The oil group Petrom and Exxon Mobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited (EEPRL), a branch of Exxon Mobil Company, started the deepwater exploration drilling at Domino-1 oil well, the first deep water exploratory well in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea, Petrom told a release sent to Agerpres on Monday.

Domino-1 well is located in Neptun block, 170 km away from the shore, in waters 1,000 m deep and will be drilled with state-of-the-art technology. The drilling will be made by the latest technology drillship Deepwater Champion which recently came to Romanian waters after concluding the offshore drilling programme in Turkey. The drilling operations are to last about 90 days.

"We are delighted by the cooperation with Petrom in this project, a cooperation based on the experience of Exxon Mobil, one of the world leading companies in deep water exploration and the vast experience of Petrom company in Romania. We appreciate the efforts made by the Romanian authorities to support the progress of the works of exploration in the Black Sea," said EEPRL managing director Ian Fischer.

The exploration drilling, especially in such unexplored areas of the Black Sea, can lead to a discovery or not. If a commercial discovery is confirmed, the later development of the Neptun perimeter will have a significant positive industrial, social and economic impact on Romania, according to Petrom representatives.