Thayer Consultancy

Background Briefing:

ABN # 65 648 097 123

South China Sea: China

Redeploys HYSY 981 Oil
Drilling Platform
Carlyle A. Thayer
December 29, 2015
[client name deleted]
The China Maritime Safety Administration announced that the Haiyang Shiyou 981
oil drilling platform will operate in the South China Sea from December 28, 2015 to
February 10, 2016 at location 17-29.53 degrees N latitude and 110-57.18 degrees E
longitude.
Below are my questions:
Q1. What is your assessment of the China Maritime Safety Administrations
announcement that the Haiyang Shiyou 981 oil drilling platform will operate in the
South China Sea form 28/12/2015 to 10/2/2016?
ANSWER: The HYSY 981 is a very expensive oil drilling platform. It was estimated to
cost 6 billion renminbi to build. For commercial reasons China cannot leave this
platform idle. The location that the China Maritime Safety Administration announced
is to the north of the Paracel islands and lies to the southeast of Hainan island where
China has already issued oil exploration blocs. It lies on the Chinese side of a
hypothetical median line where Exclusive Economic Zones overlap between China
and Vietnam. On the face of it this is purely a commercial operation and is not
threatening to Vietnam in the way it was when the HYSY 981 was deployed in waters
off Triton Island in May-July last year.
Q2. What does China hope to achieve by deploying the Haiyang 981 into trhe South
China Sea just before 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam
convenes?
ANSWER: While it is true that the HD981 plans to deploy two and a half weeks before
the 12trh National Party Congress meets and stay on location nearly a week after the
congress concludes, on the basis of information at hand, there is no apparent direct
linkage between the deployment of the HYSY 981 and Vietnams 12th Congress,
scheduled for January 20-28. China is making every effort to win back trust in
Vietnam in order to prevent it from leaning towards the United States. If the HYSY
981 were deployed in a provocative manner it would be counter-productive and
provoke anti-China sentiment in Vietnam.
Q3. In your view, what will happen next?

2
Vietnams Ministry of Foreign Affairs will make a routine protest about the
deployment of the HYSY 981 as an infringement of Vietnamese sovereignty. At the
moment there should be no cause for alarm.

Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, South China Sea: China Redeploys HYSY 981
Oil Drilling Platform, Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, December 29, 2015. All
background briefs are posted on Scribd.com (search for Thayer). To remove yourself
from the mailing list type UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject heading and hit the Reply key.
Thayer Consultancy provides political analysis of current regional security issues and
other research support to selected clients. Thayer Consultancy was officially
registered as a small business in Australia in 2002.

DATA | Rig Detail: Hai Yang Shi You 981 | Rigzone

Energy News

Updates - Recruit

Login

Page 1 of 3

Search Jobs

Career Resources

Recruiters

Sign Up

Data Servic

DATA

Rig Data: Hai Yang Shi You 981

RIG UTILIZATION

Rig Name:

Hai Yang Shi You 981

Rig Manager:

China Oilfield Services Ltd.

Rig Owner:

CNOOC (NOC)

Competitive Rig:

No

Rig Type:

Semisub

Semisub

Generation:
Rig Design:

Chinese Drilling Institute

Rated Water Depth: 10,000 ft

Drilling Depth:

32,800 ft

RIG CONTRACT & OPERATING STATUS

RIG LOCATION

Operating Status:

Drilling

Region:

Asia - Far East

Operator:

CNOOC (NOC)

Country:

China

Current Water Depth: -Contract start date, day rate, date available, future
contract details, and more available via RigLogix.

Location start date, end date, well location, past and

future locations, and more available via RigLogix.

RIG CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

RIG EQUIPMENT

Classification:

ABS

Derrick:

Rig Design:

Chinese Drilling Institute

Built By:

Maritime Hydraulics;
Capacity: 2,000,000 lbs

Drawworks:

http://www.rigzone.com/data/offshore_drilling_rigs/1474/Semisub/China_Oilfield_Se... 30/12/2015

DATA | Rig Detail: Hai Yang Shi You 981 | Rigzone

Shanghai Waigaoqiao
Shipbuilding at the
Shanghai, China
shipyard
Delivery Year:

2011

Flag:

China

Construction costs, dimensions, capacities, and

dozens of other fields of data on each rig are available
via RigLogix.

Page 2 of 3

Maritime Hydraulics GH4500EG

Mud Pumps:

4x

Top Drive:

Maritime Hydraulics

FEATURED RIG

DDM-1000-AC
Rotary Table:
Detailed specs on each piece of rig equipment from
BOPs to Winches are available via RigLogix. More
than 100 searchable data points.

Manager:
Location:

http://www.rigzone.com/data/offshore_drilling_rigs/1474/Semisub/China_Oilfield_Se... 30/12/2015

'Lc ny Trung Quc s khng gy no

ng Bin ng'

17:11 29/12/2015

Trao i vi Zing.vn, Gio s Carl Thayer, Hc vin Quc phng Australia, cho rng gin khoan Hi Dng 981
m Trung Quc va ko ti Bin ng hin cha e da ch quyn Vit Nam.

