Quick action and favorable currents last week kept the biggest oil spill off Australia from creating significant environmental damage.
About 70,000-85,000 bbl of light crude spilled into the Indian Ocean off Western Australia July 21 when the Kirki, a Greek tanker, sheared off at the bow and caught fire 40 km off the coast about 250 km north of Perth. First press reports had placed the spill volume at more than 140,000 bbl.
The crude, owned by British Petroleum Co. plc, was loaded in Abu Dhabi and bound for BP Australia's Kwinana refinery just south of Perth. The tanker is owned by Mayamar Marine Enterprises of Greece.
A government inquiry into the incident got under way July 23.
SPILL RESPONSE
Officials from the Western Australian Ports and Harbors Authority and Australian Institute of Petroleum arrived quickly on the scene to assess danger to marine life around nearby islands and to a lobster fishing industry based at Cervantes, W.A.
AIP flew containment booms, skimmers, and other equipment and dispersants from its new $8 million (Australian) emergency oil spill response center in Melbourne to Perth within 24 hr and deployed them at strategic points along the coast. New Zealand also shipped containment booms to Western Australia.
However, a strong offshore current pushed most of the 30 mile long by 3 mile wide slick away from the coast. In addition, tugs and local fishing trawlers crisscrossed the slick in an effort to break it up, and dispersants were sprayed on the spill.
Some crude had reached beaches the third day after the spill but was not expected to be a major environmental or cleanup problem.
It isn't certain whether dispersants might continue to be used, given the reduced threat of oil contamination and the possible threat the chemicals might pose for lobster larvae.
TANKER STATUS
The tanker's crew was evacuated safely, and tender vessels from a rig drilling an exploratory well for Ampol Exploration 35 km off Perth were used to tow the crippled vessel farther out to sea.
With reports that danger of the Kirki sinking had lessened, preparations were under way at midweek last week to offload the vessel's remaining 420,000 bbl of crude into other tankers.
Unconfirmed reports indicate the 97,000 dwt vessel had shown signs of metal fatigue as much as 17 days earlier in the Persian Gulf. High seas in the Indian Ocean had aggravated the problem, causing the bow to rupture.
The fire, apparently doused by high seas, is believed to have resulted from friction of torn metal.
Copyright 1991 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
