Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Cnooc Ltd., China's third-largest oil and gas producer, said the shutdown of a South China Sea gas pipeline last month won't cause the company to miss full-year production targets.

The pipeline was closed on Nov. 5, spokesman Xiao Zongwei said by telephone from Beijing today, confirming a report in the Shanghai Securities News.

The link, which carries gas to the southern province of Hainan, will resume operations within 40 to 50 days of its closure, the newspaper said, citing Chairman Fu Chengyu.

China, the biggest energy user after the U.S., is encouraging oil and gas producers to step up output to meet demand spurred by an economy that surged 11.5 percent in the third quarter of this year. Cnooc said in January it expects to pump between 162 million barrels and 170 million barrels of oil equivalent this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Winnie Zhu in Shanghai at wzhu4@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: December 7, 2007 01:45 EST