Shell is seeking government permission to drill up to five ultra-deep offshore wells off the west coast of South Africa, a draft scoping report from independent environmental consultancy SLR showed on Tuesday.

The oil major plans to drill exploration and appraisal wells in the area as energy companies shift their focus south of Namibia, where a string of discoveries in its prolific Orange Basin holds the potential of more finds.

The Orange Basin extends southwards into South African waters and has also attracted the interest of rival Total Energies, which in March took up acreage, also off the west coast.