Pakistan Offshore Oil And Gas Exploration Frontier: $82 Million Committed In Phase I. Up To $1 Billion If Drilling Advances. Mari Energies Operating 18 Of The 23 Blocks. And A Government That Needs This To Work.
According to The Express Tribune and the Petroleum Division of Pakistan, Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik witnessed the signing ceremony of Production Sharing Agreements and Exploration Licenses for oil and gas offshore exploration blocks awarded under the Offshore Bid Round 2025, marking the formal reopening of Pakistan’s offshore frontier after nearly two decades. The awarded blocks are located in the Indus and Makran offshore basins adjoining the territorial waters of Sindh and Balochistan.
The Offshore Bid Round 2025 attracted bids covering approximately 54,600 square kilometres of Pakistan’s offshore area, resulting in the award of 23 offshore blocks. Two blocks; Offshore Deep-C and Offshore Deep-F had been executed earlier on December 2, 2025, with Mari Energies Limited, Turkish Petroleum Overseas Company and Fatima Petroleum Company Limited.
With the signing of the remaining 21 agreements, the entire bid round portfolio now stands fully completed. Mari Energies emerged as the most active participant, operating 18 blocks and holding joint venture positions in five others, while OGDCL and PPL were each awarded eight blocks.
Collective investment under Phase-I of the three-year license period is estimated at $82 million, with total projected investment rising to approximately $1 billion should exploration advance to Phase-II drilling operations.
Phase-I activities will involve extensive geological and geophysical studies, including seismic data acquisition, processing, and interpretation, aimed at better defining the hydrocarbon potential of Pakistan’s offshore basins. Subject to encouraging results, Phase-II will involve the drilling of exploratory wells in prospective offshore areas.
Officials said any commercial discovery of hydrocarbons could trigger further investments worth hundreds of millions of dollars for appraisal, field development and production activities. Such developments are expected to create jobs, encourage technology transfer, and help reduce Pakistan’s energy import costs.
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