Houston-based Shell Offshore Inc. on Tuesday disclosed a “significant discovery” at the deepwater Leopard prospect in the Perdido Corridor of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).

The Royal Dutch Shell plc subsidiary said the Leopard well in Alaminos Canyon Block 691 encountered more than 600 feet (183 meters) net oil pay at several levels. Few other details were provided, but evaluation is ongoing to further define the development options.

Leopard is operated by Shell and owned 50-50 with Chevron U.S.A. Inc. 

“Leopard expands our leading position in the Gulf of Mexico and is an exciting addition to our core portfolio, especially given its proximity to existing infrastructure and other discoveries in the Perdido Corridor,” said Executive Vice President Paul Goodfellow. He...