China National Offshore Oil Corporation, which was recently accused of covering up a huge spill, is cleaning up another slick after a breakdown at a rig off the northeast coast, officials said Tuesday.

The oil giant is trying to contain the spill covering an area measuring one square kilometre (0.4 square miles) in Bohai Bay, the State Oceanic Administration said -- the third accident to hit CNOOC in recent weeks.

A small amount of oil leaked into the water after the Suizhong 36-1 field central control system broke down on Tuesday, it added.

In a statement, CNOOC said the leak was "minor", adding the remaining scattered oil sheen was expected to be cleaned up within the day.

CNOOC has been slammed by state media and green groups over a massive spill in the same area which was detected on June 4 but was only made public nearly a month later.

CNOOC said last week the 840-square-kilometre slick was "basically under control" while ConocoPhillips told reporters the leaks had been plugged.

But the oceanic administration said oil was still seeping into the sea at the weekend and ConocoPhillips China has been ordered to find and seal the leaking sources "as soon as possible", Chinese media reported Tuesday.

The June spill has caused alarm in neighbouring South Korea, which called on Beijing to swiftly provide information on the leaking rig.

"I think it would be conscientious of China to provide immediate information on the matter and possible outcomes to neighbouring nations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Byung-jae told reporters.

In a separate incident, a CNOOC refinery in the southern province of Guangdong caught fire early Monday but there were no casualties, the company said, adding the cause of the blaze was still under investigation.

The refinery is located about 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Daya Bay nuclear power plant, the official Xinhua news agency said.

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