Officials ask for more info ahead of drilling

Environment Minister Mok Mareth yesterday asked China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) to provide more details on the environmental impact of its project, though he said that exploration for oil and gas would likely begin later this month. At a meeting at the Ministry of Environment, government officials voiced concerns that the government would be liable in the case of an oil spill from the drilling of an exploratory well 37km southwest off the coast of Sihanoukville. They also said that CNOOC must cooperate more closely with the Fisheries Administration, show proof of oil spill insurance and provide estimated statistics on emissions… Also speaking at the meeting, Nam Linal, deputy secretary general of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, called on CNOOC to clarify who would be responsible for an oil spill in its Environmental Impact Assessment…