Australia mobilised aircraft today to try to break up an oil slick off its northwestern coast as it struggled to stop a well gushing oil into the sea.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said 50 tonnes of dispersant were being prepared to try and contain the spill from a rig in the Timor Sea. A C-130 Hercules aircraft was flown in from Singapore, and two back-up aircraft readied.
"This leak has occurred in one of the remotest locations possible, making any operation difficult," the agency, which is coordinating the clean-up operation, said in a statement. It was too early to determine the full impact, it added.
Rig operator PTTEP Australasia, a unit of Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production PCL, has said 40 barrels of oil leaked in the initial incident yesterday.
However, the well was still gushing oil today and emergency services said stopping it was a priority.
An AMSA spokeswoman said the slick was about 15 kilometres miles in length and about 30 metres wide, and ppeared to have stabilised in size, suggesting the oil was evaporating at about the same rate it was leaking.
Aerial surveys had been made and the first dispersant was likely to be sprayed tomorrow, she said.
The location has been given as about 250 km off the far north Kimberley coast of Western Australia state, and 150 km south-east of Ashmore Reef, a small Australian offshore possession.
Reuters