Orange Basin – A Frontier of Opportunity on Africa’s West Coast South Africa’s Deepwater Potential Beckons Bold Explorers and Investors

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As global excitement around Namibia’s prolific Orange Basin discoveries continues to escalate with recent announcements around the Rhino discovery, it is only natural that increasing anticipation around the South African side of the basin continues to also gain momentum. Under the stewardship of AG. Chief Executive Dr. Bongani Sayidini, Petroleum Agency South Africa (PASA) is ramping up efforts to bring in operators and investors into the South African Orange Basin.

In this compelling release, we look at why Petroleum Agency South Africa is so excited about its offshore, and what will be showcased and promoted at the annual AOW:Energy Summit, 15th – 18th September in Accra.

PASA is calling on the world’s most ambitious upstream explorers to turn their gaze south to South Africa’s deepwater Orange Basin, the logical next frontier of energy opportunity on the South Atlantic Margin. An offshore filled with unprecedented geology and a huge level of excitement given what has happened in the neighbouring country of Namibia in the same Basin.

Situated directly south of Namibia’s Venus and Graff discoveries, which have revealed one of the most significant new oil provinces in decades, South Africa’s Orange Basin offers continuity in geology, and a compelling open frontier in opportunity. The basin shares the same Lower Cretaceous petroleum system, and new seismic data reveal large, undrilled structures, stacked reservoirs, and analogues to Namibia’s billion-barrel fields, yet the region remains vastly underexplored. In an exclusive interview with Mr. Paul Sinclair regarding the South African Offshore, Dr Sayidini, CEO of PASA. “We’ve mapped the continuity. We’ve studied the geology. Now we invite operators to partner with us and open up the South African Orange Basin. “We are standing at the edge of the next chapter in African oil discovery,”

Unlocking a World-Class Opportunity: The Shark Alley Fairway

At the heart of South Africa’s Orange Basin potential lies the Shark Alley Fairway, a technically mature, geologically diverse corridor of mapped prospects named after shark species by PASA’s geoscience team. Located immediately south of the Graff and Venus fields, this zone features a suite of compelling deepwater leads:

  • Walvishaai: a massive fan system and Venus analogue with direct trap against the Namaqua High.
  • Hammerkophaai: a unique carbonate high with deepwater porosity.
  • Sandhaai: a hybrid turbidite–contourite play.
  • Tierhaai: a Graff-style fan system with MTC cover and strong structural trapping.
  • Rifhaai Fairway: a multilayered turbiditic complex housed in Upper Cretaceous sequences.

Together, these features represent one of the most exciting collections of untested deepwater opportunities in the world — de-risked by proximity, supported by data, and aligned with proven petroleum systems just across the maritime boundary.

Strategic Edge for Early Movers

South Africa’s Orange Basin offers not only geological promise but clear competitive advantages:

  • Geological Continuity – shared systems with Namibia’s proven basin, with mapped extensions into South African acreage.
  • First-Mover Advantage – large, early-stage concessions still open for strategic partnerships, farm-ins, and operator-led entry.
  • Modern Data Sets – including 2D/3D seismic, gravity, and magnetic surveys over key leads.
  • Supportive Regulation – with the new Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Act (UPRD) providing clarity and stability for investors.

Join the CEO of PASA and his team to discuss more at AOW:Energy 2025

Africa Oil Week: AOW:Energy 2025, hosted in Accra, Ghana, will serve as the premier venue for investors and operators to engage directly with PASA and South Africa’s technical leadership. PASA’s CEO and geoscientific team will host market-entry briefings, one-on-one meetings, and data room access for qualified operators exploring Orange Basin participation.

Operators ready to explore the next deepwater frontier are urged to connect with AOW:Energy to arrange direct engagement with PASA.

A Call to the World’s Explorers

The South African Orange Basin offers all the ingredients of a super-basin in the making: source, seal, structure — and now, the opportunity. The path has been illuminated by Namibia’s success. The door is now open for explorers ready to write the next chapter.

Reach out to AOW:Energy today to be connected to PASA. Secure your seat at the table. Our partners at AOW:Energy will directly connect you to the PASA investor relations and geology team to open up dialogue on how you can participate in the South African offshore.

South Africa’s Orange Basin is the next hot frontier. The opportunity is now.

AOW:Energy CONTACT:

Email: paul.sinclair@aowenergy.com

For AOW:Energy Briefing Access and PASA Meeting Requests:
Email: paul.sinclair@aowenergy.com
Visit: www.aowenergy.com