Petroleum Minister Jimmy Maladina and Trade Minister Richard Maru conducted an official visit to the Mailu-1 Deepwater Exploration Well. The delegation included senior officials from the National Petroleum Authority, as well as representatives from TotalEnergies and Petronas. During the visit, the ministers toured the Noble Viking, a seventh-generation ultra-deepwater drillship. The vessel is currently performing exploration activities at the Mailu Prospect. This site is located approximately 60 kilometres off the coast of the Papua New Guinea mainland. The exploration is taking place in extreme water depths of about 3.6 kilometres. The visit highlights the government's oversight of critical energy projects within PPL 576.