PETRONAS has logged eight successful wells in Suriname’s offshore Block 52 since launching its drilling program there in 2016. The wells have identified oil and gas resources exceeding one billion barrels of oil equivalent. They also support the company’s assessment of potential commercial developments in the block.
The eight wells are Roselle-1, Sloanea-1, Roystonea-1, Fusaea-1, Sloanea-2, Caiman-1, Swartzia Aspasia Complex-1, and Roystonea-2.
PETRONAS operates the 4,749-square-kilometer block with an 80% participating interest. Paradise Oil Company, a subsidiary of Suriname’s state-owned Staatsolie, holds the remaining 20%.
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The company drilled Roselle-1 in 2016. The well provided subsurface information about the area’s petroleum system. Subsequent analysis identified multiple geological play types and favorable conditions for hydrocarbon generation and accumulation.
Sloanea-1 followed in late 2020 and became PETRONAS’ first hydrocarbon discovery in Suriname. The exploration well encountered a gas-bearing reservoir. PETRONAS returned to the field in 2024 and drilled Sloanea-2. The appraisal well confirmed the reservoir’s lateral extent, gas-in-place, and recoverable volumes.
Staatsolie approved the Sloanea commercial field on November 11, 2025. The proposed development includes gas wells, subsea infrastructure, and a floating liquefied natural gas facility. PETRONAS is preparing a development plan for regulatory approval, Staatsolie said.
Roystonea-1 delivered the block’s first confirmed oil discovery in 2023. It was drilled approximately 185 kilometers offshore in 904 meters of water. The well reached a total depth of 5,315 meters and encountered several oil-bearing sand layers.
PETRONAS drilled Roystonea-2 about seven kilometers north of the discovery well as an appraisal. The well confirmed that the oil-bearing reservoirs extend beyond the area tested by Roystonea-1. Drill stem testing also indicated strong oil productivity.
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Fusaea-1 was spudded in February 2024, about 170 kilometers offshore and nine kilometers east of Roystonea-1. It reached a total depth of 5,227 meters and encountered several oil- and gas-bearing Campanian sandstone reservoir packages.
PETRONAS said the Fusaea results strengthened the possibility of an integrated development with Roystonea and Sloanea.
Caiman-1 was spudded on July 21, 2025, in the western section of Block 52. Drilling ended on December 6, 2025. The well reached a total depth of 5,065 meters in 90 meters of water and encountered multiple oil-bearing Cretaceous sandstone intervals.
The Swartzia Aspasia Complex-1, known as SAC-1, was drilled eight kilometers east of Sloanea-1. It reached 4,560 meters in 610 meters of water and intersected gas-bearing sandstone reservoirs. Testing showed strong gas deliverability and indicated good reservoir quality.
PETRONAS announced the Caiman-1 and SAC-1 discoveries and the Roystonea-2 appraisal result on June 30, 2026. The company said the eight wells had collectively unlocked recoverable resources exceeding one billion barrels of oil equivalent.
The latest results are being used to delineate the resource base and assess development concepts for separate or integrated oil and gas projects. PETRONAS is targeting a final investment decision on the Sloanea gas development by the end of 2026.
