New Delhi, April 5 (PTI): State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is among three dozen global energy majors vying for oil and gas blocks in Mexico's maiden licensing round.

ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) - the overseas arm of the state explorer - was among the international companies which signed up to pre-qualify for Mexico's inaugural Round-1 bid offering at the end of the deadline on March 31, industry sources said.

The company is pitched against US majors ExxonMobile and Chevron, Anglo-Dutch entity Shell as well as national oil companies and Mexican players for 14 shallow-water exploration blocks in the country's south.

Others in the fray include Mexican state-owned petroleum company Pemex, Norway's Statoil, Colombia's EcoPetrol, Brazil's Petrobras and PTTEP of Thailand.

Mexico is opening up its oil sector to private players for the first time after more than 75 years of monopoly by state company Petróleos Mexicanos or Pemex.