What CNOOC International does

CNOOC International is the international upstream division of CNOOC Limited, China's largest producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas. Operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of CNOOC Limited (publicly listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under 00857 and on the NYSE under CEO), the company explores for, develops, and produces crude oil, natural gas, and LNG from a diversified portfolio of conventional offshore, unconventional, and LNG assets spanning more than 20 countries across the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Major operated and non-operated assets include the Buzzard, Golden Eagle, and Scott area fields in the UK North Sea, the Stabroek Block (25% working interest) offshore Guyana, the OML130 block containing Akpo, Egina and Usan offshore Nigeria, the Long Lake SAGD oil sands operation in Alberta, the Mero field in the Brazilian Santos Basin pre-salt, the Tangguh LNG project in Indonesia, and the North West Shelf project in Australia.

The company's underlying technology stack centers on deepwater floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) systems — including the Appomattox four-column hull platform with 125,000 metric tons displacement designed for 30-year operation — subsea production systems moored in water depths exceeding 1,900 meters, and Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) for Canadian oil sands with a 72,000 bbls/d bitumen capacity at Long Lake. Operational scale is documented by 18 exploration discoveries in the Stabroek Block since 2015 and Liza Phase 1 being brought on stream only five years after discovery versus a typical 7–8 year industry benchmark.

CNOOC International's revenue mechanics are straightforward upstream commodity sales: crude oil and natural gas are sold directly to refineries, energy trading companies, and LNG offtake partners at market prices tied to global benchmarks (Brent crude, Henry Hub natural gas), with selected volumes committed under long-term supply agreements including LNG deliveries into CNOOC Group's own Fujian and Dapeng terminals in China. The company serves two principal segments: the global oil and gas industry (refiners, traders, integrated energy companies) and host governments seeking production partnerships, energy security, and local content development. Following the 2022 integration of the former Nexen Energy subsidiary into the CNOOC International brand, the company operates through wholly-owned entities including CNOOC Petroleum Europe Limited (UK), CNOOC Petroleum North America ULC (Canada), CNOOC Energy U.S.A. LLC, CNOOC Australia Investment Holdings, and a network of regional operating subsidiaries across Latin America, Africa, and Asia Pacific.

Name

CNOOC International

Legal name

CNOOC International Ltd.

Website

https://cnoocinternational.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

CNOOC International is the international upstream division of CNOOC Limited, operating a diversified portfolio of offshore oil, gas, and LNG assets across more than 20 countries. It produces crude and natural gas from world-class fields including Stabroek (Guyana), Buzzard (UK), Akpo/Egina (Nigeria), and Long Lake (Canada), selling to global refiners, traders, and LNG offtakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Crude Oil Sales: Revenue from production and sale of crude oil from offshore fields including Buzzard (UK), Golden Eagle (UK), Liza (Guyana), Payara (Guyana), Akpo/Egina (Nigeria), and oil sands operations in Canada
2. Natural Gas and LNG Sales: Revenue from natural gas production and LNG sales including Tangguh LNG in Indonesia and North West Shelf project in Australia

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CNOOC International is the international upstream oil and gas arm of CNOOC Limited, engaged in the exploration, development, production, and sale of crude oil, natural gas, and LNG across assets in the North Sea, offshore West Africa, Latin America (Guyana, Brazil), North America, Australia, and Indonesia. The company focuses on offshore and deepwater hydrocarbon resource extraction and monetizes output through long-term offtake contracts and spot sales.

Product overview

CNOOC International is the international division of CNOOC Limited, one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the world and China's largest offshore crude oil and natural gas producer. The company operates a diverse upstream oil and gas portfolio comprising conventional offshore fields (Buzzard, Golden Eagle, Scott in the UK; Akpo, Egina, Usan in Nigeria; Liza, Payara, Mero developments internationally), unconventional assets (oil sands SAGD operations in Canada; shale gas in British Columbia and Colombia; Eagle Ford and Powder River Basin in the US), and LNG operations (Tangguh in Indonesia, North West Shelf in Australia). The portfolio spans operations in over 20 countries across Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. As part of the CNOOC Group spanning the entire energy supply chain, CNOOC International's business is focused on safely exploring and producing from conventional and unconventional assets to deliver sustainable energy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crude Oil Crude oil produced from offshore and onshore upstream assets, sold to international refineries, national oil companies, and trading firms under term contracts and benchmark-linked pricing.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

