China National Offshore Oil Company Limited (CNOOC Ltd.) announced Thursday that the company has discovered a new oilfield in north China's Bohai Bay.

Drill stem tests showed that the new oil field could produce an daily average of 1,700 barrels of oil and 400,000 cubic feet of natural gas via a 11.11-mm choke, according to a statement released on the company's Web site.

The new oilfield, dubbed as Qinhuangdao (QHD) 35-4, is in the central and northern part of the Bohai Bay, and about 38 kilometers west of another oilfield of the company's, QHD32-6.

The area in the Bohai Bay where the new oilfield is located is expected to significantly add to the company's reserves, said Zhu Weilin, executive vice president of CNOOC Ltd. and general manager of the Exploration Department.

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 August 14, 2009)