China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) on Saturday announced that its offshore heavy oil thermal recovery has exceeded 5 million tonnes, establishing the country as the first in the world to achieve large-scale thermal extraction of offshore heavy oil.

The breakthrough highlights China's lead in overcoming key challenges associated with offshore heavy oil, including high viscosity, operational constraints on platforms and economic feasibility. In 2025 alone, China's offshore heavy oil thermal recovery has already topped 1.3 million tonnes, with annual output expected to reach 2 million tonnes.