New oil fields have been detected in Egypt by international oil companies as the country was seen as a land rich in black gold, the official MENA news agency reported on Friday.

The oil fields were detected in the Gulf of Suez, eastern and western deserts and the Mediterranean in the past six months, MENA said, quoting a report presented to Minister of Petroleum Sameh Fahmi.

Petroleum from those areas is expected to secure an additional 140 million barrels of crude and condensed oil, and volume of gas promises a robust increase of 1.5 trillion cubic feet (42.48 billion cubic meters), the report said.

Discoveries in the western desert are the most important, particularly in the areas of Karam 1 and Karam 2, the report added.

The thickness of oil and gas layers there ranges from 200 feet (about 61 meters) to 240 feet (about 73.15 meters).

The Karam discoveries were made by a Greek oil company, while Shell and Khalda, another two oil companies, have also discovered gas in the western desert.

In the Mediterranean area of Matrouh, "Gad 1," which was discovered by Khalda, is reported to contain oil layers as thick as 336 feet (about 102.41 meters).

Egypt has signed a number of agreements with international oil companies with advanced technologies and expertise to carry out exploration work and attract more investment.

Source: Xinhua