Devastating oil slick worsens off northwest Australia

• Print
• Email

Updated September 28, 2009 19:48:04

An oil rig leaking hundreds of barrels in to the Timor Sea off the northwest Australian coast won't be plugged for at least another three weeks. That's the admission from the Thai firm that operates the rig - PTT Exploration and Production Australasia. The West Atlas drilling rig has been gushing oil and natural gas since mid-August, and is now one of the worst oil spills in Australian history. Ecologists say a toxic slick is poisoning marine species across an area of ocean one-hundred times the size of Sydney Harbour.

Presenter: Michael Cavanagh
Speakers: Dr Gilly Llewellyn, WWF; Peter Tucker, chair, Save the Kimberley Region; Jose Martins, chief finance officer, PTT Exploration and Production Australasia

• Listen:
• Windows Media

• Anwar Ibrahim to concentrate on politics
• Australia accused of rewarding Burma too soon
• North Korean propaganda builds up Kim Jong-un
• PNG leader won't resign over Indonesia airspace incident
• Rudd praises Indonesian cooperation on asylum seekers
• Anwar Ibrahim cleared of sodomy charges
• Elephant poo paper at hit with Bali tourists
• Musharraf announces return to Pakistan