A domestically developed deep water semi-submersible oil production and storage facility weighing 100,000 tons arrived at a gas drilling field off the coast of South China's Hainan Province on Saturday and installation work started, marking another crucial step in China's deep sea oil exploration and production.

The project will supply one-quarter of the gas demand in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The station, named Deep Sea No.1, is said to be the world's largest. It was independently developed and built by China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC), China's largest offshore oil and gas producer.

Construction on Deep Sea No.1 started in May 2019. It was delivered on January 14 and traveled for 18 days to its destination at the Lingshui 17-2 gas field off Hainan, according to CNOOC.

The station represents a breakthrough for China in deep water oil and gas development, said You Xuegang, general manager of CNOOC's Lingshui 17-2 project group, in an article published by CNOOC on its official WeChat account.

The Lingshui 17-2 gas field is China's first self-operated deep water gas field, with operations reaching a depth of 1,500 meters on average, according to CNOOC.

"Deliveries from the Lingshui 17-2 gas field can guarantee one-quarter of the residents' gas demand in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. More gas fields in the South China Sea will be developed with the help of the Deep Sea No.1 energy station," You said.