, started leaking on Aug. 21 and efforts to stop the leak have failed. (AlertNet)
Fire breaks out on leaking Sea oil rig Nov 1, 2009
A fire has started on the oil rig that has been leaking oil into the Timor Sea for 10 weeks. PTTEP Australasia, the company responsible for the leak, released a statement on Sunday, saying the West Atlas rig and Montara well head platform were on fire. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Australian oil spill well on fire Nov 1, 2009
" onclick="Next();" src="/images/butt_next (Channelnewsasia.com)
Thorpe moves to scuttle doping claims Nov 1, 2009
October 31, 2009 08:51pm AEDT. IAN Thorpe has provided the country's drug testing agency with medical evidence in an attempt to clear his name of doping. (Yahoo News -- Swimming)
Ongoing Australia oil spill compared to Exxon Valdez Oct 31, 2009
Oil drifts near the blown-out Montara drilling platform in the Timor Sea off Western Australia ... The World Wildlife Fund says a wide range of marine wildlife - including dolphins, sea birds and two species of turtle - is under threat from the 2,500-square-mile oil slick caused by the Aug. 28 Montara drilling rig blowout, which continues to leak oil into the Timor Sea off Australia's remote northwestern coast. (Anchorage Daily News)
Toll rises as sea life feed at oil spill Oct 31, 2009
A leading ecologist, James Watson, was commissioned by Mr Garrett's department to spend days surveying the marine life in the waters surrounding the oil lease - owned by the Thai company PTTEP - which has been leaking in the Timor Sea for nine weeks. Dr Watson's report says ''the presence of dying birds and dead sea snakes suggest that there is an immediate risk to species utilising the water that has been affected by the oil slick. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
PTTEP's Fourth Bid to Stop Timor Sea Oil-Well Leak Continues This Weekend Oct 31, 2009
PTTEP Bid to Stop Timor Sea Oil Leak Continues This Weekend - Bloomberg ... PTTEP Bid to Stop Timor Sea Oil Leak Continues This Weekend ... 6 miles) below the seabed, into the Timor Sea off the west Australian coast on Aug. 21. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
Oil tanker spills fuel into San Francisco Bay Oct 31, 2009
Thousands of dead fish and clumps of oil have been found drifting near Indonesia's coastline more than two months after an underwater well began leaking in the Timor Sea, officials and fishermen said. An estimated 400 barrels a day of oil has been leaking from a fissure that erupted on Aug. 21 at a rig about 150 miles (250 kilometers) off the Australian coast. (Fresno Bee -- State)
Oily protesters in bikinis oppose spill Oct 30, 2009
Protesters in Perth's CBD have smeared oil over their bikini-clad bodies to protest against the oil spill in the Timor Sea, leaking for more than two months. The spill started on August 21 at PTTEP Australasia's Montara oilfield more than 200km off Western Australia's Kimberley coastline. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Oil spill still too slick for clean-up efforts Oct 30, 2009
A HUGE oil spill off the West Australian coast is likely to continue for at least a week, the company responsible said yesterday, after a technical setback forced it to review how long it would take to shut the well that is leaking in the Timor Sea ... Instead the operation would gather information critical to plugging the leak, which is still pouring 400 barrels of oil a day into the Timor Sea, according to the company's estimates. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Gas Leak From Puffin Field in Timor Sea Having `No Impact on Environment' Oct 30, 2009
Oct. 30 (Bloomberg) -- , China Petrochemical Corp.s partner in the Puffin venture in the Timor Sea off northwestern Australia, said a gas leak from the project is having no impact on the environment. The field isnt spilling any oil, AED Company Secretary said by telephone in Melbourne today. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
2 sides debate offshore drilling Oct 29, 2009
Opponents shot back with reports of recent spills, including a massive blowout in the Timor Sea off Australia and recent tanker collisions in the Gulf of Mexico. 2. (Florida Today)
Panamera drives into the heart of Australia Oct 29, 2009
We had hoped to cover 828 kilometres on day two Camooweal to Croydon but the prospect of seeing the sun set over the Timor Sea proved too tantalising and we decided to add another 160 kilometres to the trip. We were rewarded with a spectacular sunset and a barramundi dinner in one of the world's great beer gardens. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Timor Sea oil well reports another leak Oct 29, 2009
Another oil well is leaking in the Timor Sea, this time at the Puffin field operated by Chinese energy giant Sinopec, according to reports. A "minor gas leak" was detected from a junction where pipelines are connected to a floating production vessel, during a routine underwater inspection early last month, Sinopec Australia general manager projects and operations Steve Kanthan said in an article by Perth-based trade press publication WA Business News on Thursday. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
