Malaysia is pressing ahead with its most recent oil and gas licensing round in the midst of market turmoil and an asset ownership shuffle as operators reevaluate their upstream portfolios.

The deadline for Malaysia’s ongoing 2020 Bid Round has been delayed twice because of the Covid-19 pandemic, dashing officials' hope of having the assets awarded before year-end.

The bid round comprises eight exploration blocks — four in Sabah and four off Peninsular Malaysia — and four discovered resources opportunities (DRO) clusters at Bambazon, Diwangsa, Rhu-Aru and Kerisi.