Petronas has completed drilling the Caiman-1 exploration well offshore Suriname, marking the first well in a four-well drilling campaign planned for Block 52 over 2025-2026. The well represents an important first step as Suriname works to translate offshore discoveries into commercial development.
According to Suriname’s national oil company Staatsolie, the Caiman-1 well was sunk on July 21, 2025, then plugged and safely abandoned on December 6, 2025. The results were described as encouraging and will feed into further appraisal and development concept studies for Block 52.
Caiman-1 was drilled in the western part of Block 52, an offshore area covering approximately 4,750 square kilometers in water depths ranging from 60 to 1,000 meters. The block lies approximately 140 kilometers off the coast of Suriname and is part of the emerging Guyana-Suriname offshore basin, which has attracted growing international interest following a series of regional discoveries in recent years.
Drilling operations were supported from Suriname, with materials, fuel and supplies supplied locally from Paramaribo. Crew changes and transportation of personnel to and from the drilling unit were also carried out via Suriname, increasing participation in local content and creating business opportunities for domestic suppliers and service companies.
Block 52 is one of several offshore areas where Suriname is seeking to replicate the exploration success seen in neighboring Guyana. Beyond the Petronas business, Staatsolie continues to expand its offshore portfolio through partnerships with international operators. In a separate block, Block 61, Staatsolie signed a production sharing contract with Cairn Energy in 2018, under which Cairn committed to carry out seismic surveys and future exploration drilling on the Demerara Shelf.
With Caiman-1 completed and additional wells planned, Petronas’ Block 52 campaign is expected to play a key role in determining whether Suriname can move from exploration success to a commercially viable offshore oil project, potentially transforming the country’s long-term energy and economic prospects.
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