Shell has moved to the public consultation phase for a 3D seismic acquisition programme on Block 4 offshore São Tomé and Príncipe, according to documents published by the country's national petroleum regulator, ANP-STP. The consultations were held at two locations — in São Tomé and on the Autonomous Region of Príncipe — signalling that the environmental and social impact assessment process is formally under way before any seismic vessel is mobilised.
The published materials include presentations prepared by ERM, an environmental consultancy, alongside Shell's own public consultation decks, all dated to sessions held on 6 and 10 February 2026. The dual-session format, spanning both main islands, reflects regulatory requirements for inclusive stakeholder engagement ahead of intrusive geophysical operations. At this stage, the instrument in play is a pre-acquisition environmental scoping process — not a contract award and not a drilling commitment.
Block 4 sits in São Tomé and Príncipe's exclusive economic zone, an Atlantic frontier basin that has attracted renewed interest as regional exploration momentum builds. A 3D seismic campaign would be the next data-gathering step before any well investment decision. The involvement of ERM as the ESIA lead and Shell as operator places this squarely within a structured regulatory workflow, but the project remains at an early exploration stage. No seismic contract award, tender, or operator-confirmed work programme has been disclosed in the published materials.
For Norwegian service companies, the significance of this development is primarily forward-looking. Seismic acquisition in frontier Atlantic waters of this type typically requires specialised vessels, ocean-bottom node or streamer technology, and marine environmental monitoring capability — all areas where Norwegian players hold strong positions. However, with the project still in the environmental consultation phase, no procurement process is open at this time. The pathway from completed ESIA to a seismic contract award can take months to over a year, depending on regulatory approval timelines and operator scheduling.