Timor Sea oil leak continues as plug fails

Radio Australia 7 Oct 09;

The first attempt to plug a large oil leak from the West Atlas rig in the Timor Sea has failed. The leak started more than six weeks ago, and since then oil has been streaming into the Timor Sea unhindered. The company which owns the oil rig says it will be several days before a second attempt to stop the leak can be made. Environmentalists believe the full impact of the spill has yet to be revealed.

Presenter: David Weber
Speaker: Tracey Jiggins of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority; Martin Pritchard, Director of Environs Kimberley

DAVID WEBER: The company PTTEP has drilled a relief well to pump mud into the leaking well. The target area is more than two-and-half kilometres below the sea bed. The first attempt to stop the leak has failed and it will be four days before it's tried again. But even when the flow is stopped the oil will stay in the area for some time. Tracey Jiggins of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority says much of it is still near the rig.

TRACEY JIGGINS: The major part of the oil still remains within the vicinity of the rig. We have seen some very light, patchy sheen out further which is incredibly low quantities of oil within that is seen out a bit further. It poses no environmental hazard for shoreline but obviously it can still be of concern to birdlife.

DAVID WEBER: Several environment groups presented an open letter about the spill in a full-page newspaper advertisement today. It called on oil and gas companies to support the establishment of large marine sanctuaries to protect wildlife off the Kimberley coast. One of the groups was Environs Kimberley. The director Martin Pritchard says getting accurate information about the spill has been a great challenge.

MARTIN PRITCHARD: Most of the information we've had has been anecdotal reports from non-government people or organisations. We'd like to get more of an estimate of exactly how much is leaking. And also we'd like to see the oil spill trajectory model that the Australian Government has so that we can see where this is likely to end up, particularly now that we've got a change in weather patterns where this oil is likely to be heading towards the Kimberley coast.

DAVID WEBER: A spokesman for the Federal Environment Minister says 15 birds including noddies, brown boobies and a sooty tern have been affected by the spill. Seven of the 15 birds have died. Martin Pritchard:

MARTIN PRITCHARD: There have been a small number of birds affected. We believe that there's probably a whole heap more birds that have been being affected but haven't actually been seen because this oil slick covers a vast area of several thousand square kilometres and as far as we know the surveillance effort to date has been very poor.

DAVID WEBER: There was a report last week that was published in the Jakarta Post suggesting that people on the West Timor coast were concerned and indeed a couple of people had become ill after eating fish that may have been affected by the spill.

MARTIN PRITCHARD: Look this is particularly concerning. Australia has a responsibility to clean up this mess and if it's heading towards Timor then we'd like to see what kind of response the Australian Government is going to provide and how these people in Timor are going to be looked after. And also if we're seeing fish being contaminated that far away then obviously there's a great deal of concern as to how the fish and the marine ecosystems in the near vicinity of the oil spill are being affected.

DAVID WEBER: A spokesman for the Federal Environment Minister says that aside from the birds there have been no confirmed reports of animals dying as a result of the spill. The Environment Department is developing a long-term monitoring plan which the company will have to carry out and pay for.