Reuters reported that China biggest offshore oil producer, CNOOC Ltd has been hit by another oil leak in north Chinese waters.

Xinhua news agency reported that the latest spill broke out near the Jingzhou 9-3 field operated by a subsidiary of CNOOC in the Liaodong Bay off northeast China.

CNOOC Ltd said that the oil spill was caused by the leak from a subsea connecting pipeline damaged by a work vessel during its operations. The company said it had taken effective measures to clean up the oil sheen as well as sent divers to survey the damaged subsea pipeline and seal the leaking source.

CNOOC said production would be cut by about 1,600 barrels per day because of the shutdown. Maritime administrators also sent a ship to the area after a belt of oil floated to the surface near a platform on the field on Friday. It did not describe the scale of the spill and said the ship was still investigating.

Liaodong Bay is linked to the bigger Bohai Bay where CNOOC and its US partner ConocoPhillips have been struggling with a spill in June that triggered government demands for tougher regulation of offshore oil operations.

The leak from the Conoco-operated Penglai 19-3 oilfield released less oil in three months than BP's Gulf of Mexico spewed out in a single day, but the response from Beijing was vehement.

(Sourced from Reuters)