Oil and gas have been flowing from the West Atlas rig in the Timor Sea for more than a fortnight. (Office of Senator Rachel Siewert: Chris Twomey)

By Ben Sharples Sept. 18 (Bloomberg) — An oil spill from a leaking well off Western Australia that has polluted the Timor Sea with 1,200 metric tons of oil may worsen and is a “major ecological disaster in the making,” a conservation group says. “This is a disaster that risks blowing out further in terms of its scale and impact on the ocean,” Darren Kindleysides, director of the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said in an e-mailed statement today. The spill has covered 15,000 square kilometers (5,800 square miles), with 400 barrels a day leaking from the Montara field, the group said. Oil, gas and condensate started seeping into the Timor Sea Aug. 21 from a leak 3,500 meters below the ocean floor during drilling by the local unit of Bangkok-based PTT Exploration & Production Pcl. The Thai company said today halting the flow by drilling a relief well to plug the leak with mud is expected to take a further three-and-a-half weeks to complete. … The government’s response to the spill is insufficient, Australian Greens party Senator Rachel Siewert said in a separate statement today. The spread of oil may affect commercially important fish stocks, the marine ecosystem and coral colonies around Ashmore Reef, about 840 kilometers west of Darwin and 610 kilometers north of Broome, Siewert said. …

Timor Sea Oil Spill May Worsen, Australian Conservationists Say