Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday that state-run Oil India (OIL) has discovered the presence of natural gas in Sri Vijayapuram-3, an exploratory well 15 km off the east coast of the Andaman Islands at a water depth of 355 metres.“Initial production testing of the well at the depth of 1,900-plus metres in the Eocene formation has established the presence of natural gas through continuous flaring. OIL is carrying out gas sampling to assess the composition and calorific value of the gas and to carry out isotope studies to understand the genesis of the gas,” he said on X.Under the Samudra Manthan Mission (National Deep Water Exploration Mission) announced by the Prime Minister on Independence Day 2025, a large number of deepwater and ultra-deepwater exploration wells are planned in India’s offshore basins to fully exploit the hydrocarbon reserves, he added.“Presence of hydrocarbons is now reported in two wells out of three exploratory wells drilled by OIL in the current exploratory campaign off the Andaman Basin. This presence of natural gas will help us in taking forward our exploration ambitions in coordination with global deepwater exploration experts like Petrobras, TotalEnergies, BP India, Shell and ExxonMobil and will be a significant milestone in our journey through Amrit Kaal,” the Minister noted.Responding to the Minister on X, OIL said: “The reported presence of natural gas in the Andaman Offshore Basin marks a significant milestone in Oil India Limited’s offshore exploration journey and underscores the immense hydrocarbon potential of India’s frontier basins. Oil India remains committed to advancing exploration through technological excellence and unlocking the nation’s hydrocarbon potential for a secure energy future.”The Maharatna company produced 0.891 million tonnes (mt) of crude oil from its matured and old oilfields in Q4 FY26 as against 0.844 mt in Q4 FY25. OIL has achieved the highest daily production of 10,566 tonnes of crude oil, which is the highest daily production during the last decade.It drilled 74 wells during FY26, marking the highest-ever achievement. The company also completed a record 307 workover jobs during the year, which is the highest-ever achievement. Driven by an aggressive drilling and workover campaign, the company achieved a Reserve Replacement Ratio exceeding 1 during the year.Published on June 5, 2026