Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier, has called for a fresh probe into the offshore oil spill at Penglai 19-3, the clearest sign yet of Beijing’s displeasure over the incident that has forced ConocoPhillips to shut down its largest oilfield in China.

　　中國國務院總理溫家寶要求對蓬萊19-3油田海上漏油事故進行徹底調查。這是迄今最為明顯的跡象，表明中國政府對這起事故感到不滿。該事故已迫使康菲石油(ConocoPhillips)關閉其在中國的最大油田。

　　The remarks from China’s cabinet underscore how the spill, though small in size, has caught the attention of top leaders at a time when environmental concerns are rising. For decades China’s economic boom has been accompanied by growing pollution, but this year officials have warned environmental degradation was a “bottleneck” for economic growth.

　　中國國務院的這番言論突顯出，這起漏油事故盡管規模較小，但在環境擔憂日益加重之際已引起最高層領導人的注意。幾十年來，中國的經濟熱潮一直伴隨著污染日趨嚴重的問題，但今年，政府官員警告稱，環境退化已成為經濟增長的“瓶頸”。

　　Earlier on Wednesday ConocoPhillips, the operator of Penglai 19-3, issued an unusual apology in a bid to smooth relations with Beijing.

　　周三早些時候，蓬萊19-3油田的運營商康菲石油發表了一份不同尋常的道歉聲明，以緩和與中國政府的關系。

　　“ConocoPhillips deeply regrets these incidents and apologises for the impact that the incidents have had on the Chinese people and the environment,” said James Mulva, chairman.

　　康菲石油董事長穆禮懷(James Mulva)表示：“康菲石油對于該事件的發生深表歉意，并就因此對中國人民和環境產生的影響表示道歉。”

　　ConocoPhillips would also set up a fund to address its “responsibilities” under Chinese law, the company said, without specifying how big the fund would be.

　　康菲石油表示，公司還將設立一只基金，旨在根據中國法律承擔自己的“責任”，但該公司沒有具體言明該基金的規模。

　　Hinting at possible legal battles to come, the State Council, or cabinet, urged that the legal rights of people affected by the spill be fully upheld. Analysts and industry executives have raised concerns over whether ConocoPhillips is being singled out by regulators for unusually harsh discipline because it is a foreign company.

　　中國國務院暗示未來可能會出現法律訴訟，并敦促應全面維護受到漏油事故影響的人們的合法權利。讓分析人士和業內高管感到擔憂的是：康菲石油被監管部門單獨挑出來予以異常嚴厲的懲罰，是否是因為它是一家外國公司。

　　ConocoPhillips has a 49 percent stake in the field and Cnooc, China’s offshore oil and gas company, has a 51 percent stake.

　　康菲石油擁有蓬萊19-3油田49%的權益，中國海上油氣企業中海油(CNOOC)擁有51%的權益。

　　After months of cleanup efforts, Chinese regulators ordered ConocoPhillips on Friday to shut down production at all seven drilling platforms of Penglai 19-3 and said the spills were caused by “negligence”. The regulators say that ConocoPhillips failed to meet an August 31 deadline to clean up the spill and prevent new leaks; ConocoPhillips says it complied with those orders in full.

　　在為期數月的清理工作后，中國監管部門上周五責令康菲石油停止蓬萊19-3油田全部7個鉆井平臺的生產作業，并表示此次漏油事故是由“疏忽大意”造成的。監管部門表示，康菲石油未能在8月31日的截止日期前清理干凈漏油并防止新的泄漏；康菲石油則表示自己全面遵守了這些要求。

　　The State Council said on Wednesday that the risk of further spills at Penglai 19-3 had not yet been eliminated, and called for tighter environmental controls in Bohai Bay, including tougher controls on petrochemical projects in the area.

　　中國國務院周三表示，蓬萊19-3油田的溢油隱患仍未徹底排除，并呼吁加強渤海灣的環境控制，包括嚴控該地區新上石化項目。

　　Like the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year, the spills at Penglai 19-3 seem poised to have a profound impact on China’s offshore oil and gas industry. However, the incidents are magnitudes apart in terms of scale: Deepwater Horizon released 4.9m barrels of oil into the sea, over a thousand times more than the Penglai spill, which leaked 3,200 barrels of oil and drilling mud.

　　與去年墨西哥灣的深水地平線(Deepwater Horizon)漏油事故一樣，蓬萊19-3油田的漏油事故似乎將對中國海上油氣行業產生深遠影響。然而，這兩起事故在規模上有著天壤之別：深水地平線事故導致490萬桶原油漏入海中，是蓬萊漏油事故的一千多倍——蓬萊事故導致3200桶原油和鉆井泥漿漏入海中。