Tuesday, April 1, 2025

South China Sea News

Xinhua reports that China's CNOOC has discovered a 100 million-ton oilfield on the South China Sea.

Xinhua reported Monday that the China National Offshore Oil Corporation has discovered an oilfield with reserves of more than 100 million tonnes in the South China Sea. Huizhou's 19-6 oilfield, recently discovered, is not located in an area of the South China Sea that has been contested. It lies within China’s Exclusive Economic Zone which extends for 200 nautical mile or 370 kilometers from its coast.

China CNOOC 2024's net profit increases 11% on record production

CNOOC Ltd., a state-owned energy company in China, posted an increase of 11.4% on a record production in 2024 despite lower oil prices. The firm is continuing to focus on increasing its reserves and production. In a filing on Thursday to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, offshore oil and natural gas specialist reported net profit of 18.99 billion dollars. Sinopec Corp, a domestic rival, reported a 16.8% drop in net income to 50.3 billion yuan.

Ambassador to Washington: Philippines-US defense arrangements will remain intact

Manila's ambassador in the United States, who spoke on Monday, said that existing defence agreements between the Philippines and United States would remain intact under Donald Trump. Jose Manuel Romualdez, a reporter at a forum for foreign media in Manila, said that Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Philippine president, is willing to travel if Trump can meet him. This could happen in the northern spring.

China's 2024 refining output is expected to decline by a rare amount due to weak demand

China's oil refining throughput in the year 2024 will be the lowest in over two decades, barring 2022 when the world was hit by the pandemic. Plants have reduced production in response to stagnant demand for fuel and low margins. National Bureau of Statistics data showed that the world's second largest refining industry, after the U.S., processed 1.6% less crude last year. Calculations showed that the figure is about 14.13 millions barrels per day.

Philippines evacuates thousands of people as super typhoon Man Yi approaches

On Saturday, the Philippines evacuated thousands of people and cancelled dozens flights as a super-typhoon threatened heavy rains and strong winds that could cause floods and storm waves. The storm Man-Yi, which was packing winds of up to 185 kph 115 mph, was headed for the eastern portion of Luzon's main island. This prompted the weather agency of the Philippines to issue its second highest alert for Catanduanes province and Camarines Sur province.

What we can learn from China's latest military exercises around Taiwan

China's day of wargames around democratically-governed Taiwan was Monday a warning against'separatist actions. Although they appeared shorter, the drills were intense and fast-paced in their simulation of attacks and deployments of ships and aircraft. The last major war games were held in May, following the inauguration of Lai Ching Te as Taiwan's new president.

Malaysian PM: Petronas exploration in South China Sea to continue

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's prime minister, reiterated on Tuesday that the state-owned energy company Petronas would continue to conduct oil exploration in Malaysia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the South China Sea despite China's objections. He told the parliament that this includes exploration activities for Petronas Kasawari Gas Development off Sarawak State on Borneo. Anwar stated, "We will continue to discuss with all countries.

Malaysia won't stop South China Sea exploration, despite China protests says PM

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's Prime Minister, said that the country would not stop oil and gas exploration on the South China Sea in spite of Beijing's claims that Malaysia had infringed on its territory. Anwar, who is currently in Russia on an official visit, stated that Malaysia's exploration was within its own territory, and it wasn't meant to be provocative towards China.

CNOOC China posts record profit in the first half of 2018 on robust output growth

CNOC, the Chinese offshore oil-and-gas major, posted a record profit for the first half of this year on Thursday. This was largely due to higher oil prices and increased output. CNOOC reported in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that net profit attributable shareholders increased 25% to 79.73 yuan (US$11.19 billion). CNOOC's oil and gas production increased by 9.3%, to 362.6 millions barrels of equivalent oil.

Equinor to close Hanoi office after halting Vietnam offshore wind plans

A company spokesperson revealed that Norway's state controlled energy giant Equinor had cancelled plans to invest into Vietnam's offshore sector. This is a blow for Vietnam's green power aspirations. According to the World Bank Group's report, Vietnam has drawn international attention to its renewable energy plans due to its strong wind in shallow water near densely populated coastal areas.

