cairn Energy in 2018, under which Cairn committed to seismic surveys and future exploration drilling on the Demerara Plateau.
  • With Caiman-1 completed and additional wells planned, Petronas’ Block 52 campaign is expected to play a key role in determining whether Suriname can move from exploration success toward a commercially viable offshore oil project, potentially transforming the country’s long-term energy and economic outlook.

(Source: Oil Price)

 

[1] Spud refers to the early stages of drilling when rock, dirt, and other sedimentary materials are removed with a drill bit.

[2] Plugging and Abandonment is the process of safely closing oil, gas, CO2, or water wells that are no longer in use