Abstract: The Beibuwan Basin serves as a crucial oil and gas production base in the northern South China Sea. During the 14^th Five-Year Plan period, exploration faced key challenges such as the enrichment mechanism and development technology for offshore shale oil, natural gas and buried-hill accumulation patterns in deep sags, differential enrichment of deep low-permeability reservoirs, and accurate identification of subtle traps. This paper systematically reviews theoretical advances and technological progress during this stage, with the following key achievements: an innovative “source-reservoir-migration” triple-coupling enrichment model for offshore shale oil was established, along with large-volume fracturing technology for confined offshore spaces, leading to China’s first breakthrough in offshore shale oil exploration and the subsequent discovery of the Weizhou 11-6 oilfield—the largest in the western South China Sea; a “lithofacies-paleogeomorphology-structure” triple-control mechanism for carbonate buried hills and a “high-maturity source-rock docking with overpressure charging” accumulation model for granite buried hills were developed, guiding a series of major discoveries in buried-hill and deep natural gas exploration in the Weixinan Sag; the mechanism of “source-ridge controlled migration, pervasive-sequential charging, and differential accumulation” was elucidated, promoting a breakthrough in deep low-permeability reservoirs in the Weixinan Low Uplift and adding over 25 million tons of oil-equivalent in proven reserves. These research outcomes mark a systematic shift in the basin’s exploration from conventional to unconventional resources, from shallow to deep layers, and from structural to structural-lithologic traps, significantly expanding the resource potential. Future efforts should focus on four key directions: source-reservoir coupled buried hills, mid-deep structural-lithologic traps, laminated/interbedded shale oil, and potential hydrocarbon-rich sags. Strengthening integrated theoretical and technological research will provide solid support for achieving large-scale reserve growth in the basin and ensuring national energy security.

Key words: Beibuwan Basin, “14^th Five-Year Plan”；exploration advances；development directions； shale oil；buried-hill；deep structural-lithologic