Mainland marine authorities have ordered the immediate suspension of all oil production at platforms in Penglai 19-3, China's biggest offshore oilfield.
The move is to punish its US operator, ConocoPhillips, for failing to meet an official deadline to seal leaks and clean up after a series of spills.
The State Oceanic Administration (SOA) released a statement on its website late yesterday saying it had ordered the company to stop all production operations in Bohai Bay, from pressurised water injection to exploratory drilling and oil production.
The authorities did not specify when production would be able to resume. They said they would consider it only after ConocoPhillips China revised its present development plan for the oilfield. ConocoPhillips did not respond to phone calls or e-mail inquiries yesterday.
Before the deadline, at midnight on Wednesday, the company issued a statement saying that it believed it had met the administration's requirements.
A manager of the oilfield was cited by Xinhua late yesterday as saying that clean-up efforts had been hampered by wind gusts on Sunday and Monday. He also said there was no timetable for a final clean-up due to many unknown variables.
