China National Offshore Oil Corporation

China National Offshore Oil Corporation, or CNOOC Group (Chinese: 中国海洋石油总公司 Pinyin: Zhōngguó Háiyáng Shíyóu Zǒnggōngsī), is a major national oil company in China. It is the third-largest national oil company in the People's Republic of China, after CNPC (parent of PetroChina) and China Petrochemical Corporation (parent of Sinopec). The CNOOC Group focuses on the exploitation, exploration and development of crude oil and natural gas in offshore China.

The company is owned by the government of the People's Republic of China, and the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) assumes shareholder rights and obligations on the government's behalf. One subsidiary, CNOOC Limited, is listed on the Hong Kong exchange; the other, China Oilfield Services, is listed on the Hong Kong and New York exchanges.

History

When the State Council implemented the regulation of the people's petroleum resources in cooperation with foreign enterprises on January 30, 1982, CNOOC was incorporated and authorized to assume overall responsibility for the exploitation of oil and gas resources of offshore China in cooperation with foreign partners, which ensured monopoly status for CNOOC in offshore oil and natural gas. With its headquarters in Beijing, CNOOC registered with capital of RMB 94.9 billion and has more than 98,750 employees.

CNOOC Limited

CNOOC Limited (中国海洋石油有限公司) is China’s largest producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas. It is a major subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and has been listed in Hong Kong SEHK: 0883 and in New York NYSE: CEO since February 2001. It was admitted as a constituent stock of the Hang Seng Index in July 2001. In September 2013 it was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange following its acquisition of Canadian oil and gas company Nexen Inc.

Operations

Its core domestic operation areas are in Bohai, the South China Sea, and the East China Sea. Internationally, it has oil and gas assets in Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and Oceania.

As of December 31, 2011, the CNOOC Limited owned net proven reserves of approximately 3.19 billion barrel of oil equivalent (BOE), and its average daily net production was 909,000 BOE.

Competition in China

CNOOC Ltd's parent, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), is the third largest of the "Big Three" Chinese oil companies, and traditionally specialised in offshore upstream exploration and production, whereas CNPC Group specialised in onshore upstream exploration and production, and Sinopec Group specialised in refining and marketing. These distinctions are now increasingly blurred as the three companies compete in all areas. All of the "Big Three" have vested the majority of revenue producing assets in listed Hong Kong subsidiaries. CNPC into PetroChina, Sinopec Group into Sinopec Limited, and CNOOC Group into CNOOC Limited.