Two oil spills off the coast of Shandong province last month were far more serious than previously claimed by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), the central government admitted yesterday, blaming the oilfield's US operator, ConocoPhillips.
The State Oceanic Administration said it was investigating the role of the US company, which holds a 49 per cent stake in the oilfield, and that it might demand compensation for environmental damage from the US oil giant. In the first government briefing since the spills a month ago in the Penglai 19-3 oilfield, the administration said two spills - on June 4 and 17 - had polluted 840 square kilometres of sea.
That is far more than the 200 square metres claimed by CNOOC officials. CNOOC holds 51 per cent of the largest offshore oilfield in China and together with ConocoPhillips has been facing mounting public pressure over the delay in public disclosure about the spills. Li Xiaoming , the administration's director of ocean environmental protection, said yesterday the spills from the two platforms were basically under control and there was no obvious sign of oil floating on the sea, although a small slick could still be seen near the two platforms.
The authorities are still assessing the long-term environmental impact of the spills.
Wang Bin, his deputy, said the maximum penalty for sea pollution was 200,000 yuan (HK$240,000), but the central government could demand compensation from ConocoPhillips after it had completed an environmental assessment of the spills.
A preliminary investigation showed the leaks could have been caused by increased pressure in the oilfield after water was injected while drilling for oil, Li said.
