Libya Seeks Bidders for Offshore Seismic Survey
Libya's National Oil Corporation has invited firms to prequalify for 3D and 2D marine seismic surveying in Offshore Area O1 in the Sirte Basin.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Oil and Gas
Libya's National Oil Corporation issued an invitation to prequalify for offshore seismic surveying in Libyan Offshore Area O1, covering about 6,100 km² of 3D and 3,000 km of 2D marine data. Separately, Mellitah Oil & Gas Company extended the prequalification deadline for its WP4B1 offshore pipeline package of the roughly $8bn Mellitah Complex Expansion.
Why it matters
The seismic campaign aims to improve imaging of Cretaceous reservoir sequences and support future exploration in Libya's Sirte Basin. The Mellitah expansion, with its CO2 management component, signals continued investment in Libya's offshore gas infrastructure.
The tender covers roughly 6,100 km² of 3D and 3,000 km of 2D full-fold marine seismic data for Eni as client, while the Mellitah Complex Expansion is estimated at about $8bn. Contract awards and final scope adjustments remain unresolved pending prequalification outcomes.
The players
Libya's National Oil Corporation
Libya's state-owned national oil company, which oversees exploration and production licensing across the country's upstream sector.
Mellitah Oil & Gas Company
A joint venture operating the Mellitah gas complex on Libya's coast, which handles gas processing and export through pipelines to Italy.
Eni
The Italian multinational energy company that is the client on the offshore seismic survey and has long held major stakes in Libyan oil and gas operations.
The details
Prequalification documents for the seismic survey are due 2 December 2026, and Mellitah extended its WP4B1 deadline from 5 November to 3 December 2026. Mellitah also issued a separate prequalification invitation for hydrogen sulphide monitoring services covering 18 offshore development wells, with documents due 3 December 2026.
Timeline
2 December 2026: Deadline for seismic survey prequalification documents.
3 December 2026: Revised deadline for WP4B1 and H2S monitoring prequalification documents.
September 2027 to March 2028: Operational window for offshore seismic data acquisition.
Market Landscape
The tender extends Libya's effort to revive offshore exploration in the Sirte Basin through the National Oil Corporation's licensing activity. It also places Eni, a long-standing Libyan operator, at the center of the seismic work that will shape future drilling decisions.
For energy investors and service contractors, the prequalification deadlines set a near-term window to qualify for Libyan offshore work worth billions. Any firm not prequalified by these dates will be excluded from the early stages of these contracts.
The takeaway
Libya's offshore exploration and gas infrastructure are moving forward on parallel tracks, and contractors watching these tenders should track both prequalification windows closely.
What happens next
Prequalification submissions close 2 December 2026 for the seismic survey and 3 December 2026 for the WP4B1 and H2S monitoring packages.
Further reading
For more context on upstream activity, explore our Oil and Gas coverage.
