Britain on July 27 awarded 41 licenses to drill for oil and gas in the North Sea, the government said, with oil majors Shell and ENI among the successful bidders.

The awards marked the end of Britain's Oil And Gas Authority's (OGA) latest licensing round. They brought the total number of licenses granted under the round to 175, making it one of the largest in the last 50 years.

Britain's North Sea is one of the world's most mature and therefore costly areas to explore for oil and gas. The high number of licenses issued shows the government is trying to attract as much exploration activity as possible to help dampen a rapid decline in North Sea production.

"Licenses are just a start, and industry, government and the OGA now need to work together to revitalize exploration activity across the basin and convert licenses into successful exploration wells," OGA Chief Executive Andy Samuel said.

Italian oil company ENI was awarded three licenses, covering 23 blocks, while Shell received one license to explore 10 blocks, government data showed.

Offshore