Fourth attempt planned to fix Timor Sea oil spill

Warwick Stanley Brisbane Times 19 Oct 09;

AAP : The operator of an offshore well that has leaked millions of litres of oil into the Timor Sea will make a fourth attempt to stop the spill this week.

After PTTEP Australasia announced on Saturday that its third attempt to plug the Montara field well had failed, the Thai-based company said on Sunday another attempt would be made on Thursday morning.

The well-head platform of the West Atlas rig, more than 200km off the Kimberley coast, has been leaking oil into the Timor Sea for more than eight weeks.

The West Triton drilling rig, which reached the site five weeks ago after being towed from Singapore, is being used in attempts to intercept the leaking well, 2.6km under the seabed, and pump in heavy mud to block the leak.

It has to intersect a 25cm diameter casing, which is detected by sophisticated electro-magnetic ranging tools, before the plugging operation can proceed.

A spokesman for the company said on Sunday the further delay in attempts to intersect the leaking well was necessary to calculate the last drill pass's distance and direction from the casing.

The company also has to ensure all safety procedures and equipment checks are carried out between each attempt to reach the leak, the spokesman said.

The spill at the well-head platform, which began on August 21 at an estimated rate of 400 barrels a day, could have leaked more than 3.7 million litres of oil into the Timor Sea before it is plugged.

The spokesman said while the company had agreed to pay the federal government's costs of monitoring the spill, it was making no comment on that aspect of the operation.

The oil slick has so far been carried north and has not reached the West Australian coast, but the federal Department of Environment says more than a dozen seabirds have died as a result of coming into contact with the slick.

Fishermen in West Timor say the spill is responsible for mass fish deaths and is threatening their livelihood.

They have also claimed people have become sick after eating dead fish found on the Indonesian province's beaches.

The PTTEP spokesman said if Thursday's well interception was successful, heavy mud to plug the leak will be immediately pumped in to displace the oil, gas and water in the well.

A 24-hour safety stand-off period will be declared before the troubleshooting team from ALERT Well Control can board the well-head platform.

While the leak would have already been stopped, two plugs would be sunk into the previously leaking well bore in an operation expected to take about another week, the spokesman said.

PTTEP has refused to comment on the possible cost of the spill to the company, other than to say it is "substantial".

Industry estimates have put it in the tens of millions of dollars, and as high as $100 million.