Vietnam Protests Beijing's Sinking of South China Sea Boat
Vietnam has lodged an official protest with China following the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat it said had been rammed by a Chinese maritime surveillance vessel near islands in the disputed South China Sea.The Vietnamese fishing vessel, with eight fishermen onboard, was fishing near the Paracel Islands on Thursday when it was rammed and sunk by the Chinese vessel, Vietnam's foreign ministry said in a statement posted on a government website on Saturday.All the fishermen were picked up by the Chinese vessel alive and were transferred to two other Vietnamese fishing vessels operating nearb
Vietnam Protests Chinese Live-firing in South China Sea
Vietnam on Tuesday issued a strong condemnation of Chinese military live-fire exercises in the disputed South China Sea, amid rising tension between the two countries. The Maritime Safety Administration of China's southern province of Hainan, which oversees the South China Sea, said last month there would be live fire drills around the Paracel Islands, which Vietnam claims, until September 2. "Vietnam strongly objects this action by China and seriously requests China to respect Vietnam's sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said in a statement. "Vietnam once again asserts…
China Oil Rig Returns Off Vietnamese Coast
China has again deployed the Haiyang Shiyou 981, a semi-submersible oil platform which caused a standoff between Chinese and Vietnamese vessels last year, to the disputed South China Sea region, reports local media. China has brought the deepwater oil rig near Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands. The Chinese Maritime Safety Administration said on its website the oil rig is located at 17 degrees 03.75 minutes north latitude (17-03.75N) and 109 degrees 59.05 minutes east longitude (109-59.05E). According to Reuters the move comes soon after the country indicated it was close to setting up new outposts in the maritime heart of South-East Asia as it nears completion of land reclamation in the South China Sea. The announcement said the rig would explore for oil and gas until August 20.
Keppel FELS and PV Drilling Name Twin Rigs
For the first time in rig history, two identical jackup rigs have been named together by Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS) and its customer PetroVietnam Drilling & Well Services Corp (PV Drilling). The naming of the twins, PV Drilling II and PV Drilling III, was witnessed by Senior Minister of State (SMS) for Trade & Industry and Education, Mr. S Iswaran at Keppel FELS today. Both rigs are built to Keppel’s proprietary KFELS B Class design, which is a choice rig for discerning drilling operators worldwide.
Keppel FELS to Build $205m Jackup Rig
Keppel FELS Limited (Keppel FELS) will build a third KFELS B Class jackup drilling rig worth about US$205 million for PetroVietnam Drilling & Well Services Corp’s (PV Drilling) subsidiary PetroVietnam Drilling Investment Corp (PVD Invest). The agreement is subject to conditions being met by March 14. This latest unit and PVD Invest’s second rig PV Drilling II, which is already under construction at Keppel FELS, are scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2009 respectively.
