Staff Reporter
RHINO Resources has announced that its Capricornus-1A appraisal well offshore Namibia has confirmed an oil-bearing reservoir connected to the previously discovered Capricornus-1X well, providing further evidence of reservoir continuity and advancing the appraisal of the Capricornus discovery in Petroleum Exploration Licence (PEL) 85.
Rhino Resources Namibia Ltd, operator of the PEL 85 Joint Venture, said the appraisal well was drilled in the eastern section of the Capricornus fairway in Block 2914 in the Orange Basin, offshore Namibia.
Rhino holds a 42.5% working interest in PEL 85. Its joint venture partners are Azule Energy (42.5%), NAMCOR (10%) and Korres Investments (5%).
The Capricornus-1A well was spudded on 2 May 2026 using the Saipem 12000 drillship in water depths of 1,285 metres and reached a total measured depth of 4,818 metres on 11 June 2026. The company said drilling operations were completed safely and without incident.
According to Rhino, the well intersected a gross reservoir interval of 46 metres. A representative core of the main reservoir section was recovered, while comprehensive wireline logging and formation evaluation data were also collected.
Preliminary analysis of downhole pressure data confirmed the presence of an oil-bearing sandstone reservoir that is in pressure communication with the reservoir encountered at the Capricornus-1X discovery well.
The company said the findings provide additional evidence that the reservoir extends across the Capricornus accumulation and represent an important milestone in the ongoing appraisal programme.
The core samples, pressure data and wireline datasets collected from Capricornus-1A will now be integrated with information from previous wells drilled in PEL 85 to support further appraisal and exploration activities.
Rhino Resources Chief Executive Officer Travis Smithard said the well had provided valuable information that improves the company’s understanding of the Capricornus reservoir system.
“The Capricornus-1A well has delivered important information that advances our understanding of the morphology of the Capricornus reservoir system. Confirmation of pressure communication with Capricornus-1X provides evidence of reservoir continuity across the accumulation and increases our drilling confidence as we continue to advance the appraisal of the Capricornus discovery,” Smithard said.
He added that the well also yielded critical geological information from deeper subsurface intervals that were not encountered at Capricornus-1X, improving the company’s understanding of the geological structures defining exploration fairways across the licence area.
Smithard said the latest results, together with data from previous discoveries, will help guide the next phase of appraisal drilling at Capricornus and future exploration targets across PEL 85.
Picture for illustrative purposes only. Photo: Contributed