PTTEP Estimates Its Costs From Timor Sea Oil Spill so Far at $160 Million Oct 29, 2009
6 miles) below the seabed, into the Timor Sea off the West Australian coast on Aug. 21. Its a very expensive exercise, Martins told reporters. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
PTTEP Tries to Stem Australian Oil Spill as `Environmental Disaster' Looms Oct 27, 2009
PTTEP Delays Attempt to Plug Timor Sea Oil Well Leak (Update3) - Bloomberg ... PTTEP Delays Attempt to Plug Timor Sea Oil Well Leak (Update3) ... It has estimated the well has been spilling 300 to 400 barrels of oil a day into the Timor Sea. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
PTT Exploration Will Aim to Plug Timor Sea Oil Leak on Oct. 27 After Delay Oct 25, 2009
PTT Exploration Will Aim to Plug Timor Sea Oil Leak on Oct. 27 - Bloomberg ... PTT Exploration Will Aim to Plug Timor Sea Oil Leak on Oct. 27 ... Oct. 25 (Bloomberg) -- said efforts to seal a well spilling oil into the Timor Sea off Western Australias Kimberley coast will now likely occur Oct. 27 after an unscheduled delay caused by equipment failure. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
We can all be heroes Oct 24, 2009
" Cameron's palpable sense of civic responsibility is reflected in his familial history. His great-grandfather and namesake, James O'Grady, was governor of Tasmania in the wake of the World War I, appointed by the British government after negotiating the release by the Bolsheviks of the White Russians after the Russian Revolution. An Irish immigrant who entered British politics through the union movement, he was also a member of Britain's first Labour government. Cameron's father, John, was born... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Tanker still leaks oil off WA coast Oct 24, 2009
The fourth attempt to plug an oil well leaking for more than two months into the Timor Sea is scheduled to go ahead on Sunday after lengthy delays. The attempt was to be made on Friday, but PTTEP Australasia, the Thai-based company which operates the Montara oilfield 200km off Western Australia's northwest coast, delayed the measures until the weekend. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Timor Sea Well Still Spewing Oil After Attempt to Plug Leak Is Delayed Oct 24, 2009
Timor Sea Well Still Spewing Oil After Plug Delay (Update1) - Bloomberg ... Timor Sea Well Still Spewing Oil After Plug Delay (Update1) ... Oct. 23 (Bloomberg) -- delayed its fourth attempt to plug a well spilling oil into the Timor Sea off Western Australias Kimberley coast, estimated to be home to the worlds largest population of humpback whales. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
'Huge damage' in Australia spill Oct 23, 2009
The international conservation group, WWF, says a spill from a damaged oil rig in the Timor Sea off Australia has caused massive contamination ... About 300 people are working on addressing the spill, in the Timor Sea, at the Truscott air base and at Darwin, PTTEP has said. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
Timor Sea Oil Spill May Have Reached 63,000 Barrels, Australian Greens Say Oct 22, 2009
Timor Sea Oil Spill May Have Reached 63,000 Barrels, Greens Say - Bloomberg ... Timor Sea Oil Spill May Have Reached 63,000 Barrels, Greens Say ... Oct. 22 (Bloomberg) -- An oil spill from a leaking well off Western Australia may have polluted the Timor Sea with 10 million liters, about 63,000 barrels, of oil, making it among the three worst in the countrys history, the Greens said today. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
Thai firm makes fourth attempt to fix Timor Sea oil spill Oct 19, 2009
THE operator of an offshore well that has leaked tens of millions of litres of oil into the Timor Sea for the past eight weeks has failed for the third time to stop the spill ... The spill at the well-head platform, which began at an estimated rate of 400 barrels a day, could leak more than 37 million litres of oil into the Timor Sea before it is plugged. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
PTT Exploration Fails in Latest Bid to Stop Leaking Oil Rig in Timor Sea Oct 18, 2009
Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) -- , operator of a well spilling oil into the Timor Sea off Western Australias Kimberley coast, has failed in its latest attempt to stop the leak ... PTTEP Australasia reports that its third pass today to intercept and stop the leaking well in the Montara field in the Timor Sea at a target zone 2 ... Oil, gas and condensate started seeping into the Timor Sea on Aug. 21. (Bloomberg -- Asia)
PTT Exploration to Make New Attempt to Stop Timor Sea Oil Leak on Oct. 22 Oct 18, 2009
