CNOOC Puts 33 Licences on the Block

China National Offshore Oil Corporation has issued a tender inviting foreign oil companies to bid on 33 offshore blocks off east and southern China.

The 33 blocks open for co-operation between foreign players and CNOOC cover an area of 126,108 square kilometres altogether.

The tender has boosted the number of blocks compared to previous years, with 25 licences offered last year 2013 and 26 blocks in 2012.

While most of the blocks lie in the South China Sea, many of them lie close to the Chinese border or in waters not held in dispute by other countries.

CNOOC said that all qualified foreign oil companies could apply for access to data rooms for the tender in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Zhanjiang until 31 December, with bidding closing on 30 April 2015.

Seventeen licences of depths varying between 50 metres and 3000 metres are on offer in the eastern Pearl River Mouth basin.

The tender includes four shallow-water blocks in the East China Sea basin and four shallow-water blocks in the South Yellow Sea basin.

Five blocks in the Qiong Dongnan basin in depths of between 200 and 2500 metres are being offered, as are two licences in the Beibugulf basin and a Yinggehai basin block.