Web Desk (MNN); Pakistan Petroleum Ltd (PPL), a state-owned energy firm, is constructing an artificial island by reclaiming land from the sea to enhance its offshore oil and gas exploration capacity, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.
According to the report, PPL’s General Manager for Exploration and Core Business Development, Arshad Palekar, said the man-made platform will be located roughly 30 kilometres off Sindh’s coastline near Sujawal. He shared these details during an oil and gas conference held in Islamabad.
Designed to stand six feet above sea level, the platform is expected to safeguard round-the-clock drilling operations from disruptions caused by high tides, he added.
Pakistan’s renewed focus on offshore drilling follows US President Donald Trump’s July social media remarks hinting at the country’s “massive oil reserves.” Since then, the government has granted offshore exploration licenses to PPL, Mari Energies Ltd, and Prime International Oil and Gas Company.
Palekar noted that the project marks a first for Pakistan and draws inspiration from Abu Dhabi’s successful artificial drilling islands. The construction is expected to finish by February, with operations commencing immediately afterward. The company plans to drill approximately 25 wells.
Meanwhile, global trading firm Vitol announced Monday that it, along with Cnergyico—Pakistan’s largest oil refiner—has delivered the country’s biggest shipment of very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) for ship bunkering.
This shipment, produced under IMO-compliant low-sulphur standards, follows Cnergyico’s first large-scale batch of fuel made after it began importing US crude earlier this year.
The development will allow larger vessels refuelling in Pakistan to undertake longer east-west voyages without additional stops, while also strengthening the nation’s supply of environmentally compliant marine fuel.
