Shell proposes to drill one or possibly two vertical exploration wells to determine whether hydrocarbons are present in commercially viable quantities in the PEL39 off the coast of southern Namibia. A 2,500 km2 area of interest, located in the northern portion of the licence area at depths of 2,500 - 3,000 m, has been defined for drilling. Drilling operations would be undertaken with either a dynamically positioned semi-submersible drilling rig or a drill ship.