PTTEP’s First Bid to Plug Australian Oil Leak Fails

By Ben Sharples

Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) -- PTT Exploration & Production Pcl, operator of the Montara well that’s spilling oil into the Timor Sea off Western Australia’s Kimberley coast, said its first attempt to plug the leak failed.

A fresh bid would likely be made Oct. 9 or Oct. 10, Lauren Tindale, a Perth-based spokeswoman for PTTEP Australasia, said by telephone today. The company aims to halt the flow by injecting heavy mud into the well.

Oil, gas and condensate started seeping into the Timor Sea from the well on Aug. 21. A light “sheen,” or coverage, has entered Indonesian waters and is about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the coast, Tracey Jiggins, spokeswoman for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, said Oct. 3.

The sheen extends to within 144 kilometers of Australia’s coastline, Jiggins said. The government department is coordinating the cleanup effort and PTTEP has said it will cover the cost.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ben Sharples in Melbourne at bsharples@bloomberg.net