Timor Sea oil rig blaze snuffed but ecosystem damage done
PERTH, Australia, November 3, 2009 (ENS) – PTTEP Australasia today confirmed it has killed a leaking oil well and stopped the main fire at the Montara well head platform and surrounding the West Atlas drilling rig in the Timor Sea off Australia’s north west Kimberley coast. Now the focus turns to investigating the cause of the leak and fire and assessing the damages to the ecosystem and what it will take to clean up the mess. … The oil spread through an area known to conservationists as a marine life super-highway, and now covers tens of thousands of square kilometers of turtle, whale, dolphin and fish habitat. “Satellite images tell a shocking story of the spread of over three million liters of oil through this pristine environment,” says the Wilderness Society. Estimates from satellite imagery indicate that the slick has spread over 50,000 square kilometers of ocean. The cost of cleanup has been estimated at over A$5.3 billion. … WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, today applauded the successful capping of the West Atlas oil leak but warned that the ecological impact of millions of liters of oil spilled into the tropical waters is likely to persist for years. “Capping the oil spill is good news, but the damage is done,” said Dr. Mike Bossley, WDCS Australasia’s managing director. “These impacts will include direct health consequences for whales and dolphins which were directly affected by the oil via inhaling its vapor or ingesting the oil itself, as well as more subtle impacts on the ecosystem which may ultimately affect cetacean prey species,” Bossley said. After 10 weeks of leaking oil and gas, the government’s Rapid Assessment of the Impacts of the Montara Oil Leak on Birds, Cetaceans and Marine Reptiles identified at least four species of cetaceans (462 individuals), 23 species of birds (2,801 individuals), two species of turtles (25 individuals) and four species of sea snakes (62 individuals) during a five day survey. As migratory species continue to move into the region in the coming months the oil slick may have an increasing impact, Bossley said. …
Timor Sea Oil Rig Blaze Snuffed But Ecosystem Damage Done
