White smoke billows from the West Atlas on 22 August: off north-west Australia
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PTTEP rubbishes talk of Montara fire
PTTEP denies reports that a fire is raging onboard either the West Atlas drilling platform or the West Triton relief rig at the Montara development off north-west Australia.
Drilling continues on a relief well designed to stop the oil leak at PTTEP's Montara field.
The company says that pictures of the West Atlas may appear to have a ‘smoke’ plume rising from the rig. This is in fact the cloud of gas, oil, and water vapour coming from the well head, said PTTEP.
The slick was caused by a blowout from a well on the Montara wellhead platform on 21 August. Seadrill-owned jack-up West Atlas was drilling through the platform on an adjacent well at the time of the incident and 69 personnel were evacuated safely.
The Seadrill-owned jack-up West Triton started drilling the relief well on 14 September and the operation is expected to take about three-and-a-half weeks to complete.
PTTEP said the rate of oil flow from the wellhead platform is reducing significantly.