ConocoPhillips says Bohai Bay oil leak larger than expected

US oil firm ConocoPhillips (COP.NYSE) said that a spill off the coast of northeastern China may be worse than it had first estimated, AFP reported. The company was ordered by Chinese officials to clean up the sea bed by Sunday, but operations hit a snag. “During our cleanup operations in Bohai Bay, ConocoPhillips discovered additional oil-based drilling mud on the sea floor,” the firm said in a statement posted on its website. “Although the amount of the discovery is unknown, we anticipate that it will push the total amount of oil and oil-based drilling mud released past the previous estimate of 1,500 barrels.” The scope of the disaster has been shrouded in secrecy since the spill began; authorities took several weeks to even acknowledge the incident had occurred.