China has discovered the world's first large, ultra-shallow gas field in ultra-deep waters southeast of south China's Hainan Province, according to report from the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) on Wednesday.
Due to its rare properties and large size, the discovery of Lingshui 36-1 gas field is a major breakthrough in the offshore oil and gas exploration theory, while filling a global technological gap in this field.
The Lingshui 36-1 gas field is located in the Qiongdongnan Basin southeast of the Hainan Island. Lying about 1,500 meters below the sea surface, the gas layer has an average burial depth of about 210 meters. It is a typical ultra-shallow gas reservoir in ultra-deep waters. So far, its original gas in place (OGIP) has been estimated at more than 100 billion cubic meters.
Shallow gas is widely distributed on the seafloor, but it is not easy to be enriched under the influence of external disturbance factors such as ocean currents due to its shallow burial depth. Therefore for a long time, it has been considered to have no value for exploitation.
"Facing the technological gaps in the offshore drilling industry, we have independently constructed a complete safe and efficient drilling and testing technology system for and ultra-shallow gas field in ultra-deep waters by focusing on key issues such as how to overcome the challenges of under ultra-deep waters and ultra-shallow layer, how to ensure the quality and quantity of drilling holes, and how to carry out safety tests," said Wu Yanhui, Lingshui 36-1 project manager of China National Offshore Oil Corporation Hainan Branch
The CNOOC is one of China's three biggest oil companies. It is estimated that the OGIP of the Yinggehai, Qiongdongnan and Zhujiangkou basins in the northern part of the South China Sea is more than one trillion cubic meters.
China discovers world's 1st large, ultra-shallow gas field in ultra-deep waters
Heavy winter rains and rising tides have worsened the plight of displaced Palestinians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, with families on the beach west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza losing their homes to the floodwaters and struggling to find shelter and basic necessities.
Umm Ahmed, a displaced resident, recounted how rising waves nearly drowned her children and destroyed their tent and belongings, leaving her family without shelter.
"Our children (girls) were covered by water. Our tent is destroyed. Everything is gone. We are here by the sea, the tent fell on us. The waves rose and the water rushed in. Our neighbors took our children to their tents in higher places. Since the morning, my son and I have been taking all our belongings out of the tent. There are no clothes left for the children, no bedding, no clothes. There is no place for us. We had moved to the beach. Where do we go now? May God punish Israelis for what they did to us. They tortured us, we can't sleep. We can't even settle. We have no food nor drink. The prices are very high. Our children go to sleep hungry. [We can only say:] Thank God for everything," she said.
Jamil Dhahir, another displaced resident, lamented the dire conditions where his family, separated when fleeing the waves, is now struggling with illness, lack of sleep and uncertainty about where to go next.
"They told us to move to this 'safe area', and as you can see, we were all harmed. Where do we go? We were in the camp east of Khan Younis before and later moved here. Where shall we go next? Our children and women are all sick. We haven't slept since yesterday. We fled the waves at night and the children went with their mothers to another camp to the east of here, while I stayed here," he said.
In a social media post on Monday, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said the recent rains have already caused immense hardship for Gazans, with a half million people at risk of flooding.
"The situation will only get worse with every drop of rain, every bomb, every strike," the agency said.
According to a statement released Wednesday by Gaza-based health authorities, the Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza had risen to 44,282, with 104,880 injured.
Winter rains compound suffering for displaced Palestinians in war-torn Gaza
