Vietnam, China embroiled in South China Sea standoffAn aerial view of Southwest Cay, also known as Pugad Island, controlled by Vietnam and part of the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea.
REUTERS
UPDATED 17 JULY, 2019
https://www.todayonline.com/world/vietnam-china-embroiled-south-china-sea-standoff-0HANOI — Vietnamese and Chinese ships have been embroiled in a weeks-long standoff near an offshore oil block in disputed waters of the South China Sea, which fall within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone, two Washington-based think-tanks said on Wednesday (July 17).
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The Haiyang Dizhi 8, a ship operated by the China Geological Survey, on Monday (July 15) completed a 12-day survey of waters near the disputed Spratly Islands, according to separate reports by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS).
One of the oil blocks it surveyed is licensed by Vietnam to Spanish energy firm Repsol, which was forced last year and in 2017 to cease operations in Vietnamese waters because of pressure from China.
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In a separate incident days earlier, the China Coast Guard ship Haijing 35111 manoeuvred in a "threatening manner" towards Vietnamese vessels servicing a Japanese-owned oil rig, the Hakuryu-5, leased by
Russian state oil firm Rosneft in Vietnam's Block 06.1, 370 km (230 miles) southeast of Vietnam.
That block is within the area outlined by China's "nine-dash line". A series of dashes on Chinese maps, the line is not continuous, making China's claims often ambiguous.
Last year, Reuters exclusively reported that Rosneft Vietnam BV, a unit of Rosneft, was concerned that its drilling in Block 06.1 would upset China.
"On July 2 the vessels were leaving the Hakuryu-5 when the 35111 manoeuvred between them at high speed, passing within 100 metres of each ship and less than half a nautical mile from the rig," CSIS said in its report.
It was not clear on Wednesday if any Chinese ships were still challenging the Rosneft rig.
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On Tuesday (July 16), Vietnam's foreign ministry released a statement in response to unspecified "recent developments" in the South China Sea.
"Without Vietnam's permission, all actions undertaken by foreign parties in Vietnamese waters have no legal effect, and constitute encroachments in Vietnamese waters, and violations of international law," foreign ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said.
Neither statements confirmed or elaborated on the standoff.
Neither Rosneft nor Repsol immediately responded to an emailed request from Reuters for comment.
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About the Hakuryu-5
Rosneft starts drilling operation off Vietnam using JDC rigRussian oil company Rosneft has started a drilling operation offshore Vietnam using a JDC offshore drilling rig.
https://www.offshoreenergytoday.com/rosneft-starts-drilling-operation-off-vietnam-using-jdc-rig/The news was shared on Monday by the Japanese offshore drilling contractor JDC, which said Rosneft had started the drilling operation on Sunday, May 12, offshore Vung Tau, Vietnam.
JDC said that Rosneft was using its semi-submersible drilling rig HAKURYU-5 for the drilling operation. The offshore driller did not provide further info on Rosneft’s drilling operation.
According to data on Rosneft’s website, the Russian oil company is engaged in gas and condensate production projects on two offshore Vietnam blocks Block 06.1 and Block 05.3/11, and is also a participant of The Nam Con Son Pipeline project.
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