Minister for Petroleum, Jimmy Maladina, MP, accompanied by Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru, MP, on Monday (22/06/26) visited the Mailu-1 Deepwater Exploration Well in PPL 576, together with senior officials from the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), and representatives of TotalEnergies and Petronas.
The delegation toured the Noble Viking, a seventh-generation ultra-deepwater drillship currently undertaking exploration activities at the Mailu Prospect, approximately 60 kilometres offshore from the Papua New Guinea mainland in water depths of about 3.6 kilometres.
Minister Maladina said the drilling of Mailu-1 represents an important step in advancing exploration in PNG’s frontier offshore basins and reflects continued confidence by major international investors in the country’s petroleum sector.
“Exploration is the foundation of every petroleum project. Mailu-1 demonstrates that Papua New Guinea remains an attractive destination for investment and resource development. Today’s drilling program has the potential to open a new chapter in our offshore petroleum industry.”
Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru, MP, said the visit provided Government with a greater appreciation of the scale of investment, sophisticated
technology, and technical expertise required to undertake ultradeepwater exploration.
“The visit has given us a firsthand understanding of the enormous costs involved and the highly sophisticated and complex technology being deployed by TotalEnergies and Petronas through the Noble Viking. Drilling an exploration well 60 kilometres offshore in water depths of 3.6 kilometres is a remarkable engineering achievement.”
“I commend TotalEnergies and Petronas for their confidence in Papua New Guinea and for making this significant investment in our country. We look forward to the successful completion of the drilling program and remain hopeful that it will lead to another major petroleum discovery for PNG.”
Minister Maladina reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to supporting responsible exploration and development while ensuring Papua New Guineans receive maximum benefits through employment, local business participation, infrastructure development, and future revenues.
The Government looks forward to the outcome of the Mailu-1 exploration program and remains committed to maintaining a stable and competitive investment environment for the petroleum sector.