CNOOC Ltd, China's top offshore oil and gas producer, said it has made 10 new oil and gas discoveries so far this year, and nine of them were discovered independently.

They included three which were discovered in the second half, while the Weizhou11-2 field "contains a big potential," CNOOC said in a statement yesterday.

The company also said it had made successful appraisals on seven oil and gas structures.

Zhou Shouwei, president of the firm, said the 10 new discoveries "have brought a satisfactory return to the company."

(Shanghai Daily November 23, 2007)