PetroVietnam Beats Q1 Crude Output Target

Long Tau River, Vietnam - March 12, 2019: Phuoc Khanh area. Blue river tank vessel sails in front of concrete factory and PetroVietnam power
generation plant chimneys in back. 

Copyright Klodien/AdobeStock

Vietnam's state oil firm PetroVietnam said on Monday its crude oil output was 2.6 million tonnes in the first quarter this year, 12.6% higher than its target.The figure, however, is lower than the company's crude oil output of 2.74 million tonnes in the same period last year. PetroVietnam, formally known as Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, reported natural gas output of 1.97 billion cubic metres in the January-March period, 17.6% higher than its target.

Chinese Seismic Vessel Returns to Waters off Vietnam Amid Virus 'Distraction' Charges

A Chinese ship embroiled in a standoff with Vietnamese vessels last year has returned to waters near Vietnam as the United States accused China of pushing its presence in the South China Sea while other claimants are pre-occupied with the coronavirus.Vietnamese vessels last year spent months shadowing the Chinese Haiyang Dizhi 8 survey vessel in resource-rich waters…

LNG Tanker Diverted from China in Sign of Weaker Demand

© nikkytok / Adobe Stock

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker that had been heading to China has been diverted, data intelligence firm Kpler and two industry sources said on Tuesday, probably due to lower demand for the fuel as businesses are hit by the coronavirus outbreak.The Tangguh Foja tanker loaded a cargo at the Tangguh LNG plant in Indonesia last month and had been heading to China's Rudong terminal in Jiangsu province…

Malaysian State Open to Buying Petronas Stake

© Dmytrii Minishev / Adobe Stock

Malaysia's Terengganu state said on Wednesday it was open to buying a stake in national energy giant Petronas, after Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said he was considering such a sale to raise funds for his heavily-indebted federal government.Petronas, the world's third-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, is one of the biggest sources of revenue for the federal…

CPIH, Equinor Team Up on Offshore Wind

Chinese power giant China Power International Holding (CPIH) and Norwegian energy firm Equinor have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate on offshore wind projects off China and Europe.“China is rapidly increasing its use of renewables and natural gas. The country is set to become the world’s biggest offshore wind market by 2030. As an offshore wind major…

China, Philippines: 'Bigger Step' Possible Offshore

© Sasha Strekoza / Adobe Stock

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China and the Philippines could take a "bigger step" in the joint development of oil and gas resources in the South China Sea if they can "properly" handle their dispute over sovereignty.Xi made the remarks on Thursday in a meeting in Beijing with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has positioned himself as a friend of Beijing but has come under growing pressure at home to push back against China's maritime ass

CNOOC Earnings on the Rise

(File photo: CNOOC)

China's national offshore producer CNOOC Ltd reported a near 19% rise in first-half profit on Thursday, as higher sales of oil and gas offset weaker global oil prices.The listed arm of state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp said that it was able to manage the impact on its business of the China-U.S. trade war and CNOOC President Xu Keqiang said the company…

Chinese Ship Returns to Vietnam's EEZ

A Chinese survey ship returned to Vietnam's exclusive economic zone off its coast on Tuesday, ship tracking data showed, less than a week after it left the area where vessels from the two countries were locked in a month-long standoff.The Haiyang Dizhi 8 first entered the zone under Chinese coast guard escort in July and appeared to conduct a seismic survey of waters…

Vietnam: Chinese Vessel Violated its Sovereignty

Vietnam on Friday accused a Chinese oil survey vessel and its escorts of violating its sovereignty and demanded that China remove the ships from Vietnamese waters.Vietnam and China have for years long been embroiled in a dispute over the potentially energy-rich stretch of waters in the South China Sea.On Wednesday, two U.S.-based think tanks reported that Chinese…

COOEC-Fluor Completes Module Fabrication

Texas-based multinational engineering and construction firm Fluor Corporation announced  that its joint venture COOEC-Fluor Heavy Industries fabrication yard has completed the central and wellhead platforms for CNOOC’s Dongfang 13-2 Gas Fields Development Project.The central platform recently departed the COOEC-Fluor yard in Zhuhai, China, and follows the successful loadout of the wellhead platform in August 2018.

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