Oil giant Royal Dutch/Shell announced on Thursday it has made discoveries at two deepwater fields off Nigeria but further appraisal is required to determine their resource potential.

"We are naturally thrilled by these exploration successes in deepwater Nigeria... These recent discoveries have been made in a difficult geological frontier setting," said Chima Ibeneche, head of the firm's affiliate, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd..

Bobo-1X well was drilled until July 16 to a total depth of 5, 173 meters in 2,479 meters of water, the second deepest well in offshore Nigeria, Shell said in a statement.

Etan-1X well was drilled until February 20 to a total depth of 4,574 meters in 1,720 meters of water, the statement said.

The wells were drilled by Transocean's rig, the Deepwater Pathfinder, under a unique rig sharing initiative with other Nigeria-based operators, fully supported by the Nigerian government, it added.

Nigeria is Africa's top oil producer with a daily out of about 2.4 million barrels, while Shell accounts for half of the west African country's oil production.

Source: Xinhua