Tanzania has finally resumed the launch of its fourth deepwater licensing round, with a total of seven blocks up for grabs later this year.

The government, via state-owned Tanzania Petroleum Development Corp. (TPDC), said it will launch the Tanzania Deep Offshore and North Lake Tanganyika Licensing Round on 25 October, 2013 in the capital of Dar es Salaam. The round will close on 15 May, 2014.

The round was originally planned to take place in September last year, but was delayed while the government revamped the terms due to the east African country’s recent exploration successes offshore.

The seven blocks will each cover an average of 3,000 sq km (1,158 sq miles), in water depths ranging from 2,000-3,000 m (6,562-9,843 ft). The featured blocks are: 4/2A, 4/3A, 4/3B, 4/4A, 4/4B, 4/5A and 4/5B. A further two blocks will be reserved for the government at this stage (4/1B and 4/1C), where TPDC will be allowed to execute a different exploration approach using a strategic partner to be competitively sourced.

Regional 2D seismic data is available for the blocks, and is available via ION GX Technology and WesternGeco.

The inland North Lake Tanganyika Block also has deepwater aspects, as the block in the western arm of the East African Rift System features water depths of up to 1,500 m (4,921 ft). The lake is the world’s longest (650 km) and second deepest, and is covered by sparse 2D seismic data collected in the 1980s.

The licensing round’s launch will take place during the 2nd Tanzania Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition to be held 23-25 October in Dar es Salaam.