Oct. 18 (Bloomberg) -- , operator of a well that is spilling oil into the Timor Sea off Western Australias Kimberley coast, will make its next attempt to stop the leak on Oct. 22. The drilling team aboard the West Triton drilling rig will make its next attempt to intercept and stop the leaking well in the Montara field in the Timor Sea on Thursday, PTTEP Australasia said in an e-mailed statement. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
Fourth attempt planned to fix oil spill Oct 18, 2009
The operator of an offshore well that has leaked tens of millions of litres of oil into the Timor Sea will make a fourth attempt to stop the spill this week ... The well-head platform of the West Atlas rig, more than 200km off the Kimberley coast, has been leaking oil into the Timor Sea for more than eight weeks ... The spill at the well-head platform, which began on August 21 at an estimated rate of 400 barrels a day, could have leaked more than 37 million litres of oil into the Timor Sea... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Fifty-five days and counting: oil still spewing from rig Oct 15, 2009
ONE of the worst oil spills in Australia's history has entered its 55th day after a second attempt to stem a leaking well in the Timor Sea failed, deepening concerns among environmental scientists that the impact on marine life will be felt for decades ... Oil began pouring into the Timor Sea at an estimated 300 to 400 barrels a day and 69 people were evacuated from the platform. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
* World News Quick Take Oct 15, 2009
Up to 400 barrels of oil have been pumped into the Timor Sea each day since the West Atlas drilling rig began leaking on Aug. 21, forcing the evacuation of 69 workers, according to Bangkok-headed PTTEP Australasia. The company failed in its first attempt last week to fix the leak at the Montara well-head platform, some 250km off the coast. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Australia fails to plug oil leak Oct 14, 2009
A second attempt to stop oil pouring into Australian waters after a rig accident in the Timor Sea has failed ... Each day for almost two months, hundreds of barrels have been flowing into the Timor Sea, although officials have conceded that it is impossible to know just how much oil has been spilt. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
Plugging of oil spill leak delayed again Oct 12, 2009
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. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
First Attempt to Plug Leaking Oil Well off Northwestern Australia Fails Oct 6, 2009
Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) -- , operator of the Montara well thats spilling oil into the Timor Sea off Western Australias Kimberley coast, said its first attempt to plug the leak failed ... Oil, gas and condensate started seeping into the Timor Sea from the well on Aug. 21. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
Timor Sea Oil Leak May Be Stopped by Middle of October, PTTEP Says Oct 4, 2009
Timor Sea Oil Leak May Be Stopped by Mid-October, PTTEP Says - Bloomberg ... Timor Sea Oil Leak May Be Stopped by Mid-October, PTTEP Says ... Oct. 3 (Bloomberg) -- PTT Exploration & Production PCl, operator of the Montara well thats spilling oil into the Timor Sea off Western Australias Kimberley coast, said the leak may be plugged by the middle of this month. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
CuDeco explores buybacks Sep 30, 2009
The funds will help pay for the drilling and operation of its Oliver-2 well in the Timor Sea, which could contain about 31. 6 million barrels of recoverable crude and condensate and 550 billion cubic feet of gas. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Marketing Myer: No sale for instos Sep 30, 2009
In oil and gas it allowed the state-owned Thai company PTTEP to buy all of unlisted Coogee Resources and operate the Montara field that is now leaking oil into the Timor Sea. But FIRB's reaction to a much larger oil deal remains untested. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Do we really want to imitate Australia? Sep 24, 2009
Experts on the scene estimate it will be weeks before they can stop the leak that has already fouled an area of the Timor Sea larger than Connecticut. This is why the people who have always lived along Alaska's northern coast are worried about the rules under which offshore development will occur. (Anchorage Daily News)
PTT Exploration Says Drilling Continues to Contain Oil Spill in Timor Sea Sep 20, 2009
PTT Says Drilling Continues at Timor Sea Oil Spill (Update1) - Bloomberg ... PTT Says Drilling Continues at Timor Sea Oil Spill (Update1) ... Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- , operator of an offshore project leaking oil and gas into the Timor Sea off Western Australia, is continuing to drill at the location to try to stop the spill. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
Timor Sea Oil Spill `Disaster in the Making,' Marine Conservationists Say Sep 18, 2009
