Beijing deploys new deepwater drilling rig in South China Sea
- ‘Ocean Oil 982’ is expected to search for crude oil at depths of up to 5,000 metres as nation seeks to reduce its dependence on foreign suppliers
- But accessing troubled waterway’s wealth of reserves will not be easy, expert says
The ‘Haiyang Shiyou 982’, or ‘Ocean Oil 982’, went into operation on Saturday in waters up to 3,000 metres (9,850 feet) deep, according to Chang An Jian, a social media account run by the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission.
The machine, which is China’s largest and most advanced of its kind, is expected to drill at depths of up to 5,000 metres, it said.
The report did not say where the rig had been positioned, but news of its deployment came as part of Beijing’s propaganda push ahead of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, which falls on Tuesday.
Beijing has been increasing its resource exploration efforts since 2016 in a bid to reduce its dependence on foreign suppliers for its crude oil.
Those concerns intensified last month after the government said it would impose punitive tariffs on US crude oil imports as part of its ongoing trade war, and the drone attack on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, which is China’s second-largest source of crude, after Russia.