PPL Dismisses Claims About Developing Offshore ‘Artificial Island’ Project

Pakistan Petroleum Limited has issued a detailed clarification rejecting media claims that it is “reclaiming land from the sea to build an artificial island.” The company said the reports misrepresented the technical nature and purpose of the work being carried out. According to PPL, the ongoing activity is strictly aimed at making drilling operations safe and feasible in a difficult marshy terrain, not at creating a standalone island offshore.

Recent reports had suggested that PPL was constructing an artificial landform 300 kilometers off the Sindh coast to serve as a launch pad for accelerated oil and gas exploration. PPL clarified that this is inaccurate. The project is actually located in the southern marshlands of the Sirani Block near district Sujawal, an area that has remained unexplored due to severe operational and accessibility challenges.

The company described the initiative as one of the first drilling projects in Pakistan to be undertaken in a marshy, tide-affected zone. It said it had already completed 2D and 3D seismic surveys using specialized transition-zone equipment designed for such environments. Construction work is now underway to prepare the site for drilling.

Due to unstable subsoil and tidal fluctuations, PPL is elevating both the access road and the well pad by about nine feet to ensure that operations can continue without interruption during low and high tides. The well site lies roughly 30 kilometers from the mainland, connected by a natural 17-kilometer water channel that will be used to transport heavy equipment and materials via barges.

PPL confirmed that the well is scheduled to be spudded in March 2026 and emphasized that all activities are focused on enabling safe and efficient exploration in a difficult terrain, rather than developing any offshore artificial structure.