Knowledge Nugget: Why is natural gas discovery in Andaman basin making headlines?

The offshore rig at the spot where natural gas has been discovered (Image: Screenshots from video shared by Hardeep Puri).

Key Takeaways:

1. The latest find was made at the Vijayapuram-3 exploratory well, situated around 15 kilometres off the eastern coast of the Andaman Islands at a depth of 355 metres, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced on Friday (June 5). 

2. The discovery follows OIL’s earlier gas strike at the Vijayapuram-2 well in September 2025, making it the second gas-bearing well identified in the block.

3. OIL said that two of the three exploratory wells drilled so far under its ongoing Andaman exploration programme have confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons, significantly improving the basin’s exploration prospects.

4. Calling it another encouraging step towards enhancing India’s energy security, Puri said the discovery reflects the growing success of offshore exploration efforts. In a post on X, the minister said initial production testing conducted at a depth of more than 1,900 metres in the Eocene formation confirmed the presence of natural gas through continuous flaring. 

5. OIL said preliminary production testing at depths exceeding 1,900 metres showed positive results. After perforation, the well witnessed a rapid pressure build-up and began producing gas, indicating favourable reservoir characteristics. 

6. The consecutive discoveries are being regarded as a significant achievement for India’s offshore exploration sector, particularly in the relatively unexplored Andaman Basin.

7. The company said the Vijayapuram-3 discovery provides further evidence of a functioning petroleum system and may indicate the existence of additional hydrocarbon reserves in the region.

8. With two gas discoveries from three exploratory wells, the Andaman offshore basin is increasingly being seen as one of India’s most promising frontiers for future oil and gas exploration.

9. Notably, the government is taking sustained measures to explore and identify crude oil and hydrocarbon reserves in the Andaman-Nicobar basin to contribute to the country’s long-term energy security and reduce import dependence. 

10. Following the introduction of the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP), the Government allocated four blocks for oil and gas exploration in the Andaman-Nicobar Basin, covering approximately 23,261 square kilometers (SKM). 

Geographical location

1. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a cluster of 836 islands, split into two groups — the Andaman Islands to the north and the Nicobar Islands to the south — by the 150-km wide Ten Degree Channel.

Detailed map of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Notably, Port Blair has been renamed as Sri Vijaya Puram. (Wikimedia Commons)

2. The Andaman-Nicobar Basin forms part of the Bengal-Arakan sedimentary system. Its tectonic setting along the boundary between the Indian and Burmese plates have created numerous stratigraphic traps conducive to hydrocarbon accumulation.

3. The basin’s prospectivity is further enhanced by its proximity to proven petroleum systems in Myanmar and North Sumatra.

4. Global interest in the Andaman-Nicobar Basin has increased following significant gas discoveries in South Andaman offshore in Indonesia, highlighting geological continuity across this region.

BEYOND THE NUGGET: Samudra Manthan Mission and Deep Ocean Mission

1. The Samudra Manthan Mission, or National Deep Water Exploration Mission was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day 2025. 

2. The mission aims to discover oil and gas reserves beneath the seabed to boost domestic production and reduce the country’s multi-billion-dollar import bill.

3. Under it numerous deepwater and ultra-deepwater exploration wells are planned across offshore basins to maximise the country’s hydrocarbon resources.

Deep Ocean Mission

1. The Deep Ocean Mission was launched in September 2021 by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) with an aim to develop technologies for exploring and sustainably utilising the deep ocean’s living and non-living wealth.

2. The DOM has the following six Vertices:

(i) Develop technologies for deep sea mining, underwater vehicles and robotics, and a crewed submersible (which needs support from a larger vehicle)

(ii)Develop an ocean climate change advisory service, with observations and models for future projections of climate variables.

(iii) Look for technological innovations to explore and conserve deep-sea biodiversity.

(iv) Conduct deep ocean surveys, mainly to look for mineral deposits. Of particular interest are polymetallic nodules, which comprise layers of iron and manganese hydroxides and are found on the ocean floor, often containing materials such as nickel, rare earths and cobalt.

(v) Develop technologies to derive energy and freshwater from the ocean.

(vi) Establish an advanced marine station for developing capacities in ocean biology and engineering.

Post Read Question

Which one of the following pairs of islands is separated from each other by the ‘Ten Degree Channel’? (UPSC CSE 2014)

(a) Andaman and Nicobar Islands

(b) Nicobar and Sumatra

(c) Maldives and Lakshadweep

(d) Sumatra and Java

Answer Key

(a)

(Sources: Oil India’s latest gas find could unlock more hydrocarbon reserves in Andaman offshore, PIB, incois.gov.in)

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