The Chinese authorities have asked the U.S. oil group ConocoPhillips to accelerate its work to fix leaks and clean the remaining consequences of the spill caused by one of its platforms in the Gulf of Bohai.
On 31 August, the U.S. oil giant ConocoPhillips announced that it had almost finished cleaning the thousands of square kilometers of oil that escaped from the the leakage observed in one of its platforms since June. Today, although the group acknowledged its “full responsibility”, the situation seems not to be as optimistic as ConocoPhillips stated.
“Hydrocarbons continue to flee the Gulf of Bohai in the vicinity of the platform,” assured the Chinese State Administration responsible for the State Oceanic Administration (SOA). “The leak was not blocked effectively.”
3,200 barrels of oil into the sea
Friday, Chinese authorities have asked the company to redouble efforts to completely stop the leak of crude oil and continue to clean up marine pollution. According to ConocoPhillips, the equivalent of 3,200 barrels of oil and drilling mud spilled into the sea, but if the leak is not completely clogged the toll could actually be even more serious.
Moreover, China has also forced the oil company to suspend mining operations on its largest offshore field in China, Penglai 19-3 field. Its production was shut down on September 3.