Lebanon’s government prequalified eight new companies for its first round of offshore E&P licences, Reuters reports. The government had already prequalified 46 companies in 2013. Of the new companies, India’s ONGC Videsh, had been prequalified to bid as an operator and the other seven are PJSC Lukoil , Qatar Petroleum, Britain-based New Age African Global Energy, JSC Novatek, Iran’s Petropars, Sonatrach International Petroleum Exploration and SapuraKencana. Prequalified companies will submit their bids to the Lebanese Petroleum Administration in September for consideration. The bidding process for Lebanon’s offshore blocks 1, 4, 8, 9 and 10, three of which border Israeli waters, was postponed for years as Lebanon was forming a government.