Timor Sea Oil Spill May Worsen, Australian Conservationists Say - Bloomberg ... Timor Sea Oil Spill May Worsen, Australian Conservationists Say ... 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. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
Big Spill's Bad Timing Puts Oil Drilling at Risk: Kevin Hassett Sep 15, 2009
On Aug. 21, oil began gushing from a well into the Timor Sea a couple hundred miles north of Australia ... Even if the investigation into the Timor Sea accident helps prevent future occurrences, the fact remains that this spill came at the worst possible time for those who would seek to expand oil exploration in U.S. waters. (Bloomberg -- Columnists)
* Australia scales back oil clean-up Sep 14, 2009
Australian authorities yesterday scaled back a three-week operation to disperse oil and gas leaking from a Timor Sea drilling rig operated by Thailands PTTEP company. Oil and gas has been leaking from the West Atlas drilling platform, 690km west of Darwin, since a rupture in an undersea pipe on Aug. 21. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Letters to the editor (9/14/09) Sep 14, 2009
Oil spill from Timor Sea platform a warning for development here ... The spill is in the East Timor Sea, on the western coast of Australia. (Anchorage Daily News)
AED Oil Bondholders Agree to Exchange $43.5 Million of Convertible Notes Sep 14, 2009
AED, which sold 60 percent of Puffin to China Petrochemical Corp. last year for $561 million after the Timor Sea field produced less oil than forecast, had A$105. 7 million ($90. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
Oil threat to Australia wildlife Sep 13, 2009
Environmentalists have warned that an oil slick caused by an accident on a rig in the Timor Sea is threatening wildlife in Australian waters ... Up to 400 barrels of oil per day have been pouring into the Timor Sea to Australia's north. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
Whales, salmon more valuable than oil Sep 12, 2009
On Aug. 21, deep beneath the West Atlas oil rig in the Timor Sea off Australia's northwest coast, oil and gas began leaking from an as yet unidentified pipeline break. The rig was evacuated, and an oil slick began spreading into an environmentally sensitive area described as a "superhighway" for young turtles and whales. (Anchorage Daily News)
East Timor's big, dopey neighbour really needs to wake up Sep 11, 2009
By playing hardball in negotiations over sharing oil and gas in the Timor Sea, Australia has undermined trust and confidence. It is little wonder China has inveigled its way into negotiations over joint operations to develop these resources. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Our views: Stop the stampede Sep 9, 2009
The spill coming from a rig similar to ones that would be used off Florida has already coated 1,800 square nautical miles of surface of the Timor Sea and is spewing another 300 to 400 barrels of oil a day. It will be another six weeks before it might be stopped. (Florida Today)
Australia to Probe Oil Spill in Effort to Prevent a Repeat, Minister Says Sep 7, 2009
Australia to Probe Timor Sea Oil Spill, Minister Says (Update1) - Bloomberg ... Australia to Probe Timor Sea Oil Spill, Minister Says (Update1) ... Oil, gas and condensate started seeping into the Timor Sea from a rig at Montara development on Aug. 21. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
Offshore drilling backers promote project Sep 7, 2009
According to news reports, the leak started in a well under a rig operated by a Thailand-based petroleum company, spreading an oil slick 70 nautical miles into the Timor Sea. PXP intends to continue its push to convince the people and politicians of California that tapping the state s offshore oil reserves can be financially and environmentally beneficial for the state. (Santa Maria Times)
Broken tow line slows WA oil spill aid Sep 6, 2009
A broken tow line has slowed down the arrival of a drill rig bound for the Timor Sea to plug a leaking oil wellhead off the northwest coast of Australia. Oil, gas and condensate has been leaking into the Timor Sea since August 21 from a wellhead platform near PTTEP Australasia's West Atlas oil rig, 250km northwest of WA. ... "PTTEP expects with favourable conditions and currents the rig will be towed to the east of Sumba Island into the Timor Sea and it is now expected to reach the Montara... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Oil spill 'must get emergency response' Sep 4, 2009
Oil, gas and condensate has been leaking into the Timor Sea for two weeks from a wellhead platform near PTTEP Australasia's West Atlas oil rig. Conservation Council WA director Piers Verstegen said on Friday the federal government had been providing little information on the leak, which on August 21 forced 69 workers to evacuate the facility, about 250km off Australia's northwest coast. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Green.view: Not as fragile as they look Sep 1, 2009
