A major offshore breakthrough by a Singapore-based energy firm is reshaping prospects for West Africa’s Sèmè basin after drilling results confirmed the presence of a 950-million-barrel oil reservoir, reviving a field long viewed as commercially marginal.
Akrake Petroleum, an indirect subsidiary of Singapore-listed Rex International Holding, drilled the AK-2H well through 1,405 metres of reservoir, intersecting roughly 950 metres of oil-bearing sandstone in Benin’s Sèmè Field.
Advanced logging-while-drilling technology ensured the well targeted only oil-saturated zones, with early data indicating porosity above 19% and oil saturation exceeding 70%—strong signals of commercial viability.
The redevelopment incorporates autonomous inflow control valves to manage sand and reduce water production, alongside a downhole electrical submersible pump designed to boost flow rates.
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Supporting infrastructure, including a mobile offshore production unit and a floating storage and offloading vessel, is nearing completion ahead of a planned restart of production.
The Sèmè Field previously produced about 22 million barrels of oil between 1982 and 1998 before being shut due to low oil prices and technical constraints. It is now being redeveloped under a production-sharing agreement that gives Rex a 76% stake, with the Beninese government holding 15% and Octogone Trading 9%.
Rex International said the project could deliver broad economic benefits for Benin and the wider region, including increased energy supply, export earnings, and job creation.
Initial production from Phase 1 is estimated at around 15,000 to 16,000 barrels per day, potentially restoring Benin’s presence in the upstream oil sector after decades of negligible output.
With African producers increasingly revisiting legacy fields using modern technology, the Sèmè revival could position Benin as a modest but strategically important player in West Africa’s evolving energy landscape.
