Egypt's Minister of Petroleum Inspects Shell’s Velox‑1X Well, Deepest in Mediterranean

Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (MoPMR), inspected Shell Global’s drilling operations at the “Velox-1X” exploratory well aboard the drilling vessel Stena IceMax in the North Cleopatra area of the Herodotus Basin in the Mediterranean Sea. The Drilling operations, which will reach a depth of 6,000 meters- the deepest offshore well in the region-, will be undertaken by Shell in cooperation with Chevron, Tharwa Petroleum, the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) and QatarEnergy.

The Minister said “Velox-1X” is in an unexplored frontier area, and the drilling activities will provide critical geological data to open new exploration opportunities, attract gas investment, and support Egypt’s reserves and production.

Badawi highlighted that Velox‑1X is the fourth well in Shell’s 2026 drilling program, commending the strong cooperation between the Ministry, EGAS, and Shell in applying international best practices to cut drilling costs and enhance project economics.

Shell executives noted the completion of drilling for the “Mina West-1” and “Mina West-2” wells in the Mina West project in the Northeast Amriya area. This project is a joint investment by Shell and Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company. The two wells will be operational in late 2026. The Dutch-British Oil Major is also operating the “Sirius” exploration well in the same area to increase natural gas production and exploration.

During the visit, the Minister ensured compliance with occupational health, safety, and environmental standards, stressing that worker safety is a top priority across all petroleum sector activities.

Attending the tour were Dalia El Gabry, Vice President and Country Chair of Shell Egypt; Channa Kurukulasuriya, Country Manager of Chevron Egypt; Sayed Selim, Executive Managing Director of EGAS.