YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Major oil companies including Total, Chevron, Woodside Energy and Shell have won bids for offshore oil and gas exploration blocks off Myanmar's western coast.

An announcement posted Wednesday on the Energy Ministry's website said 13 oil companies won bids to explore in 10 shallow water blocks and 10 deep water blocks in the Gulf of Martaban and Tanintharyi, off the western state of Rakhine.

Multinational oil companies such as Dutch Shell, Total E&P, Norwegian Statoil and ConocoPhillips won deep water blocks, Chevron a shallow water block and Australia's Woodside Energy won both shallow and deep water blocks, it said.

Most of Myanmar's current hydrocarbon production is natural gas. According to official statistics, the country exported $3.7 billion worth of gas in fiscal year 2012-2013.


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