1. China’s environment ministry has accepted for review an environmental-impact report for the Baodao 21-1 deepwater gas-field cluster in the South China Sea, but the document fails to address risks to sperm whales, a nationally protected species. A review by Caixin found no reference to sperm whales in the report, despite the project area overlapping with known whale habitat. [para. 1][para. 5]
2. The project, led by CNOOC’s Hainan branch, is located in the Qiongdongnan Basin about 115 kilometers off Hainan Island, in water depths of 660 to 1,570 meters. It is China’s first large deepwater, deep-formation natural-gas field with proven reserves exceeding 50 billion cubic meters. Facilities include a central processing platform, an 18-megawatt power platform, three subsea production systems and 22 development wells. [para. 2][para. 12][para. 13]
3. The basin is a confirmed habitat for sperm whales, which use nearby waters as a breeding and nursery area. Field surveys since 2019 have recorded multiple groups, including nursery groups with juveniles, indicating a stable resident population. The closest recorded sperm whale sighting is less than 30 nautical miles from the gas field, well within the whales’ normal activity range. [para. 3][para. 21][para. 22][para. 23][para. 24][para. 25][para. 26][para. 27][para. 28]
4. Experts warn that increased ship traffic, drilling, piling and seismic airgun activity could expose whales to collision risks and harmful underwater noise, which may disrupt behavior, damage hearing, or cause strandings. The report instead identifies fish spawning grounds as the main ecological-protection targets, without considering cetaceans. [para. 4][para. 33][para. 34][para. 35][para. 36]
5. Whale specialists and advocates urge CNOOC and regulators to supplement the report with dedicated cetacean surveys and assessments, explicitly designate sperm whales as sensitive targets, and use internationally recognized methods. They recommend measures such as soft-start procedures for noisy equipment, real-time acoustic monitoring, speed limits, and avoiding construction during peak breeding seasons. [para. 37][para. 38][para. 39][para. 40][para. 41][para. 42]
6. The area around the Xisha and Zhongsha islands, including the Qiongdongnan Basin, meets IUCN criteria for an Important Marine Mammal Area, with at least 17 cetacean species recorded. Researchers recommend establishing protection with sperm whales as the flagship target, as current oil-and-gas expansion could have cumulative effects. Environmental advocates say regional planning-level assessments should be required. [para. 44][para. 45][para. 49][para. 50][para. 52]
7. Protective practices exist elsewhere: for a pipeline project in the Beibu Gulf, the environment ministry required scheduling to avoid Bryde’s whale activity periods and stop-work rules if whales are sighted. CNOOC and CNPC have also used passive acoustic monitoring and soft-start airgun procedures in overseas operations to minimize noise impact on marine mammals. [para. 54][para. 55][para. 59][para. 60]
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