China oil rig to keep drilling in waters disputed with Vietnam
27/8/15
Chinese ships are seen on the horizon
guarding the Haiyang Shiyou 981, known in Vietnam as HD-981, oil rig
(2nd R) in the South China Sea, July 15, 2014.
Reuters/Martin Petty
A Chinese oil rig
at the center of last year's standoff between China and Vietnam will
continue drilling not far from Vietnam's coast, China's maritime safety
authorities said on Tuesday.The
deployment of the $1 billion deepwater rig last year about 120 nautical
miles off Vietnam's coast, in what Vietnam considers its exclusive
economic zone (EEZ), led to the worst breakdown in relations since a
brief border war in 1979.
China said at the time the rig was operating completely within its waters.
The
rig, called the Haiyang Shiyou 981, was removed last July, but returned
to the area in June of this year to explore for oil and gas. A notice
from China's Maritime Safety Administration said at the time that the
rig would carry out "ocean drilling operations" until Aug. 20.
In a new notice posted on its website (www.msa.gov.cn/),
the Maritime Safety Administration said that the rig will continue
drilling at a position slightly to the north until Oct. 20.
On Monday, state media said the rig had completed an exploratory well at its earlier placement.
The rig's
intended coordinates put it roughly 110 nautical miles east of the
Vietnam coast and 72 nautical miles south of the resort city of Sanya on
China's Hainan Island.
China
claims most of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea, through
which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The
Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping
claims.
Vietnam's people remain embittered over a perceived history of Chinese bullying and territorial claims in the South China Sea.
China
has been increasingly assertive in the South China Sea, condemning an
arbitration case initiated by the Philippines and reclaiming land on
islands and reefs under its control.
Last week a new U.S. Pentagon report said China has reclaimed more land in the disputed Spratly Islands than previously known.
The
Haiyang Shiyou 981 rig is owned by state-run China National Offshore Oil
Corp. (CNOOC), China's largest producer of offshore oil and gas, the
parent of list CNOOC Ltd. (0883.HK).
The company was not immediately available for comment.
(Reporting By Adam Rose; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
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