China's largest offshore energy producer, National Offshore Oil Corporation, has reported a gas leak from one of its sub-sea pipelines in the South China Sea. Fisherman detected the leak on Monday. So far, no casualties or environmental damage have been reported.

China's largest offshore energy producer, National Offshore Oil Corporation, has reported a gas leak from one of its sub-sea pipelines in the South China Sea. Fisherman detected the leak on Monday.

The pipeline leak was found about 12 kilometers from CNOOC's Zhuhai Hengqin processing terminal. The cause is still under investigation, but the company suspended two offshore gas platforms, both in the South China Sea.

The pipeline is more than 200 kilometers long and with some areas as deep as 100 meters underwater.

They're focusing on releasing pressure in the pipeline; the work is expected to be finished Wednesday. The next step will be plugging the leak.

Gao Guangsheng, deputy head of CNOOC's Shenzhen Branch, said, "We immediately took emergency measures after the gas leak was detected, and the gas fields were shut down after our company was notified."

Fishermen have been told not to fish near the leak, and suspended gas fields could remain shut for up to two months.

No information has been released on how much gas has been leaked, but CNOOC's daily production of gas at the two offshore oil fields averages about 26-thousand barrels. Without this, Guangdong, China's most industry-driven province, could experience shortages.

This is CNOOC's third gas leaking case this year. The first was in June at the Baohai Bay, polluting more than 8-hundred square kilometers of water. The second was one month later, at the company's largest gas field in North China's Liaoning Province. The leak caused huge economic and environmental losses.

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