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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
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5

Blaze Erupts on Aussie Oil Rig

Leak spewing 400 barrels of oil daily

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(Newser) – A massive blaze has erupted from an oil rig in the Timor Sea off northwest Australia. The fire was sparked as workers battled to plug an undersea leak that has spewed 400 barrels of oil a day for the past 10 weeks. No one was injured in the fire and all workers were being evacuated. Officials of PTTEP Australasia, which owns the operation, said the only way to stop the fire is to plug the leak.

Experts are working to solve the problem, said an Australian government official. But opposition politicians have blasted the government for failing to take quick action to mitigate the environmental disaster, reports the BBC.

The West Atlas oil rig burns some about 150 miles off Australia's northwest coast today. The fire started when workers made another attempt to plug an undersea leak.
The West Atlas oil rig burns some about 150 miles off Australia's northwest coast today. The fire started when workers made another attempt to plug an undersea leak.   (AP Photo/PTTEP Australasia)
The West Atlas oil rig burns some about 150 miles off Australia's northwest coast today. The fire started when workers made another attempt to plug an undersea leak.
The West Atlas oil rig burns some about 150 miles off Australia's northwest coast today. The fire started when workers made another attempt to plug an undersea leak.   (AP Photo/PTTEP Australasia)
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5 comments
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riffran
Nov 2, 09 6:26 AM CST
put another 10,000,000 shrimp on the barby......damn thats a lot of oil Reply
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DarkFrancis
Nov 2, 09 6:31 AM CST
The whole oil thing has been a bloody mess from start to...well, I was gonna say finish, but it just drags on and on. It's not bad enough we nick Timor's oil, we have to go and spill it everywhere. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
QuackQuack
Nov 2, 09 9:21 AM CST
No Shit, I have been working on rigs for the last 15 years & have have never seen such incompetence. Now the 'Rudd the dud gov' does not want to support a free Afghanistan either, even with their miserly bullshit contingency that whinges with one loss of a soldier, maybe the Australians are turning into a bunch of wimps. Oh but they are pretty good at kicking ass on helpless boat people & claiming busting the recession by cuddling to China. Maybe it's time to let the land down under, go under.
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Netstorm2k9
Nov 2, 09 7:12 AM CST
"But opposition politicians have blasted the government for failing to take quick action to mitigate the environmental disaster..." How like a politician to use something like this to advance an agenda. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
riffran
Nov 2, 09 9:31 AM CST
didn't a politician over here quip something about a disaster being a shame to waste....inferring the very same thing.....dang..now I got to go look it up
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