Nai Pyi Taw, Jan 30 (IANS): A crude oil port in Made island in Myanmar's western Rakhine state, jointly built by China and Myanmar, was put into service Friday.

The commissioning ceremony of Made Crude Oil Unloading Terminal and pre-commissioning of Southeast Asia Crude Oil Pipeline was attended by Myanmar's Minister of Energy U Zay Yar Aung, Rakhine state Chief Minister U Maung Maung Ohn, Chinese Ambassador Yang Houlan and general manager of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Liao Yongyuan, Xinhua news agency reported.

Made island port is the starting point of China-Myanmar crude oil pipeline.

The China-Myanmar crude oil pipeline (Myanmar section) was put into trial operation Wednesday after the project was announced basically completed through five years' efforts by the two sides, U Zay Yar Aung said at the ceremony Friday.

The 771-km crude oil pipeline is designed to transmit 22 million tonnes of crude oil per year, he said.

As the crude oil transmission is both for China and local sharing, the China-Myanmar oil and gas pipeline project would benefit Myanmar, creating job opportunities for residents and promoting socio-economic development, he said.

Liao Yongyuan, general manager of the CNPC, said the project would help promote bilateral cooperation in the energy sector and deep friendship between the two countries.

The China-Myanmar crude oil pipeline (Myanmar section) construction started in June 2010 and was completed in May 2014. It was jointly invested and built by the CNPC and Myanmar's state-run Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) with 50.9 percent and 49.1 percent share respectively.

The China-Myanmar natural gas pipeline, co-invested and cooperated by four countries -- China, Myanmar, South Korea and India -- and six parties, was inaugurated July 28, 2013, and put into operation.