Minister of Oil and Gas Affairs and Head of the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) of Bahrain Dr. Abdulhussein Bin Ali Mirza has said that exploration and drilling for oil in the offshore areas would start by early 2009; he added that 2008 would be spent studying the areas geologically and geophysically. Three companies from among 24 that were competing had reportedly won the right to explore in four offshore areas. [Source: http://english.bna.bh]