Bahrain launched an international licensing round Monday designed to pave the way for extraction companies to dig deeper in their search for natural gas. Oil and Gas Affairs Minister and National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) chairman, Abdulhussain Mirza said that his country was pursuing various options to secure its growing demand for gas. "Among these options is enhancing gas recovery from the Bahrain Field, active exploration programs in all Bahrain's offshore areas, taking gas conservation measures and deep gas exploration," he was quoted as saying by DPA.