China's CNOOC cleaning up after another oil spill

October 16, 2011

Bohai Bay is the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea on the coast of northeast China, where CNOOC drills for oil

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This file photo shows oil rigs in Cangzhou, in northern China's Hebei Province, near Bohai Bay. Chinese oil giant CNOOC said Sunday it has suspended production at a platform off northeastern China after a ruptured pipe leaked crude into Bohai Bay, in the lastest spill to hit the company.

Chinese oil giant CNOOC said Sunday it has suspended production at a platform off northeastern China after a ruptured pipe leaked crude into Bohai Bay, in the lastest spill to hit the company.

State-controlled CNOOC discovered the leak on Friday and sent divers to survey and repair the damaged sub-sea pipeline at the Jinzhou 9-3 West oilfield, the company said in a statement.

"The company has been effectively cleaning up the oil sheen on the ," CNOOC said, adding initial estimates indicated 0.38 cubic metres (13.42 cubic feet) of oil had leaked into the water.

CNOOC pledged in August to improve its "management system" to prevent further accidents after more than 3,000 barrels of oil and oil-based mud -- a substance used as a lubricant in drilling -- spilled into Bohai Bay.

CNOOC was accused of covering up that slick, which happened near platforms jointly owned by the and US titan ConocoPhillips and polluted an estimated 5,500 square kilometres (2,200 square miles), according to Xinhua.

The State Oceanic Administration -- which supervises and manages China's seas -- has said it plans to sue over the , which was first detected in early June but only made public nearly a month later.

(c) 2011 AFP

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JacalynH
Oct 16, 2011

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All the more reason to get off of fossil fuels.
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