TimorNewsNetwork

West Timor sea contaminated by oil spill

Yemris Fointuna ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara   |  Wed, 10/28/2009 7:06 PM  |  National

A laboratory analysis conducted by the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Environmental Impact Management Agency (Bapedalda) has confirmed the West Timor Sea was contaminated by a crude oil spill.

The test conducted on seawater samples taken on Oct. 10, 2009 indicated that a liter of seawater contained 107.2 milligrams of crude oil. 

“We believe the pollution was caused by an oil spill from the Montara oil field in the Timor Sea,” NTT Bapedalda head Alexander Oematan said in the provincial capital of Kupang on Wednesday.  

According to him, the water samples were taken from several points along the Kolbano coast in Tuafanu village, Kualin district in the South Central Timor regency.

“We have sent a team to four locations again by using a vessel from the water police unit to ascertain the contents of crude oil in the Timor Sea,” Oematan said. 

The team will conduct analysis and take seawater samples at four locations in the south of Rote Island and around the waters of Pasir Island and Kolbano,” he added.

The light crude oil leakage in the Timor Sea is reportedly still taking place at a rate of 64 tons, or 400 barrels per day from the Montara Well-head platform, located 130 nautical miles from Australia’s northern coast.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and the Montara oil company have continued mitigation efforts to overcome the leak by deploying a number of vessels.

source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/10/28/west-timor-sea-contaminated-oil-spill.html