Reports: China investigating offshore oil spills

[July 01, 2011]  SHANGHAI (AP) -- Recent spills in China's largest offshore oil field are being investigated, reports say.

The spills were in the Bohai Penglai 19-3 oil field in Bohai Bay off the northeast coast, said reports in the Southern Weekend and other newspapers. The field is a joint venture between China National Offshore Oil Corp. and ConocoPhillips China.

The State Oceanic Administration is investigating the spills and will announce results later this month, the reports said.

Calls to CNOOC, ConocoPhillips China and to the State Oceanic Administration rang unanswered on Friday. Inquiries to the Shandong Provincial Oceanic and Fishery Information Network likewise were not answered.

The first spill occurred around June 10 about 38 kilometers (25 miles) off the coast of Shandong province and was cleaned up in a few days. Another spill earlier this week and was likewise contained relatively quickly, the reports said.

It was unclear what caused the spills, how many had occurred or if they were continuing.

China's worst reported oil spill occurred nearly a year ago, when a pipeline at Dalian, a busy northeastern port, exploded and oil poured into the sea, spreading over at least 165 square miles (430 square kilometers).

[Associated Press]

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