But oil spills of the sort that now threaten the Timor Sea, forest fires like those that recently afflicted Greece, and other man-made and man-assisted threats to wildlife are transient. Except in those cases in which a species is driven to extinction, the Earth s ability to shrug such things off is often underestimated. (The Economist)
Oil Spill From PTTEP Field Off West Australia Coast `Appalling,' Rudd Says Aug 31, 2009
Oil, gas and condensate started seeping into the Timor Sea Aug. 21 from 3,500 meters (11,500 feet) below the ocean floor at the Montara project. Thailands only publicly traded oil exploration company, said Aug. 23 it may take 50 days to plug the leak from the well, about 250 kilometers off the coast of the Kimberley wilderness region. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
WA oil spill threatens sea life: Greens Aug 30, 2009
Oil, gas and condensate has been leaking from PTTEP Australasia's West Atlas oil rig into the Timor Sea since August 21. The cause of the leak in the Montara oil field is not yet known. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Battle looms over Kimberley development Aug 30, 2009
And that's before other environmental impacts from LNG development are factored in, like the potential for accidents and spills - reinforced recently after a well ruptured under the Thai-operated West Atlas oil rig in the Timor Sea. At a meeting in Broome on Wednesday, Brown told a federal parliamentary inquiry into the impact of climate change on coastal communities that the West Atlas rig could be leaking 3000-9000 barrels a day for the next seven weeks. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Fears grow over giant oil slick off north-west coast Aug 29, 2009
After flying over the West Atlas oil rig spill in the Timor Sea yesterday, the Greens senator Rachel Siewert said people had been seriously misled about the size and extent of the spill ... "There is a film of oil around the rig, and from horizon to horizon. From east to west it stretches 180 kilometres at a minimum. Urgent action is needed to stop the flow''. But stopping the leak could still take weeks, according to the Federal Government and PTTEP. Technical problems delayed by two days the... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Oil Spill Spreads Toward Western Australia Coast as Dispersant Is Sprayed Aug 29, 2009
Aug. 29 (Bloomberg) -- An oil and gas leak from a well in the Timor Sea is worse than project operator PTT Exploration & Production Pcl and the Australian government have indicated, an Australian Greens party senator said ... Oil, gas and condensate started seeping into the Timor Sea Aug. 21 from a leak 3,500 meters (11,500 feet) below the ocean floor during drilling by the West Atlas rig. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
East Timor's lost opportunity Aug 29, 2009
East Timor's leaders want a pipeline built from the Timor Sea field to a gas processing plant in East Timor. The 00004000 switch would create local jobs and bring an extra $US3 billion revenue but Woodside, the field operator, insists it has two options: a floating plant above the field or piping the gas to an existing plant in Darwin. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Australia okays A$50bn LNG project Aug 27, 2009
Environmentalists have opposed developing Gorgon and an oil spill in the Timor Sea off the coast of Australia's Kimberley wilderness region five days ago renewed concerns over exploration. Australian Greens senator Rachel Siewert attacked the decision, claiming Garrett was "signing off on the destruction of this unique environment". (Business Report, South Africa)
Millions of reasons for sighs as deep as Timor Sea Aug 25, 2009
THERE are a few prominent business figures breathing a sigh of relief that they no longer have a dalliance with the West Atlas oil rig, currently leaking oil into the Timor Sea. The list includes the Reserve Bank board member and former chief executive of Woodside Petroleum, John Akehurst, who once served on the board of the unlisted oil and gas explorer Coogee Resources. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
Race to control oil spill Aug 23, 2009
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority launched a clean-up operation yesterday as oil seeped from a 1200-metre-deep drilling hole on the West Atlas, an oil rig in the Timor Sea 690 kilometres west of Darwin, 250 kilometres off the far north Kimberley coast and 150 kilometres south-east of Ashmore Reef. The spill, eight nautical miles long and 30 metres wide, began early Friday morning, forcing the evacuation of 69 workers to Darwin. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Fire risk as experts battle oil spill Aug 23, 2009
The West Atlas rig, about 250km off the far north Kimberley coast in the Timor Sea, began spewing oil and gas on Friday morning but started showing signs of stabilising yesterday. Owned by Norwegian company Seadrill and operated by Thai-based PTTEP Australasia, the rig is now in the middle of a 37km exclusion zone. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Archives: Timor Sea
