China Energy Terminals on Alert as Sea Ice Slows Ships
Chinese ports and marine safety authorities are on high alert as an expansion of sea ice makes it tougher for ships to berth and discharge at key energy product import terminals along the coast of northern Bohai Bay.A cold wave sweeping the northern hemisphere has plunged temperatures across China to their lowest in decades, boosting demand for power and fuel to historic highs in the world's largest energy consumer."The sea ice situation is more severe this year than the same period in previous years," said Wang Jun, a professor specializing in transport issues at Dalian Maritime University."It could impede sailing and docking for vessels, no matter how big they are."Weather officials warned against severe frost this week in the region, with sea ice stretching 45 to 55 nautical miles at Li
Sea Ice Could Disrupt Shipping in Northern China
A unit of China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) on Friday issued a blue alert for sea ice in a key port area in the north of the country, potentially disrupting commodities shipments, as temperatures in the region plummet. Sea ice in the Liaodong Bay, the northern arm of China's Bohai Sea, now extends 67 nautical miles (124 km) from the shoreline, the North China Sea Marine Forecasting Center said in an 0700 GMT alert. Ice also extends 18 nautical miles out in the northern part of the Yellow Sea, the Center said.
Oil, Gas Discovery in Bohai Bay
The China National Offshore Oil Company Limited (CNOOC Ltd.) announced on July 11 that its wildcat Luda (LD) 6-2-1 drilled independently in the Bohai Bay hit a new discovery. The LD 6-2-1 wildcat is located in the Liaodong Bay, with a water depth of about 30 meters. The well was drilled to a total depth of 2,395 m. The well was tested to yield about 620 barrels of oil and 240,000 cu. ft. of natural gas per day via 7. 14mm choke during the drill stem test. According Xinhua, in 2006, several new discoveries have been made so far in the Bohai Bay, including the LD 6-2, BZ29-4 and BZ28-2S. (Source: Xinhua)
CNOOC Discovers New Bohai Bay Oil Reserves
The China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) announced the discovery of 200 million cubic meters of oil in Bohai Bay this year, China View reports. CNOOC made the announcement after the discovery of the Jinxian (JX) 1-1 high yield oil-bearing structure while drilling the JX1-1-2D well in Liaodong Bay, in the eastern part of Bohai Bay. So far, CNOOC has made eight new discoveries in Bohai Bay with an estimated oil reserve of 200 million cubic meters and gas reserve of 1.5 billion cubic meters, according to the report. The discoveries make it possible for the Bohai Bay to turn out 30 million cubic meters of oil by 2010. Additionally, Bohai Bay produced 14 million cubic meters of oil and gas this year, becoming China’s third largest oilfield. Source: China View
