China's offshore oilfield deploys drones on a large scale

In the Beibu Gulf, about 50 nautical miles from shore, the drone system project at the Weizhou 12-1 oilfield central platform officially went live on Saturday. This marks the first time China's offshore oilfields have deployed drones on a large scale, providing a practical model for integrating marine energy development with low-altitude drone operations.

The Weizhou 12-1 central platform handles crude oil processing and centralized export for 13 surrounding production platforms, supported by 18 subsea pipelines totaling 238 kilometers in length.

"With on-site drone inspections, we can transmit real-time footage back to our central control. Whether fishing boats are anchoring illegally or pipelines have minor leaks, we can monitor everything remotely," said Li Yanchuang, director of the Weizhou 12-1 oilfield at CNOOC Zhanjiang Company. "The drones have increased our inspection efficiency by 30 percent while reducing human safety risks on-site."

The Beibu Gulf offshore oilfield low-altitude economy demonstration zone has now rolled out drone operations across 41 offshore platforms and two onshore terminal plants, covering subsea pipeline inspections, logistics delivery, and emergency security tasks. Drones can rapidly inspect more than 500 kilometers of subsea pipelines from the air, quickly identify leaks or other anomalies, initiate emergency responses, and assist in search and rescue for uncontrolled vessels or personnel overboard.

"To date, we have inspected more than 3,600 kilometers of pipelines and deployed drones for small cargo and meal deliveries. By replacing tugboats and helicopters with our 'eyes in the sky' and 'air courier' system, we can save nearly 15 million yuan (about $2.2 million) annually in vessel rental and fuel costs and cut carbon emissions by 25,000 tonnes," said Meng Wenbo, manager of coordination at CNOOC Zhanjiang Company. "This truly achieves cost reduction, efficiency gains, and intelligent upgrades in offshore oil operations."