Reuters 21 Aug 09;
SYDNEY (Reuters) - An oil leak off Australia's western coast has sparked the evacuation of dozens of workers from a rig, the operator PTTEP Australasia said Friday.
The size of the spill is not known, but about 40 barrels of oil were discharged from the wellhead in an incident, rig operator PTTEP Australasia, a unit of Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production PCL, said in a statement.
The spill occurred at a mobile offshore drilling unit West Atlas in the Timor Sea, which is owned by Norway's SeaDrill Ltd , it said. The leak includes condensate, an extra light grade of crude oil.
Weather and sea conditions in the area remained calm and the spill was likely to be carried away from the Australian coast, the statement added.
A national clean-up plan has been activated to deal with the incident on the offshore drilling rig at the Montara development, about 250 km (155 miles) off the far north Kimberley coast and 150 km south-east of the Ashmore Reef, the statement said.
"PTTEP is continuing planning to determine how the leak can be brought under control so the West Atlas can be safely re-boarded and begun to be restored to working order," it added.
None of the 69 people on board the rig was injured in the incident and all were evacuated, the statement added.
(Reporting by Denny Thomas; editing by James Jukwey)
Australia deploys aircraft to break up oil slick
Reuters 21 Aug 09;
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia mobilized aircraft on Saturday to try to break up a growing oil slick off its northwestern coast as it struggled to stop a well gushing oil into the sea.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said 50 tons of dispersant were being prepared to try and contain the spill from a rig in the Timor Sea. A Hercules aircraft was being flown in from Singapore, and two back-up planes readied.
"This leak has occurred in one of the remotest locations possible, making any operation difficult," the rescue agency, which is coordinating the clean-up operation, said in a statement.
It was too early to determine the full impact, it said.
Rig operator PTTEP Australasia, a unit of Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production PCL, has said that 40 barrels of oil leaked in the initial incident on Friday.
However, the well was still gushing oil on Saturday and emergency services said stopping it was a priority.
"AMSA is working with the company and has stressed the urgency to repair the well head and stop the oil flow and PTTEP has initiated actions to achieve this," the statement said.
The slick has reached 8 km (5 miles) in length, one of 69 employees evacuated from the rig told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio on Saturday.
Plans were for aircraft to begin spraying the slick later on Saturday.
The spill began on Friday at the West Atlas mobile offshore drilling unit, which is owned by Norway's SeaDrill Ltd.
Australia's official overseer for the petroleum industry, the National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (NOPSA), is investigating the incident.
A national clean-up plan has been activated to deal with the spill, which occurred at the Montara development, a project that is due to come on stream later this year.
The location has been given as about 250 km (155 miles) off the far north Kimberley coast of Western Australia state, and 150 km south-east of Ashmore Reef, a small Australian offshore possession.
(Editing by Alex Richardson)
WA oil rig: Worker expects huge spill
ABC 22 Aug 09;
An employee on the rig that is spewing oil into seas off the coast of Western Australia says the spill may cover eight kilometres of ocean.
The oil worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, was one of 69 people evacuated to Darwin yesterday from the West Atlas Offshore drilling rig, 250 kilometres north of Truscott.
Crude oil began spilling from the rig about 4:00am (AEST) yesterday.
The National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority (NOPSA) says it is investigating the incident and is unsure of how extensive the problem is.
But the worker told the ABC that rig workers detected a gas leak before they saw bubbling around one of the 1,200-metre-deep drilling holes.
Poisonous hydrogen sulfide began leaking from the area and sparked the evacuation, he said.
He says the plug blocking the hole released soon after and within two hours he could see the slick had grown to eight kilometres as he was being flown to the Truscott airbase.
Australian Maritime Safety Authority spokeswoman Tracey Jiggins says a search and rescue plane with an environmental specialist on board is assessing the size of the spill and the environmental situation.
She says a Hercules aircraft on loan from Singapore is expected to arrive in Darwin this morning, which will be used to spray chemicals to disperse the oil.
Ms Jiggins also says there are two aircraft at Truscott on standby to help.
"My understading is it's quite a large oil spill," she said.
"However until that aircraft comes back and provides us with more accurate information, I can't give any specific details about how big it is.
"The national plan has been activated and there are contingencies being put into place.
"Obviously we're concerned about the oil spill and about any onshore oil, so that's why we're getting the dispersements ready and hopefully that will affect the situation."
Mining company PTTEP Australasia said last night that there were no injuries among those evacuated.
PTTEP says the spill is likely to be carried away from the Australian coast by south-westerly winds.
Australian Marine Oil Spill Centre general manager Ivan Skibinski said aerial spraying will start at the site this morning.
"Oil in the water disperses naturally. With a bit of wind and choppy water the oil breaks up into smaller globules and droplets," he said.
"Chemical dispersant just aids that activity. You spray it on the oil and it helps pull the oil apart into smaller globules."
Hoses from a barge, which is at the site, were drenching the rig with seawater overnight.
