BEIJING -- China's oceanic authority on Friday refuted recent claims of a new oil spill in the Penglai 19-3 oilfield in Bohai Bay following headline-making contamination there in 2011.

Citing test results, the State Oceanic Administrative said the oil patches spotted in the nearby Changdao sea area recently belong to fuel oil, not crude oil.

Sightings of oil patches around Tuoji Island of Changdao county in east China's Shandong province had stirred suspicion of another oil spill from the Penglai 19-3 oilfield, according to reports.

Oil spills in the oilfield in June 2011 caused severe pollution in the sea. Operation at the site was suspended in September 2011 and resumed in February this year after modification measures.