PTTEP abandons attempt to plug oil leak from Montara platform

Oct. 28, 2009
Thai company PTTEP has been forced to abandon its fourth attempt to plug the oil leak from its Montara oil platform in the Timor Sea after the drilling assembly failed while being run in the relief well.

Rick Wilkinson
OGJ Correspondent

MELBOURNE, Oct. 28 -- Thai company PTTEP has been forced to abandon its fourth attempt to plug the oil leak from its Montara oil platform in the Timor Sea after the drilling assembly failed while being run in the relief well.

PTTEP is now retrieving the assembly and will continue preparations to make a new attempt to intercept the leaking well casing later this week.

The company’s repeated failures to stop the leak which began in August and has been flowing about 400 b/d into the surrounding sea ever since, has raised the ire of green groups in Australia and around the world.

Concern has been raised for the environment and marine creatures in the region of the spill 750 km west of Darwin.

PTTEP has agreed to fund an environmental monitoring program for at least 2 years, to be carried out by relevant experts and include marine life surveys, wildlife and habitat studies, water-quality testing. and shoreline ecological assessments.