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Second attempt to plug leaking oil rig in Australia fails
Sydney (AFP) Oct 13, 2009 A second attempt to plug a massive oil spill leaking from a rig off Australia's northwest failed Tuesday, but the operator said it hoped to try again within days. Up to 400 barrels of oil have been pumped into the Timor Sea each day since the West Atlas drilling rig began leaking on August 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 250 kilometres (155 miles) off the Australian coast. PTTEP Australasia director Jose Martins said the second failure was disappointing but that each attempt improved the chances of success. "Our drilling experts are hopeful that we will not need such a long side track to hit it on the next pass," Martins said. He said the company was hoping to make its next attempt to plug the leak this weekend. PTTEP is drilling a relief well some 2.6 kilometres (1.6 miles) under the seabed to divert the leaking oil and gas. Heavy mud will be used to plug the leaking bore. The spill is reportedly Australia's worst since offshore drilling began more than 40 years ago, and ecologists fear the toxic cocktail of oil and dispersant chemicals could threaten marine and coastal species. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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Gas underrated as future energy sourceBuenos Aires (UPI) Oct 12, 2009 Natural gas is universally taken for granted as a fuel inevitably associated with crude oil, but it is set to play a more important role in meeting future energy needs than generally assumed, delegates attending the World Gas Conference said. The conference was hosted by Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. One of the vocal advocates of gas as a clean future source ... read more |
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