MOSCOW -- Gazprom and PetroVietnam are to set drill the first deepwater well offshore Vietnam later this year, Moscow-based Gazprom said Wednesday.

The companies are planning to spud the exploration well, in Block 129 on Vietnam’s continental shelf, in the second half of the year.

According to Gazprom, the well will be drilled in a water depth of 1,600 m.

Vietgazprom, a joint operating company of Gazprom and PetroVietnam, is engaged in exploration activities in Vietnam’s Blocks 112, 129, 130, 131, 132.