ConocoPhillips China, the operator of two leaking oil platforms off Bohai Bay, said Monday that it has brought the new oil sources under control and cleaned up 99 percent of the leaked oil.
The North China Sea Branch of SOA said that it plans to file a lawsuit against ConocoPhillips China over the leak. [File photo]? |
In a statement, the U.S.-based energy company said that 12 of the 16 additional sources of leaks spotted last week have disappeared from Platform C of the Penglai 19-3 oilfield in Bohai Sea, and only two of the other four spots are still active.
ConocoPhillips also said they have cleaned up 399 cubic meters of oil-based mud as of Monday, which was 99 percent of the overall amount around Platform C. The company said it would finish the work by the Aug. 31 deadline set by the State Oceanic Administration.
An SOA official told China Daily last Thursday that 5,500 square kilometers of the bay was contaminated, of which 870 square kilometers was “seriously” polluted, meaning that it is unfit for swimming and aquatic farming.
The SOA North China Sea Branch also announced last week that it plans to file a lawsuit against ConocoPhillips China over the leak, which would be the first such move by a government body.