OIL India Makes Second Natural Gas Discovery in Andaman Offshore Block

State-run Oil India Ltd has made its second natural gas discovery in the Andaman offshore region, reinforcing hopes that the frontier basin could emerge as a significant hydrocarbon-producing area in the coming years.

The latest discovery was made at the Vijayapuram-3 exploratory well, located about 15 kilometres off the east coast of the Andaman Islands in a water depth of 355 metres, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday.

It marks the second



successful gas-bearing well drilled by OIL in the block, following the natural gas find at Vijayapuram-2 in September 2025.

Of the three exploratory wells drilled so far under the company's ongoing Andaman exploration campaign, two have now confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons, substantially improving the basin's exploration outlook, the company said. Puri described the development as another positive development in India's efforts to strengthen domestic energy security through increased exploration in offshore basins.