China sends deep-water drilling rig to the East Sea

On the morning of April 30, a modern Chinese deep-water drilling rig set off for the East Sea. The location of the rig is currently unknown.

According to Xinhua, the Xingwang drilling rig belonging to the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) left the port in Yantai City, Shandong Province, en route to the East Sea. However, the news agency did not specify the specific location of the drilling rig.

The Hung Vuong rig was installed by CIMC Raffles, a joint venture between China and Singapore, and transferred to CNOOC in November 2014.

Hung Vuong, one of many deep-water drilling rigs that China has recently equipped. Photo: Sina

This rig is considered to have reached the leading technical level of Singapore and Korea, with the ability to operate at the deepest water level of up to 1,500 meters and the depth of the exploratory well reaching 7,600 meters.

The Hung Vuong rig has a payload of 5,000 tons, enough space for 130 people to operate on the rig. In addition, the rig's special dynamic positioning system can ensure normal operation in level 12 storm conditions in the East Sea.

According to Sina, to prepare for this operation in the East Sea, CIMC Raffles previously made technical adjustments to ensure the rig could directly drill wells after arriving.

In January, Chinese media reported that the Haiyang Shiyou 981 deep-water drilling rig was moving in the East Sea to Myanmar for two weeks of operations. This is the same rig that China towed to and placed near the Paracel Islands, within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in May 2014, causing strong reactions from many sides.

According to the Convention on the Law of the Sea, foreign ships and vessels have the right to freedom of navigation in the exclusive economic zone of a coastal state, if such navigation does not interfere with the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the coastal state.

According to Vnexpress