CNOOC Taps S.China Sea Deepwater Gas Well

China's CNOOC Ltd said on Friday tapped the country's first ultra-deepwater natural gas discovery in the northwestern part of the South China Sea.

The state-owned offshore oil and gas explorer started to drill the Lingshui 18-1-1 exploration well last October in water depths of 1,688 metres (5,538 feet) and a test of the well in December was a success, the company said in a report published on the website of parent company China National Offshore Oil Corp (www.cnooc.com.cn).

An "ultra-deep" well is categorized as one more than 1,500 metres under the sea.

The report didn't give any estimate of gas flows at Lingshui 18-1-1, but said the discovery has been certified by the Ministry of Land & Resources.

It's located next to another deepsea gas find Lingshui 17-2, which has certified proven reserves exceeding 100 billion cubic metres as reported by the state media a year ago.

CNOOC deployed the country's flagship deepwater rig, the "Haiyang Shiyou 981", to drill the well, the report said.

Reporting by Chen Aizhu