On the 21st August the West Atlas drill rig began spewing 400 barrels of oil a day into the Timor Sea. In October, ten weeks after the spill began, the leak was finally plugged and the flames put out.

The public inquiry convened in the aftermath of this disaster now has the job of working out what went wrong, ensuring those responsible are penalized and making sure this sort of incident doesn't happen again. AMCS has made a submission to the inquiry recommending the changes needed to ensure there are far more stringent environmental safeguards on the offshore oil and gas industry.  Our submission can be read here.

The inquiry has its work cut out. Incredibly, two months after the leak was plugged, there is still little information about why this happened or what the damage has been to our precious oceans. However, even the basic statistics paint a picture of a major ecological disaster for Australia's marine environment:

• Between 400 and 2000 barrels of oil a day has polluted the Timor Sea.  Government and industry can't be sure or even agree on how much oil has escaped.
   
• Even at a conservative estimate 3600 tonnes of oil have already polluted the ocean, making this the third largest oil spill in Australia's history and the single largest from an oil platform.
   
• The slick is covering thousands of square kilometres of ocean, with estimates from satellite imagery indicating the slick has spread to cover 15,000 km2 of sea. Research by WWF has estimated that 30,000 sea snakes may live in the area affected by the slick.
   
• Almost 200,000 litres of dispersant have been sprayed on the sea. Dispersants can give a false sense of security. Often they are just moving the toxic problem from the surface to elsewhere in the water column.
   
• The first two months of the response cost $170 million.

The ocean north west of Australia is globally important for its marine wildlife. The spill occurred right in the middle of a marine 'superhighway' for whales, turtles and seabirds and is close to unspoilt reefs and coral atolls. 

Oil and wildlife just don't mix. The reported numbers of dead and oiled sea birds and sea snakes are just the tip of the iceberg. For every animal recovered dead, tens to hundreds of animals die unseen. The immediate impacts of oil on surface animals like sea birds and sea snakes were very clear. However, once oil is dispersed into the water column the effects on the ocean ecosystem and marine food chains can be just as significant and potentially much more long-lived. For example, fisheries affected by major tanker spills in Europe and the US remained closed for years afterwards. 

Even though the leak has been plugged, the impacts on Australia's sea life are likely to continue to unfold for years to come. Government has announced a program to monitor the impacts. The effects of oil spills elsewhere in the world have been felt by wildlife, fisheries and the marine environment over a decade after the incidents. To begin to get a handle on the legacy of damage left by the West Atlas disaster, monitoring should continue for at least five years.

The oil industry has admitted this shouldn't have happened. A second leak - this time of gas - was subsequently reported from pipelines at the nearby Puffin oil field.  This undermines the oil and gas industry's claimed good environmental record and casts doubt on their ability to operate safely and without damaging Australia's marine environment.

The Government must introduce a moratorium on new oil exploration licences until the causes of this spill are understood and the industry can guarantee it won't happen again.

The seas off Western Australia are becoming a major frontier for oil and gas development. The West Atlas spill underlines the inherent risks with this industry. As development continues to expand, there is increased risk of this sort of incident occurring again.
 
Less than one percent of the oceans to the north and west of Australia are protected within marine sanctuaries.  In other words, 99% remain open for fishing and development. The West Atlas oil rig disaster underlines the desperate need to redress the balance. 

Consequently, the Australian Marine Conservation Society is calling on Government to:

• Ensure the public inquiry into this disaster determines why this spill happened and puts safeguards in place immediately to protect the marine environment from further damage.  The inquiry must ensure improvements are made to the regulation and approval of all new offshore oil and gas developments and that the costs of the clean up are fully met by the responsible company.
• Ensure, under the polluter pays principle, that PTTEP foot the bill for at least five years, and preferably ten, monitoring the impacts of the spill on our ocean wildlife.
  
• Protect the most important areas for marine wildlife by establishing large marine sanctuaries, setting these areas aside from oil and gas exploration.
  
• Place a moratorium on opening any more areas for oil and gas exploration until the current marine bioregional planning process is complete.

There is clear and strong public support for fully protected marine sanctuaries. Recent polling by the Save Our Marine Life coalition (of which AMCS is a partner) found three quarters of Australians want to see at least 30% of our oceans protected from oil and gas exploration, mining and fishing.

In Greek mythology, Atlas was destined to carry the weight of the heavens on his shoulders. The West Atlas spill underlines the heavy burden that development can impose on our precious marine environment and the need for Government to shoulder the responsibility for protecting our seas.