China issues $269m fine for oil spill

　　China has issued its biggest fine for oil spill pollution, asking for Rmb1.7bn ($269m) from ConocoPhillips and Cnooc in compensation for environmental damage caused by oil seepage from their well in the Bohai Bay.

　　中国对溢油污染开出该国迄今数额最大的罚单，要求康菲(ConocoPhillips)和中海油(Cnooc)总计支付17亿元人民币（合2.69亿美元），以赔偿两家公司在渤海湾的油井溢油所造成的环境损害。

　　Lax environmental standards in the world’s second-largest economy have left China with chronic pollution and the Bohai Bay spill last summer was the first time Chinese authorities had publicly tackled an oil spill from an offshore well in Chinese waters.

　　中国是全球第二大经济体，但其松散的环保标准导致了长期的污染。去年夏天发生的渤海湾溢油事故，是中国官方首次公开处理中国水域海上油井的溢油。

　　The spill was very small relative to big oil spills such as Deepwater Horizon but served as a milestone for maritime authorities determined to prove their mettle following the Gulf of Mexico spill.

　　与“深水地平线”(Deepwater Horizon)那样的重大溢油事故相比，渤海湾溢油事故的规模要小得多；但对在BP墨西哥湾溢油事故发生后决心严格执法的中国海洋监管机构来说，渤海湾溢油事故是一块里程碑。

　　Regulators required a total shutdown of all wells on the block where the spill occurred, and ConocoPhillips and Cnooc have submitted a fresh proposal for developing the block that is still awaiting government approval.

　　监管机构当时要求，发生溢油的区块内的所有油井一律停产。康菲和中海油已递交了开发该区块的新方案，该方案仍在等待政府审批。

　　Under Friday’s agreement, ConocoPhillips will pay Rmb1.1bn to resolve environmental claims related to the spill, and a further Rmb113m to support environmental initiatives in Bohai Bay. ConocoPhillips was the operator of the wells when the spills occurred. Cnooc, Conoco’s partner with a 51 per cent stake in the block, will pay Rmb480m to support environmental initiatives in Bohai Bay.

　　根据周五达成的协议，康菲将支付11亿元人民币，赔偿本次溢油事故对海洋生态造成的损失，并将另行支付1.13亿元人民币，承担保护渤海环境的社会责任。本次溢油事故发生时，康菲是相关油井的作业方。拥有该区块51%权益的中海油作为康菲的合作伙伴，将支付4.8亿元人民币，承担保护渤海环境的社会责任。

　　The Bohai Bay is heavily polluted by industrial run-off from Beijing and Tianjin, and the deterioration of the bay has been a growing source of concern for Chinese leaders.

　　渤海湾受到京津工业废水的严重污染，渤海水质的恶化已日益引起中国领导人的担忧。

　　Oil analyst Gordon Kwan of Mirae Asset Securities said Chinese regulators were taking offshore oil pollution more seriously following the Deepwater Horizon incident.

　　韩国未来资产证券(Mirae Asset Securities)石油分析师关荣乐(Gordon Kwan)表示，“深水地平线”事故发生后，中国监管机构开始更加认真地对待海上石油污染。

　　“They don’t want that disaster to be repeated in China,” Mr Kwan said. “China is becoming a first-world country and they realise that aggressive production of energy cannot come at the cost of the environment.”

　　“他们不想让那样的灾难在中国重演，”关荣乐表示。“中国正在成为一个第一世界的国家，他们意识到，大力生产能源不能以环境为代价。”

　　China’s State Oceanic Administration said on Friday that “significant progress” had been made in oil spill compensation. The agency added that money from the fines would be used for purposes including ecological construction, environmental protection, restoring damaged marine life and monitoring the impact of the oil spill in Bohai Bay.

　　中国国家海洋局周五表示，溢油事故索赔工作已取得“重大进展”。该局补充称，罚款资金将用于渤海生态建设与环境保护、受损海洋生境修复、溢油对生态影响监测等。