Mauritius begins offshore oil survey with French firm, cites no resource clauses in maritime security deals

Mauritius and the Seychelles have revived offshore energy exploration across a 396,000 km² joint continental shelf. The two Indian Ocean states approved a deal with French geophysical company Viridien—formerly CGG Services—to conduct a multi‑client seismic survey that will map the seabed for potential oil and gas reserves. A specialised vessel will emit acoustic waves to produce detailed geological images; no drilling is planned at this stage and any commercial extraction would require further years of study.

Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam clarified to parliament that none of Mauritius' existing bilateral or multilateral maritime agreements, including those with the United States, France, South Africa, India and others, contain provisions for the exploration or exploitation of natural resources within its exclusive economic zone. The accords focus on maritime security cooperation, search and rescue coordination, information sharing and combating piracy and other trans‑national crimes.