ISTANBUL

China announced Monday the discovery of a crude oil reserve estimated at 100 million tons in the northeastern part of the South China Sea, according to a statement from the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).

The reserve was located at the "Huicou 19-6" oil field, situated approximately 170 kilometers off the coast of Guangdong province in southern China. The field lies in waters averaging 100 meters in depth.

CNOOC said test drilling at the site yielded 413 barrels of oil and 68,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day.

The state-owned company emphasized that the newly discovered oil field is not located in a contested area of the South China Sea, noting that it falls entirely within China’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from its shoreline.