Oil India Limited (OIL) on Friday said it has found natural gas in its third exploratory well in the Andaman shallow offshore block, making it the second well in the block to confirm hydrocarbon presence.The well, Vijayapuram-3 (Loc. OAEB), was drilled approximately 15 kilometres off the east coast of the Andaman Islands at a water depth of 355 metres in the Offshore Andaman Block AN-OSHP-2018/1 under the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP), the state-owned Maharatna company said in a regulatory filing to the BSE and NSE.Also read: Indian companies willing to deepen presence in Venezuela, says Minister Hardeep Singh PuriOIL said initial production testing of the well, at a depth of 1,900-plus metres in the Eocene formation, established the presence of natural gas through continuous flaring. Post-perforation, an immediate pressure build-up was observed and the well began to produce.The company said gas sampling was being undertaken to assess the composition and calorific value of the gas and to carry out isotope studies to understand its genesis.OIL had first reported natural gas in the block's second exploratory well, Vijayapuram-2 (Loc. OAEA), on September 26, 2025. Of the three exploratory wells drilled in the block so far, two have now confirmed hydrocarbon presence.The company said the latest find was "a leading indicator of the presence of source or migration pathway or accumulation of hydrocarbon in the current prospect," which would help strategise its future exploration programme in the area.Also read: Pakistan discovers oil and gas well in Sindh that can produce 2000 barrels of oil per dayFollowing the September 2025 find, OIL has already commenced an appraisal programme that includes reprocessing of available 2D seismic data and the acquisition of an additional 600 sq km of 3D seismic data, which the company said has been completed. Processing of the acquired and vintage 3D seismic data is ongoing. OIL said appraisal well drilling was planned once processing and interpretation of the seismic data was complete.OIL is a Maharatna central public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.