Gabon officially launched a new 2016 offshore bid round on Oct. 27, offering five deep fields as the country aims to boost exploration, Petroleum and Hydrocarbons Minister Etienne Dieudonne Ngoubou said.

Announcing the bid round at an African oil and gas conference in Cape Town, Ngoubou said they expected to finalize the bidding by mid-2016 as explorers look to firm up suggestions the country's offshore was similar to Brazil's oil-rich geology.