India’s state-controlled Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has kick-started oil production from its much-delayed flagship deepwater project in the Krishna Godavari basin offshore the nation’s eastern coast.

ONGC on Sunday confirmed the development and said that it has achieved “first oil production from the deepwater KG-DWN-98/2 block, situated off the coast of Bay of Bengal.”

The Indian giant noted that with the commencement of oil production from the ‘M field’ in the deepwater block, it has completed the project’s second phase of development.