The Italian giant, Eni, has commenced its drilling activities in Oman’s first deepwater exploration well in Block 52 offshore Oman, according to Oil and Gas Middle East citing Upstream Online.

The block is operated by Eni’s subsidiary, Eni Oman B.V. holding 55% stake in the block, Qatar Petroleum (QP) has 30%, and Oman Oil Company Exploration and Production (OOCEP) owns the remaining 15%.

Block 52 is potentially a rich area of hydrocarbons and approximately covers an area of around 90,000 square kilometers (km2), with water depths ranging from 10 meters to more than 3,000 meters.

It is worth mentioning that Eni and OOCEP were awarded Block 52 at an international bid round process launched in October 2016. The two companies signed an Exploration and Production Sharing Agreement (EPSA) in 2017.