China deploys new drilling rig to East China Sea

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported that China has sent a new drilling rig to explore in the East China Sea, where China and Japan are in dispute over islands that Tokyo calls Senkaku and Beijing calls Diaoyu.

A drilling rig of China Oilfield Services.

According to the newspaper, the new rig is the Kaixuan-1, built by shipbuilding company Cosco Shipyard.

It is not yet clear where Kaixuan-1 will be deployed, nor is it clear whether the new rig's drilling area will be near the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.

Cosco Shipyard said the rig was handed over to China Oilfield Services on July 17. China Oilfield Services is a subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil.

In 1995, China announced that it had discovered an undersea natural gas field (Chunxiao) and that it was within China's exclusive economic zone. However, Japan claimed that Chunxiao was within its exclusive economic zone.

In 2008, the two countries agreed to jointly develop Chunxiao, but no further progress has been made so far.

Cosco Shipyard said in a statement that Kaixuan-1 had a smooth start, despite the challenge of the rig being toppled in a storm.

The rig can drill to a depth of 5,200m, Cosco Shipyard said in a statement.

Japan and China are locked in a bitter dispute over the sovereignty of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. The risk of military confrontation is increasing as both countries send ships and aircraft to the area.

In recent years Beijing has caused tensions with neighboring countries over maritime sovereignty issues, including the Philippines and Vietnam in the East Sea.

In May, China escalated tensions by deploying the Haiyang Shiyou 981 drilling rig deep into Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. China’s move sparked strong reactions not only from Vietnam but also from the international community, including the US and Japan. The rig was withdrawn in mid-July, a month ahead of schedule, with China declaring that the exploration drilling operation had been completed.

According to Dan Tri