It seemed appropriate, the day after BP’s announcement of an oil discovery 35,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, to report on a massive oil spill off the northwest coast of Australia, which will continue leaking oil for a total of eight weeks before the well can be capped.   The leaking oil rig belongs to the Thai company PPTEP and lies 250 kilometres off the Kimberley coast.  The oil slick is estimated to be eight to fifteen kilometres long.

The environmental impact is still unknown, but Australian Marine Conservation Society said it was an important nursery ground and migration route for whales and turtles, and close to important coral reefs.  The Northern Territory Seafood Council has also expressed its concern about the impact the oil slick coming from the PPTEP offshore drilling unit will have on the current and long-term health of fish stocks.  The Council is calling on the Australian Federal Government to set up more independent monitoring of the oil and gas industry.

This oil spill is just the latest reminder of the envrionmental risks that offshore drilling poses to world’s oceans.  It begs the question, “Should BP be allowed to develop the Gulf of Mexico oil field discovery they announced yesterday”?  There should be real debate of the risks before they are allowed to proceed.  The PPTEP oil spill in Australia is suspected to be caused by a fracture in the well two kilometres below the surface and as a result take 8 weeks to fix.  What would be the ramifications of a rig drilling 35,000 feet  (10.7  kilometres) below the surface, in a field BP says is extremely hot and under intense pressure, in an area prone to fierce hurricanes? 

Ocean Power Magazine will continue to monitor the developments of these Gulf of Mexico oil discoveries.  Below, is a video of the PPTEP Australian oil spill (the video is good, but the music is unfortunate!).

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