The China National Offshore Oil Company Ltd. (CNOOC Ltd.) said Tuesday it has successfully drilled a new oil and gas field in East China's Bohai Bay.

The oilfield, JinZhou (JZ) 20-2N, is in the northeast of Liaodong Bay in the Bohai Sea, about four kilometers north of the JZ 20-2 gas field, the company said.

The exploratory drilling penetrated oil pay zones with total thickness of 33.4 meters to a depth of 3,720 meters, the company said. Water depth was about 16 meters.

The well test showed a flow at an average rate of 1,900 barrels of oil and 3.45 million cubic feet of natural gas a day, it said.

CNOOC Ltd. has made a series of discoveries this year, including Bozhong 2-1, Qinhuangdao 29-2 and JZ 20-2N, which will contribute to the company's mid-to-long term reserve growth, said Zhu Weilin, Executive Vice President of CNOOC Ltd. and general manager of the Exploration Department.

CNOOC Ltd. said it was appraising JZ 20-2N to determine its reserve scale and commercial potential.

Incorporated in Hong Kong, CNOOC Ltd. is a listed subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, China's largest offshore oil producer.

(Xinhua News Agency July 28, 2009)