Bahrain has received bids from U.S. firm Occidental and Russian state-owned Zarubezhneft to explore for oil in the kingdom's waters, the Gulf Daily News reported on Thursday.

A Thai firm had also bid in a tender for four offshore exploration blocks, Minister of Oil and Gas Affairs Abdul-Hussain bin Ali Mirza was reported as telling the daily newspaper. The report did not name the Thai firm.

We got three bids and we will open them tomorrow, Mirza told the newspaper.

Gulf media reports had previously said around 25 international oil and gas companies had shown interest in bidding for the exploration blocks. The deadline for bids was Wednesday.

Three bids is just right for us because we have four blocks and some of them may be bidding for more than one block, Mirza said.

Bahrain produced about 35,000 barrels per day (bpd) from its Awali oilfield in 2006. It received another 150,000 bpd from Saudi Arabia, its share of output from the Abu Saafa oilfield.

Bahrain has also invited bids to revamp its onshore operations, which are due in by October 17.