PERTH, Australia, November 2, 2009 (ENS) - A huge fire has been blazing at an oil rig in the Timor Sea since Sunday, after an attempt by the oil company to kill a leaking well. The West Atlas rig is located directly above the Montara well head platfrom, which has been leaking oil and gas since August 21.
The fire at the West Atlas rig broke out Sunday morning shortly after the company, PTTEP Australasia, intercepted the leaking oil well by drilling a relief well with a second rig, the West Triton. Well kill operations were under way at the time, but were suspended due to safety concerns. All 113 personnel aboard the West Triton rig and two work boats are safe and non-essential personnel have been safely evacuated, but Martins said that the company will not be in a position to try and kill the well until tomorrow morning.
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Eyewitness reports today indicate that there is little or no oil being released into the ocean from the Montara well head platform. Martins said this would indicate the oil and gas is burning off from the well head platform fire. The company has been trying to stop the leak for more than 10 weeks and Federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson has ordered government agencies to do everything they can to assist.
Ferguson said the relief well has successfully intercepted the pipe of the leaking well. "We all want the flow of oil and gas to be stopped as soon as possible, but the company must also stay focussed on achieving that safely," he said. "Therefore some operations can only be carried out in daylight hours and may have to be held over until tomorrow."
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http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/nov2009/2009-11-02-01.asp
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