CAIRO: Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said crude oil production has started from a new well, Belayim Marine 133, in the Belayim Marine field in the Gulf of Suez. The ministry reported an initial production rate of about 1,500 barrels per day, adding that the well was brought online in the Sinai oilfields area. The announcement adds to a series of updates from Egypt’s petroleum authorities on steps taken to sustain output from established fields.
The ministry said the well was drilled by Belayim Petroleum Company, known as Petrobel, a joint venture between the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation and Italy’s Eni. It said the well has been placed on the production network and is now producing crude oil at the stated initial rate. The ministry did not provide additional technical details such as the well’s depth, reservoir interval, or the scope of surface facilities tied to the start-up.
In its statement, the ministry described Belayim Marine 133 as the first result of a new Eni investment programme covering the Gulf of Suez, Sinai and the Nile Delta. The ministry said the programme followed an agreement between Eni and EGPC to inject fresh capital into the relevant concession areas. The update focused on the production start and the link to the broader investment programme, without detailing spending amounts or timelines for individual projects.
Investment program and operations
The ministry also said the Trident 16 drilling rig is being mobilised to begin work on another well, Belayim Marine 131, as part of the same development plan in the area. Trident 16 has been used in recent Gulf of Suez activity tied to the Belayim campaign, and the ministry has previously highlighted the rig’s role in drilling operations in the region. The ministry’s statement did not specify when drilling at Belayim Marine 131 is expected to start.
Belayim Marine is part of the Gulf of Suez petroleum system, one of Egypt’s longest-producing oil provinces and a focus of ongoing redevelopment and infill drilling. The ministry’s update underscores continued reliance on incremental additions from existing asset bases to support national production levels. Petrobel, operating on behalf of EGPC and Eni in its areas, has been cited by the ministry in multiple updates as a key operator in Gulf of Suez and Sinai field operations.
Next drilling target
The production start comes as Egypt’s petroleum leadership has emphasised offshore and nearshore activity for 2026, including preparations for a higher pace of well work and associated marine services. In separate public remarks this month, the petroleum minister said 2026 is expected to see the largest number of offshore wells drilled in recent years, reflecting a broader push to organise capacity and logistics for field work. The Belayim update is one of the ministry’s latest field-level announcements.
For Egypt, the Belayim Marine 133 start-up adds roughly 1,500 barrels per day of crude oil at the initial rate cited by the ministry, with further drilling planned in the same area using the Trident 16 rig. The ministry framed the milestone as an early outcome of Eni’s newly launched investment programme under an agreement with EGPC to fund additional work across several regions. The ministry said Belayim Marine 131 is the next well in the sequence. – By Content Syndication Services.