32 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Adura Operations LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 29.89% interest in Buzzard field, one of the UK's highest-producing fields located approximately 100 km northeast of Aberdeen
• Chrysaor Production UK Limited (Harbour Energy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 21.73% interest in Buzzard field as part of Harbour Energy
• ONE-Dyas UK LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 5.16% interest in Buzzard field
• EnQuest Heather LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 26.69% interest in Golden Eagle field, located approximately 111 km northeast of Aberdeen, UK
• NEO NEXT+ Energy (ZEX) LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 31.56% interest in Golden Eagle field
• Serica Energy GEAD & Catcher LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 5.21% interest in Golden Eagle field
• Dana Petroleum E&P LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 20.64% interest in Scott field and 13.08% interest in Ettrick field
• Energean UK LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 10.47% interest in Scott field and 15.65% interest in Telford field
• Waldorf Operations LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 21.84% interest in Scott, 1.59% in Telford, and 20.71% in Rochelle fields
• BP Exploration Operating Company LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperator of Farragon field, holding 80% interest, with CNOOC holding 20% as non-operated partner
• ExxonMobilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperator with 45% working interest in Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana. CNOOC holds 25% working interest. Recoverable resources estimated over 8 billion BOE
• Hess CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 30% working interest in Stabroek Block, offshore Guyana. 18 discoveries made in the block since 2015
• Total Upstream Nigeria LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperator with 24% working interest in OML130 block containing Akpo, Egina, Egina South and Preowei fields. CNOOC holds 45% interest
• Prime Oil and GascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 16% working interest in OML130 block, Nigeria
• South Atlantic Petroleum LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 15% working interest in OML130 block, Nigeria
• Esso E&P Nigeria (Offshore East) LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperator of Usan field development. Nexen Petroleum Nigeria Limited (subsidiary of CNOOC) holds 20% working interest
• Total E&P Nigeria LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Usan field development
• Chevron Petroleum Nigeria LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Usan field development
• Total E&P UgandacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 33.3% interest in Exploration Areas EA1/1A, EA2 and Kingfisher in Uganda. CNOOC also holds 33.3%
• Tullow OilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 33.3% interest in Exploration Areas EA1/1A, EA2 and Kingfisher in Uganda. CNOOC operates the Kingfisher production license
• BPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperator of Tangguh LNG project, the second largest LNG project in Indonesia, consisting of three LNG production trains
• Husky Energy (now part of Cenovus)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 40% interest in Husky CNOOC Madura Limited (HCML) which operates the BD gas field project in Madura Strait block
• Samudra EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 20% interest in Husky CNOOC Madura Limited (HCML) operating the BD gas field project
• WoodsidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperator of North West Shelf project, Australia's largest natural gas production development accounting for more than 20% of Australia's LNG production. CNOOC holds 5.3% working interest
• China LNG Joint Venture (CLNG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNOOC holds 25% working interest in CLNG, established to supply LNG to the Dapeng LNG Terminal in Guangdong, China from NWS project
• SONATRACHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 51% interest and is operator of Hassi Bir Rekaiz project, located onshore in northeastern Algeria
• PTT Exploration and Production Public Company LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolds 24.5% interest and is operator of Hassi Bir Rekaiz project in Algeria. CNOOC holds 24.5%
• BHPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperator of Greater Angostura field in Trinidad. CNOOC holds 12.5% working interest in 2C block and 17.12% in 3A block
• PNG Energy LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNOOC holds 70% ownership through its position in three Petroleum Prospect Licenses in Papua New Guinea - two offshore deepwater licenses covering 25,000 sq km and one onshore block operated by subsidiary GINI Energy Limited
• Republic of the Congo GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNOOC holds 45% operated position in Haute Mer A block, offshore Republic of the Congo
• Greenfire Resources Operating CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperator of Hangingstone oil sands project in which CNOOC has interest
• SyncrudecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNOOC has interest in Syncrude's oil sands mining upgrading facility in Canada

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Chevron: Partner in Usan field offshore Nigeria and currently acquiring Hess Corporation (which holds 30% in Stabroek). As a global supermajor, Chevron's bid for Hess signals consolidation pressure affecting CNOOC's key partner landscape.
• BP: Operator of Tangguh LNG in Indonesia (CNOOC holds 13.9%) and Usan field partner in Nigeria. As a supermajor with extensive international offshore and LNG assets, BP provides broad-incumbent benchmarking for CNOOC's LNG strategy and Africa exposure.
• ExxonMobil: Operator of Stabroek Block (45% interest), the largest asset in CNOOC's portfolio. As the world's largest supermajor with extensive international offshore E&P, ExxonMobil is the natural incumbent comparable for benchmarking CNOOC's portfolio quality and execution capability.
• Shell: Global supermajor with extensive deepwater offshore operations, LNG portfolio, and Africa/Eurasia exposure that directly overlaps with CNOOC's geographic and operational footprint. Provides benchmark for portfolio diversification and energy transition strategy.
• TotalEnergies: Operator of OML130 (Nigeria, including Akpo/Egina) and 33.3% partner in Uganda. As a global supermajor with deepwater and LNG operations, it directly intersects CNOOC's portfolio through partnerships in two of CNOOC's major regions.

Direct peers

• Hess Corporation: Holds 30% in Stabroek Block alongside CNOOC's 25%, giving both companies aligned exposure to Guyana growth. Hess is a US-based pure-play E&P with comparable offshore development focus and asset-base scale.
• Woodside Energy: Australia's largest independent E&P, partner with CNOOC in North West Shelf JV and comparable mid-cap international offshore + LNG producer. Both companies hold non-operated Australian LNG interests and pursue offshore developments globally, with similar scale and asset profiles.
• Petrobras: Brazilian integrated oil major operating pre-salt deepwater in the Santos Basin, including the Mero field where CNOOC holds a stake. Comparable focus on ultra-deepwater FPSO developments and national oil company structure with state backing.
• Equinor: Norway's state-backed international E&P with deep offshore expertise and global asset portfolio. Directly comparable as an internationally diversified upstream operator with FPSO/subsea production competence and offshore deepwater operational track record.
• Tullow Oil: Holds 33.3% in Uganda EA1/1A and Kingfisher blocks alongside CNOOC (33.3%) and Total. Tullow is a comparable mid-size international E&P with a portfolio weighted toward African and Atlantic frontier developments, similar to CNOOC's Ugandan operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cnooc-international

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CNOOC International