ID :
84306
Mon, 10/12/2009 - 23:48
Auther :

Plugging of oil spill leak delayed again



A second attempt to stop oil leaking into the Timor Sea has been delayed more than
seven weeks after it first began spilling from an offshore well.

The operator of the well, PTTEP Australasia, says a second attempt to plug the leak
at the Montara wellhead platform, more than 200km off the Kimberley coast, has been
delayed until Tuesday.
The first attempt to plug the leak failed last week and a second attempt was flagged
for the weekend, before the company announced it had been delayed until Monday.
But difficult drilling through very hard, deep rock formation had slowed the relief
effort, PTTEP chief financial officers Jose Martins said on Monday.
"Drilling the side track well through deep hard rock formations has been very
difficult and slow going," Mr Martins said.
"It has been frustrating for everyone."
A team onboard the West Triton relief rig is drilling towards the leaking well to
reach a 25cm diameter target on its steel casing, 2.6km beneath the seabed.
Once it is reached, they plan to pump mud in to stem the flow of the oil, gas and
condensate.
Mr Martins said the method had never failed in similar operations around the world
and the company was confident the attempt would be successful.
Once it was done, the well would be considered "killed", he said.
The West Atlas rig has been leaking oil, gas and condensate since August 21 at a
rate initially estimated at 400 barrels a day.
Conservationists have been critical of the government's response to the oil spill,
which is in a remote and isolated area that is home to a number of endangered
species.
WA Premier Colin Barnett said on Monday that while the spill was in Commonwealth
waters, the state had a strong interest because of its proximity to the oil slick.
Mr Barnett said the wind and tides were pushing the spill away but contingency plans
were in place should it reach the coastline.
While the process to plug the leak was "extraordinarily complex", he had no doubt it
would succeed.
He said the spill was not "a good credential" for federal administration of the
offshore oil and industry, and that jurisdictional responsibility should be shared
between the state and federal governments.
"At the moment the commonwealth government is making a pitch to take all
responsibility for offshore oil and gas," Mr Barnett told Fairfax Radio.
"I think there needs to be dual administration of these areas.
"This was not in our jurisdiction...however it could have directly impacted on us."
Without a concerted effort, the spill had the potential to become the worst in
Australia's history, federal opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt said.
"It's been over seven weeks since the government, in particular it was Minister
Martin Ferguson who said it's a minor issue, we've got it in hand," he told ABC
Radio.
"Now we have one of the worst oil spills in Australia's history.
"Potentially it could become the worst."
The government must bring in international experts to fix the problem, he said.

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