French oil major Total has made a deepwater oil discovery in the Black Sea, Bulgaria, opening up a new play.

The discovery was announced in Total's Q3 results and while unnamed has been identified as the Polshkov-1 well, which the firm started drilling operations on in May using the Noble Globetrotter II drillship.

The well, 85km offshore, was the first on the Khan Asparuh Block and the first deep water well in the Bulgarian Black Sea. 

Earlier this year, Total said drillers would have to overcome 2000m water depth and 4000m of rock to assess the prospect. 

Total entered Block 1-21 Khan Asparuh as operator in April 2014, joining partners Repsol and OMV, which entered the block in 2012. 

The block covers 14,220sq km and the license contract includes a commitment to drill two exploration wells.

Khan Asparuh refers to a man of the same name who was involved in founding the medieval Bulgarian state in the seventh century.