China offshore oilfields halt operations due to ice
Jan-18-2010
BEIJING - Some Chinese oilfields in the Bohai Bay have halted operations as 40 percent of the sea water there is frozen, the official Xinhua news agency said on Friday.
The build-up of sea ice, the worst in nearly 30 years, have affected operations of oil drilling platforms, port activities and aquaculture, the report said.
It has taken a longer time for ships to sail into and out of harbours, the report added.
There will not be any significant decrease in sea ice in the coming week in the Bohai Bay and the Yellow Sea due to cold weather, Lin Shanqing, an official with the State Oceanic Administration, was quoted as saying.
A public relations official with CNOOC Ltd could not immediately confirm if, or by what degree, the top Chinese offshore oil producer's production in the area had been affected.
An official with PetroChina who answers media inquiries could not confirm any impact on crude oil production in its oilfield in the region.
The build-up of sea ice, the worst in nearly 30 years, have affected operations of oil drilling platforms, port activities and aquaculture, the report said.
It has taken a longer time for ships to sail into and out of harbours, the report added.
There will not be any significant decrease in sea ice in the coming week in the Bohai Bay and the Yellow Sea due to cold weather, Lin Shanqing, an official with the State Oceanic Administration, was quoted as saying.
A public relations official with CNOOC Ltd could not immediately confirm if, or by what degree, the top Chinese offshore oil producer's production in the area had been affected.
An official with PetroChina who answers media inquiries could not confirm any impact on crude oil production in its oilfield in the region.
[ return to news list... ]
