Masirah Trough

Commentary

Recent drilling success has raised the MTB's profile, and new block awards and supportive terms continue to attract partners, including smaller investors. Outlook: Positive.

Updated

October 12, 2026

Location

Description

The MTB is located east of the Huqf uplift, parallel to the southern coast of Oman. The western edge of the MTB is bound by an extensional fault system that is downthrown to the southeast. The MTB is limited to the east by a large wedge of sea floor sediments and oceanic crust, that is stacked as imbricate thrusts. These sediments/ophiolites were obducted onto the southern margin of the Arabian plate during the collision of the Indian/Afghan plates at the end of the Cretaceous. Most of the MTB is buried by sedimentary sequences, which have been subject to complex deformation that continued into the Tertiary. Wells drilled in the MTB have demonstrated reservoir-quality sequences in the Cretaceous Shuaiba (Aptian) and Natih (Cenomanian–Turonian) carbonates.

Summary

Recent drilling the MTB has been successful, which has raised its profile. With the government also starting to make progress on opening up its acreage to outside investment.