Gin khoan Hi Dng

981. nh: AFP
- Cc Hi s Trung Quc va thng bo gin khoan bn chm Hi Dng 981 c ko ti khu vc c ta
17-29.53N, 110-57.18E v hot ng t ngy 28/12 n 10/2/2016. ng nhn nh nh th no v ng thi
ny?
- Gio s Carl Thayer: Hi Dng 981 l gin khoan rt t tin ca Trung Quc. Theo c tnh, Bc Kinh chi
khong 6 t nhn dn t (hn 925 triu USD) xy dng n. Xt trn phng din thng mi, Trung Quc s
khng th cng trnh ny nhn ri.
V tr h t gin khoan m Cc Hi s Trung Quc
thng bo hm 28/12 nm pha bc qun o Hong
Sa (thuc ch quyn ca Vit Nam nhng ang b
Trung Quc chim gi bt hp php PV) v pha
ng nam o Hi Nam, ni Trung Quc ang tin
hnh cc hot ng thm d du kh.
N nm bn pha Trung Quc nu xt theo ng
trung tuyn phn chia vng c quyn kinh t chng
ln gia Vit Nam v Trung Quc trn Vnh Bc B.
Trn phng din ny, gin khoan Hi Dng 981
ca Trung Quc ch n thun thc hin cc hot
ng thng mi v khng e da ti ch quyn ca
Vit Nam nh thi im n xut hin ngoi khi o
Tri Tn t thng 5 n thng 7 nm ngoi.

Chia s
Gio s Carl Thayer, chuyn gia v Bin ng. nh: Getty

2
- Chun c L K Lm, nguyn Gim
c Hc vin Hi qun: Theo ta trn hi
, gin khoan Hi Dng 981 ang nm
cch ng Bc o Ph Lm, thuc qun o
Hong Sa ca Vit Nam, khong 55 hi l,
trong khi , n cch o Hi Nam ca Trung
Quc n 150 hi l.
Hnh ng ca Trung Quc c nguy c e
da tha thun gia lnh o hai nc, v
vic khng to cng thng trn bin.

Chia s
Chun c L K Lm. nh: Tui tr
- Theo ng, Trung Quc c la chn thi im ko Hi Dng 981 vo khu vc?
- Gio s Carl Thayer: Vi nhng thng tin hin c, ti khng ngh c mi lin h no gia vic Hi Dng 981
hot ng trn Bin ng vi cc s kin quan trng ca Vit Nam.
thi im hin ti, Trung Quc ang n lc ginh li nim tin t pha Vit Nam v ngn chn nhng nh
hng t pha M. Nu Trung Quc ko Hi Dng 981 ti nhm khiu khch, mi iu h mong mun s phn
tc dng v gy nn tm l chng Trung Quc Vit Nam.
- Chun c L K Lm: Ti ngh l c, nu xt t lch s ni khng i i vi lm ca nc ny. Quan h
hai bn va tt ln sau chuyn thm ca Ch tch Quc hi Nguyn Sinh Hng...
- ng d on th no v nhng din bin tip theo?
- Gio s Carl Thayer: Ti cho rng, thi im hin ti, ng thi ca Trung Quc s khng gy no ng.
Vit Nam c th phn ng thng qua cc thng bo ca B Ngoi giao.
- Chun c L K Lm: Chng ta cn theo di cht ch. Nu h a gin khoan vo vng c quyn kinh
t ca Vit Nam, cn pht ng nhn dn u tranh, ng thi huy ng cc lc lng chp php trn bin nh
cnh st bin, kim ng, ng dn vo cuc.
Cn vch r cho th gii thy hnh ng sai tri ca Trung Quc v huy ng cng lun ln n nh nhng g ta
tng lm trong v gin khoan nm ngoi.
Chun c L K Lm (sinh nm 1935) l tng lnh cp cao trong Qun i Nhn dn Vit Nam, hm
Chun c. ng l Nh gio nhn dn, ph gio s, tin s, nguyn Gim c Hc vin Hi qun, ng kim
Ch tch Hi Khoa hc - K thut v Kinh t Bin TP HCM.
Gio s Carl Thayer l nh nghin cu khoa hc x hi ni ting. ng c bit n qua cc nghin cu v n
phm v chnh tr Vit Nam v cc vn an ninh ng Nam . ng hin l chuyn gia v Bin ng ti Hc
vin Quc phng Australia.

Gin khoan Hi Dng 981 li vo Bin ng

Cc Hi s Trung Quc thng bo gin khoan bn chm Hi Dng 981 s khoan thm d khu vc c ta
17-29.53N, 110-57.18E t ngy 28/12 n 10/2/2016.

Hng Duy - Hi Anh (thc hin)