WINDHOEK, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's state-owned oil company, the National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (NAMCOR), on Wednesday welcomed the announcement of a new offshore oil discovery in the country's deep-water Orange Basin.

This file photo shows an oil tanker parks near a terminal in Namibia's port town Walvis Bay on Dec. 1, 2020. (File photo: Xinhua)

The discovery, announced Tuesday by QatarEnergy, was made at the Merlin-1X exploration well in Petroleum Exploration License 39 (PEL 0039), marking another encouraging development in Namibia's growing upstream oil and gas sector.

"Together with our joint venture partners Shell and QatarEnergy, we are very encouraged by these results," NAMCOR spokesperson Paulo Coelho told Xinhua.

According to Coelho, the three key features sought by exploration companies are good reservoir quality, light oil and limited associated gas.

He said Merlin-1X is the 10th well drilled under PEL 0039 and has delivered the most promising subsurface results in the license block to date.

Coelho said the discovery further strengthens confidence in the Orange Basin and confirms Namibia's emergence as a world-class hydrocarbon destination.

QatarEnergy currently holds interests in four offshore exploration licenses in Namibia, covering a combined area of about 34,000 square km.

Namibia, which has yet to begin commercial oil production, has seen growing international interest in its offshore basins following a series of oil discoveries in recent years.